Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago
Justin will be bringing to you, live, his observations and photographs from the events surrounding the Fifth Summit of the Americas – both inside and outside the security gates – which takes place in the Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, from April 16 to 19, 2009.
Written by
justin
May 11, 2009
It’s been about three weeks since my return home from the Summit of the Americas. Things have been busy, to be sure, but both along the journey and in the days since, I’ve reflected on the short time I spent in Port-of-Spain and what my major concerns were.
Taking on the role of a critical observer-journalist for the summit (easier to do so as I was not employed by any media company or agency) gave me the opportunity to constantly look beyond the immediacy of the [chaotic] events that surrounded me for those 48 hours. And apart from the paparazzi-esque media scrambling and the relative silence of the Canadian PMO, what struck me most was – for a summit that boasts its goal as securing civic society’s interests – there was not much access or input from the people themselves.
To be sure, the summit didn’t appear completely organized from the get-go and there were lots of complications and verbal disagreements when it came to shuffling the media pools around. Indeed, an international summit (attended by close to 1000 media personnel) is no easy task to coordinate – with every country’s delegation asking their specific instructions for security and mobility – but I nevertheless should point out that I heard such complaints from shuttle bus drivers, media pool organizers, and security staff. (Indeed, the confusion / lack of information on the part of security personnel was one reason I managed to get such close access on Saturday afternoon.)
As my shuttle bus driver alluded to, the confusion extended to even the accredited transportation. He would arrive at a destination and be given mixed messages. “There would be 14 buses driving like fools, all over the place,” he yelled back to us from the driver’s seat. “And when you reach there, nobody knows anything except that ‘You can’t pass here.’”
But I digress somewhat. Back to the issue of people’s input. First off, I can’t help but think back to what local journalist Leslie-Ann told me when we were riding the bus to Point-a-Pierre (for the environment-themed conference at the petroleum refinery / wild fowl reserve). To reiterate, she brought up the “wall” that the authorities put up along the main summit roads, to block out the sight of trash and other cleanliness issues in the poorer neighbourhoods.
On a similar note, when I was getting a lift home late Friday night, the woman who was driving me home noted that the “vagrants had been pushed out of the city centre” for the conference. Sure enough, the area around the security perimeter was void of any life, let alone the homeless.
So what point am I getting to with this? I’m not exactly sure, except for the fact that – in my opinion – this “push” of people away from the Summit venue is reflective of the less-literal push of the citizens’ opportunities to express themselves. Indeed, from what I understand, the permission (and therefore, the right) to protest in Trinidad must be given by the local authorities, and in the case of the Summit this permission was most certainly not given. (Given the protests of Quebec City in 2001 and Argentina in 2005, I wonder if this permission requirement made Port of Spain a more ideal location to host the Summit, from the point of view of the organizers.) A protest did take place on Saturday afternoon at the University of the West Indies, which is however located about 15 kilometres from downtown and is effectively nowhere close to the main venue.
Despite the related chaos, there is often a case to be made at protests. In this case, the issue that was raised to me most often was that of the economic cost of the summit. The handfuls of local citizens and journalists that I managed to speak with agreed that the expense of hosting the conference is an unnecessary expense at a time of economic uncertainty and general poverty in the city (and country). And while the former point is more debatable – people did acknowledge that the summit was booked here for almost three years – the latter is less easy to dispute, or ignore.
“There’s one view that says this expensive summit is of no benefit to the people… that’s one view,” a man named Sam told me. “Another view is that there’s some good coming out of it: there are [CCTV] cameras everywhere, the streets are clean, … so that’s good.”
“It’s a mixed reaction.”
Trinidad, and its capital, does have a violent reputation that’s fueled by the fact that the Caribbean is a central point in the Americas’ drug trade; the Trinidadian prime minister readily acknowledged it in his opening speech. But as Sam acknowledged the following day, not everyone is sold on the idea that this summit is a long-term investment for the country; and if it is, it is not likely one that will guarantee the prosperity of all its citizens.
“Of course, the government will tell you a different story… that it’s a long-term investment – like education,” he added with a hearty laugh. “They’ll say that we can’t see the benefits right now, but we will in 10 years. But you might not be around in 10 years… or I might not be!”
All this to say that the governments and people of the so-called “democratic Americas,” including ourselves in Canada, should reexamine their structures of democratic governance before criticizing those of others. And whether the issue is a protest ban in Trinidad or the lack of open channels of communication between the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office and the general media, it is mainly by encouraging and practicing open civic engagement that we can bring these issues to the forefront and challenge them.
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Saturday, April 18, 8:30 p.m.
With sightings of Obama being all the rage - and seemingly impossible - I decided to spend my Saturday afternoon (post-spouses conference) chasing down the Canadian delegation and seeing if I couldn’t ask them anything about … well, anything. (Given the chance, I would have tried to ask about their self-stated “leadership” role in the Americas and their push for free trade policies in the region.)
As I may have mentioned, I did get a call late Friday night from someone at the Prime Minister’s Office/Delegation who politely informed me that my request would likely be unlikely. So this morning at the Spouses’ event I called my new contact, Ms. High Commissioner of Canada, and asked her help in passing on the word again; sure enough, I did get a call back from the PMO shortly thereafter, again stating that any interviews would be almost impossible. The person on the other end of my temporary cell phone line also alluded to some ongoing communication problems between the ministers that might make such a request even more difficult to pass on (something about the Blackberry network being down…) I began to wonder how journalists ever managed to speak with our Canadian ministers, though the answer would present itself later in the day.
After having a quick snack, I managed to record an interview with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Uribe, interestingly enough, recently sat down with Harper to prepare a free trade agreement between the two countries - in Canada’s eyes, the first of many eager Latin American partners. Canada has been criticized for engaging in trade with Colombia, since the country’s human rights record under President Uribe has been under scrutiny (for instance, by Reporters Without Borders as well as investigative Colombian journalist Hollman Morris).
In terms of access at the summit, however, I was amazed at the ease and proximity that Uribe provided to the freelance media gathered (or simply “stuck”) outside the hotel. He basically just came around back and started speaking. I wouldn’t call it an interview or a Q&A; far from it, as he simply made his statement on Cuba (a hot topic this weekend) and relations with Obama (the other hot topic). Nevertheless, it was a world of access that doesn’t appear to exist in the Canadian delegation context.
[I've just captured the camera footage of Uribe, in Spanish; I'll see if I can post the clip in the next few days. Please check back early next week.]
I went outside the hotel doors to catch some more action, as I heard that the Canadian group would be leaving soon. Sure enough, out came Harper and co. He was making a bee-line for the SUV so I called out his name to buy some time.
“A comment, please!”
Someone in his entourage said something about “not having time,” but I did get a wave…
Later that day I managed to attend his press conference where, upon looking at my quotes afterwards, noticed copious usage of the words “free trade.” In terms of the apparent “leadership” role that Canada wants to play in the southern Americas, our prime minister effectively made that clear this afternoon.
“One of our [goals] is reestablishing foreign policies that we’ve had historically with the Caribbean. […] The thaw with Latin America and the U.S. should help us in that respect.”
“We (the U.S. and Canada) are working to ensure access to credit in the region.”
“[At the Summit] I argued that free and open markets are essential to the universal generation of prosperity, and I think the other countries agree.
“There’s a challenging problem of poverty, social inequality, and economic development [in Latin America] that is different than our situation in Canada. That’s not to say that they don’t understand the need for trade.
He also mentioned discussing new trade agreements with a few heads of state, and dismissed the economic or political influence of the “Bolivarian alternative” in the region (meaning Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia).
Indeed, there were a pre-selected, select group of Canadian journalists that sat alone at the front of the room, and one-by-one they were individually picked out to “ask” their one question. (I say “ask” in quotations because I wonder about the honesty of the question, or how many reviews it went through first. One of the ripple effects of the government shutting out access to Canadian journalists, I believe, is that only the journalists that ask “good” or “easy” questions are “rewarded” by being asked to come back. See this article by a University of Alberta law student for an elaboration on this point.)
Alas, the PMO apparently has a select group of delegation-approved media that roam with him, jotting down his business throughout the day and filing copy. It’s one way to get a scoop… though in the case of the doubly-restricted access (Summit security + PMO style), it seems the only way. I have serious reservations about these journalists’ role in providing our information, as the names present were essentially the ones that appeared as bylines across many Canadian newspapers the next morning. This is a direct link between state and press, a link that should not - by virtue of a generally free press’ practice - ever exist. What restrictions are imposed upon these reporters? And how can they be critical when their access to the Summit (and therefore, access to information) is determined by the very people they’re writing about?
Towards the end of the press conference, a reporter behind me stood up and yelled, “Are you going to take any questions from local journalists?” He was quickly silenced by staff.
Afterwards, another reporter simply pointed out on the subject, “That wasn’t fair. You come to the Caribbean…”
Fair? Not in this game, it would seem.
Oh well… let’s see if I can’t get into the delegate-approved media area, after all.
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Written by
justin
April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 1 p.m.
This morning I was asked to present myself at the media centre (directly next to the Hyatt hotel) at 7 a.m., where I would sign my name and take a blue jersey and hop aboard a bus that would take several journalists and photographers to a “Spouses Programme” hosted by (guess who?) the spouses of several present heads of state.
The wakeup proved to be troubling as I’d only gone to bed a handful of hours earlier - as did some other reporters, apparently - but soon enough I was chatting with the local Trinidadian journalists and Latin American photographers aboard my bus and gearing up for the hour-long drive to a place called Pointe-a-Pierre.
Since my arrival I had been pondering about the actual ‘ground’ reality of the slogan of this Summit, “Securing our citizens’ future by promoting human prosperity, energy security and environmental sustainability.” How much of these summit negotiations or trade agreements are actually improving the quality of life from the bottom up? And if so, are the so-called “developed” nations - including our own Canada - the countries that are spearheading such progress? Or is it the generally more progressive leaders of the Americas in the southern hemisphere?
Finally, how much of a “citizens’ future” summit can it be, when the very citizens that are affected by this government decision-making process are, in reality, stuck outside the security perimeter of the conference? And are not given the right to protest?
I will explore this very point further in my next post, but for the moment I’ll relate it to an anecdote from my time on the bus this morning.
Shortly after we began our drive eastward, towards the less-prosperous neighbourhoods of Port-of-Spain, it was evident that the image of the capital city that the local government was presenting to the Summit guests was different than that of the reality. We did only see a glimpse of things from the window of the bus, but housing conditions, for example, appeared crowded and sometimes dilapidated.
A Trinidadian colleague, Leslie-Ann, pointed out a white, five-foot-tall stone wall that separated this Summit-access road from the neighbourhoods. She went on to explain how the wall was part of the government’s plan to ‘mask’ the poverty of the city. And while the wall certainly didn’t block our visibility of the homes and roads, it did - according to Leslie-Ann - hide the trash, waste, and debris normally strewn along the side of the road.
“They put up this wall for the summit,” she said. “You know how many things they did for the summit? They paved the roads for the summit, they pushed the vagrants aside for the summit…”
See my upcoming post from Sunday, April 19, for more on this issue and some external links to articles about the wall.
Meanwhile, we arrive at Pointe-a-Pierre and, more specifically, at the site of the combined Petrotrin Golf Club / Oil Refinery / Wild Fowl Trust. (Petrotrin being the state-owned oil company, and this refinery being the largest, and now sole, in the country. Much of Trinidad’s economy is based in oil revenue.)
This was undoubtedly, at least to foreign eyes, a sight to see. On the one hand, lush greenery and the random viewing of wild fowl and miscellaneous birds and, to the other side, the grimly-mechanical and steely-grey ominous presence of a massive oil refinery. I couldn’t quite understand how these two places could coexist (and no less a golf club, though I digress…) but furthermore, how today’s spouses programme would precisely discuss the sustainability of our environment on these very grounds.
In the remainder of the short time we stayed there, I was able to listen to the welcome speech by the executive chairman of Petrotrin and the presentation by the wife of Belizean Prime Minister, Kim Simplis-Barrow, on sustainability efforts in her country, for example those related to eco-tourism.
In any case, the visit left me with an odd feeling, surely not helped by the overcast skies and humid weather. But aside from the stone wall and the oil refinery experiences, I began to reflect on other examples of the [lack of] environmental sustainability in the context of this Summit.
Granted, it is no easy task to coordinate the security and shepherding of various government officials and nearly one thousand media personnel around the summit grounds, but there did seem to be an awful lot of engine idling going on. For example, the bus we rode in on had capacity for 50 or 60 people, and we were only five or six. (I can’t help but think that a lack of organization played a role in this, and I’ll refer here to our bus driver who elaborated on how much trouble and mixed-messaging was going on as he attempted to bypass the various security zones and other transport buses, only to often arrive and be told, “You can’t pass here.”)
Buses idling at different media events, police cars idling next to the hotel, and black government SUVs (with tinted windows) idling outside the front doors. And all the while, the posted signs that read, “Public Notice: NO Parking / Stopping / Waiting.”
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Written by
justin
April 19, 2009
So it’s 2:34 in the morning and it’s been a long day and then some. I haven’t yet had a chance to sit down at a computer (until now) and I don’t quite have the energy to write my usual post. But I do have some noteworthy information (and photos) that I’m eager to share with you, dear readers, and I plan on posting it all tomorrow. (Don’t worry, I’ve kept notes throughout the day!)
Suffice to say, my morning started at 6 and within a half hour I was taking a ride towards the “Red Zone” (the security perimeter, where no unauthorized persons or vehicles are permitted to enter) and the Hyatt hotel. Chatting with the driver, Sam, I pushed to get his opinion on the purpose of the summit and its relevance to the people of Trinidad, or Port-of-Spain for that matter.
Again, I’ll elaborate later on this in greater detail, but for the most part what I’ve gathered is that the summit is somewhat of a nuisance for the ordinary citizen and the money being spent could be otherwise used for a number of infrastructure, employment, and social-related concerns in the capital city. That being said, the security measures (i.e. CCTV cameras) and temporary clean-up that has been put in place is hopefully a sign of a lasting improvement. (Port-of-Spain boasts a relatively high crime rate.)
I did end up going to the spouses event at the wild fowl sanctuary, which was interesting in its own right. The meeting was scheduled to discuss the environmental issues facing the Americas, and in the meantime this very location was being shared with a petroleum refinery. Imagine a quiet, green nature sanctuary to one side, and a metallic, grey refinery to the other. I’ll post photos tomorrow. I’ve also got some comments on the role of the environment in the summit.
Most of my afternoon was spent “celebrity” searching, i.e. trying to track down ministers and get some photos. Though this had occured to me in past thought, it’s incredible to realize first-hand the status we (the media) attribute to these politicans by nature of our camera-clicking and questioning.
I did manage to attend PM Stephen Harper’s press conference and a later photo-op, though he wasn’t otherwise available for comment.
The summit wraps up tomorrow morning, and in a few short hours, I’m off (back to Canada). A short trip - possibly my quickest ever - but certainly an experience.
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Written by
justin
April 17, 2009
Shortly after posting my last entry, I headed into the Media Management offices here in the media centre. My intention was to inquire as to the possibility of interviewing any member of the Canadian delegation. Lo and behold, the High Commissioner of Canada was there in the office - and she took my request personally.
“Would you like to interview Mr. Harper?” she asked.
Um…
We watched, on a small television screen, scenes being broadcast from the Piarco airport. Funny enough, Harper had just descended the steps of his plane and was getting into his private car.
The High Commissioner answered her phone: “Hi, are you watching? Yep. The Harper has landed.”
Afterwards I headed outside to the front doors of the Hyatt hotel, where sure enough the mid-size media gathering had become a plethora of cameras and cell phones and videographers and security staff. I managed to find something of a spot (though it wasn’t much), and my first “sighting” of the afternoon was the shadowy figure of Mr. Harper through the heavily-tinted glass of his car window. There was a maple leaf flag hanging on the hood, though…
When Hugo Chavez arrived, the media went ballistic and everyone charged for the front door. I managed to get something of a shot of his face, amidst all the pushing and shoving and cameras in my face, but probably the best part was that I was now MUCH closer to the “red carpet.”
I managed to see Evo Morales as well as a few other Latin American heads of state, and grab a few photos. It was a lot of waiting and sweating in the heat, though, and I began to wonder what exactly was the point of all these media representatives being here. I suppose most came for the odd chance that they’d see - or interview - someone of relevance. And truth be told, I came for the experience, so I suppose anything that comes out of this is a bonus.
Evo Morales (half-hidden behind the camera) entering the Hyatt hotel
Shortly after 7 I got a call on my cell phone.
“Hi Mr. Bromberg, I’m calling from the Prime Minister’s office regarding your request to interview Mr. Harper.”
(Yikes!)
“Unfortunately we will not be able to accomodate your request, due to the nature of the schedule this weekend.”
I let them know that I’d be happy to speak with anyone from the delegation, but was told that any contact would be unlikely. (I suppose this group isn’t necessary known for its willingness to give interviews.)
Harper did tell Fox News today that the Canadian government was “hoping to see a thaw” in U.S.-Cuba relations. “Obviously, President Obama has taken some steps and we’re hoping that some of the words we are hearing from the Cuban regime are meaningful.”
Certainly, with the U.S. adminstration’s recent announcement of its reconsidered approach to Cuba and the relaxation of travel regulations, the U.S.-Cuba relationship will be a hot topic over the weekend.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said the Americas, and particularly the North, will have to seriously embrace a new approach to development - economically, environmentally - to ensure proper equality between North and South. He brought up issues of the past, including the United States’ political interference in his country under the Reagan adminstration.
“I’m grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was 3 years old,” said President Obama, taking to the podium after Ortega.
Joking aside, Obama began by stating that progress in the Americas must start with the present and look to the future, reflecting that it’s time to learn from the past but not to dwell on it. He said that he didn’t want future talks to be “undermined by stale debates.”
(photo courtesy of Mariamma Kamban)
I watched the leaders’ speeches here in the media centre, and chatted with some other journalists from Belize. I also checked out the waterfront area behind the hotel here in Port-of-Spain, and snapped a few nice shots of the hotel and of the television journalists doing their evening broadcasts by sunset. The large cruise ships, docked in the harbour and serving as accomodation for most media (not me!), loomed in the background.
I did get a call late tonight, though, inviting me to be part of a media pool for the “informal spouses’ event” tomorrow morning at a wildlife sanctuary. Could be the start of something interesting.
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Written by
justin
April 17, 2009
Well, I arrived late last night and went on a small tour and was even taken to a steel pan show - definitely a great time. I also had an opportunity late at night to explore the media centre, which basically spans four floors of a massive downtown financial centre, and is also where I’m writing this post from.
This morning I spent some time exploring Port of Spain and sweltering in the humidity and heat - something like 33 degrees, to be exact.
Anyways, it’s about 3:20 in the afternoon and the media are up in arms, eyes fixated on the TV screens in the media centre. Yes, yes, the airplanes are landing at Piarco International Airport, about 30 minutes from Port of Spain. So far it looks like a nice silver Canadian plane has landed, and people here are anxiously awaiting the landing of Air Force One.
“Is that it?”
“No, Air Force One is a black plane, isn’t it?”
“But it says United States of America on it!”
UPDATE - 3:24 p.m. Apparently Air Force One is a white and blue plane, because Mr. Obama himself has just stepped on to the runway. No shortage of applause and hoots and hollers up here.
“Everyone has stopped everything!” someone just screamed.
Outside the financial centre, about 20 minutes ago, the photographers and videographers were out in full gear and full force, surrounding the entrance to the Hyatt Regency hotel next door. This is where all the heads of state will gather for an opening ceremony that begins at 5 p.m.
I better head down there and see what I can see… or who, for that matter.
For now, see these photos of the scramble outside.
Should be much more hectic by now….
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Written by
justin
April 16, 2009
It’s almost 4:00 on a warm Thursday afternoon in the Bridgetown, Barbados airport, as I await my final connection flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad. Last night was spent awake (i.e. not sleeping) doing final preparations and packing all the camera equipment for the journey.
As I approach the beginning of my time at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, I am both curious and a little nervous. Never before have I, as a photojournalist, reporter, or creator of social media, attempted to cover something of this grandeur. An editor at a local journal has just suggested to me that I use the opportunity to ask Canadian officials some of the questions they prefer to avoid. That might be a start, though let’s see how close I get to them first.
Indeed, I have close to no idea what the set-up will be at the Summit, nor will I know what access I’ll have until my arrival. Which makes this all a little exciting.
I had heard about this fifth summit quite a few months ago, when I was doing some research on the 2001 edition that took place in Quebec City. At the time, going to Trinidad sounded like a nice idea, but nothing more. Then when the media accreditation forms were put on the website, I contacted a former editor of mine (from a university press) and managed to secure the backing of my request to attend as a media representative. Lo and behold, in early April, I received an approval, and decided that this was too wild an opportunity to turn down.
Since that time, I’ve received quite a bit of support and suggestions from colleagues and people that I’ve met in the last few months. Setting up a blog on CitizenShift was equally something I’d wanted to do, since last year, and for an event of this nature it may prove to be the most useful journalistic tool.
“All passengers please board at gate number 12…”
The summit begins tomorrow (Friday) evening at 5 p.m., and runs until midday on Sunday. In the meantime, I plan to spend the next 20 hours or so trying to familiarize myself with the summit venues and finding out how I can secure entry into the places where the heads of state will be meeting. It all feels a bit overwhelming, but then again I tend to think of that as a good sign!
Over the course of the two (and a half) days, I plan to lug a couple of cameras and a miniDV camcorder around the summit sites, capturing the feeling and the happenings both inside and outside the security perimeter (which has surely, by now, imposed itself across the downtown of the city). I’d like to interview some of the people outside, and find out what brought them here, and what they hope to accomplish with their presence. And as I’ve mentioned before, should I get the opportunity to quiz some Canadian officials, it would be worthwhile to pose some hard-hitting questions (how often does one get a chance like this?)
I’ll be posting some photos whenever I get a chance to sit down at a computer, and hopefully the same with some video clips. (The latter depends on what technologies are available in the media centre.) I’ll welcome any comments or suggestions, of course.
Looks like it’s time for me to board the flight - Trinidad, here I come…
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