Tonika Sealy-Thompson

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Tonika Sealy-Thompson
Tonika Sealy-Thompson - 2019 (cropped).jpg
Ambassador to Brazil
Assumed office
8 March 2019
Appointed byMia Mottley
Personal details
Born1977
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
OccupationDiplomat

Tonika Sealy-Thompson (born 1977?) is an academic, curator and arts activist from Barbados. She was appointed ambassador to Brazil in 2019, and was Barbados' youngest female ambassador at the time.

Biography[]

Sealy-Thompson graduated from Carleton University with a degree in International Trade Policy and Diplomacy.[1] She was also awarded an MA from Hult International Business School, Shanghai Campus, in International Business Administration.[2] She is fluent in French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Chinese.[1][3] Prior to her appointment she was studying for a PhD at University of California, Berkeley where her research explored how the performing arts link to politics in three locations: Barbados, the Bay Area and Brazil. In order to take up the appointment, Sealy-Thompson put her research on hold.[3] During her time at Berkeley she hosted anti-racism workshops in addition to her research.[3]

Ambassadorial career[]

Sealy-Thompson and Bolsonaro on her appointment.

On 8 March 2019, Sealy-Thompson was accepted by President Bolsonaro as Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil.[4] At the time of her appointment, she was Barbados' youngest woman ambassador at the age of 42.[3] Strengthening diplomatic links between Barbados and countries in South America, including Brazil, is a key element of her work and in 2019 worked with colleagues from Barbados and Argentina to extend their mutual understanding.[5] In 2019, she visited Bahia state to explore connections between it and Barbados, particularly in relation to the shared heritage of the Black population in both places.[6] Sealy-Thompson was also instrumental in establishing a festival of Caribbean culture in Porto Velho, where there a Barbadian community.[7][8] In 2020, she paid an official visit to Olinda, along with the ambassadors of Romania and Ireland.[9]

Career in the arts[]

Sealy-Thompson's first career in the arts, involved working as an international festival director in Cape Verde, Brussels and Barbados.[10] She founded the Fish & Dragon Festival, held in Barbados.[10] She is interested in how creative work can help people recover from trauma.[11] She co-founded, with Stefano Harney, the arts project Ground Provisions.[12] This project explores black metaphysics and the politics of reading.[13]

Awards[]

1997 - Tom Adams Prize for outstanding work in the humanities.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Pilé, Shamkoe (2018-12-21). "Barbados Appoints Two New Diplomats". GIS. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  2. ^ "MBA Alumni | Hult". Hult Business School. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  3. ^ a b c d e July 18, John Hickey|; 2019July 22; 2019 (2019-07-18). "Madam Ambassador: The unusual trip from Barbados to Berkeley to Brazil". Berkeley News. Retrieved 2020-08-03.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Bolsonaro confirma viagem à China neste ano". Agência Brasil (in Portuguese). 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  5. ^ "Friendly ties". epaper.barbadostoday.bb. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  6. ^ "Secretaria da Educação do Estado recebe visita da embaixadora de Barbados | institucional". institucional.educacao.ba.gov.br. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  7. ^ "Festival internacional mistura culturas amazônica e caribenha em Porto Velho". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  8. ^ Amazônia, Diário da. "Memorial Rondon atualmente é o maior ponto turístico de PVH". Diário da Amazônia (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  9. ^ OLINDA, SECOM-SECRETARIA DE COMUNICAÇÃO DE (2020-02-21). "Olinda recebe representantes da Irlanda, Romênia e Barbados". Prefeitura de Olinda, em ação contra o coronavírus (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  10. ^ a b "Advisory Board". Love the Bulb. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  11. ^ #Identity : hashtagging race, gender, sexuality, and nation. De Kosnik, Abigail, Feldman, Keith P. Ann Arbor. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-472-12527-2. OCLC 1077773750.CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ Harney, Stefano. The liberal arts and management education : a global agenda for change. Thomas, Howard, 1943-. Cambridge. ISBN 978-1-108-56183-9. OCLC 1140886921.
  13. ^ Thompson, Tonika Sealy; Harney, Stefano (2018-03-01). "Ground Provisions". Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context and Enquiry. 45: 120–125. doi:10.1086/698401. ISSN 1465-4253.

External links[]

The Poetry Center and the SFSU Labor Archives and Research Center co-present "Working with Others: Convivial Research (Revisited)"

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