 The life and work of Sir Arthur Lewis is being celebrated by the institution named after St. Lucia's first Nobel laureate. Sir Arthur Lewis received the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1979. On Tuesday 15th June, the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College hosted what it dubbed the Unthink Thought Festival, which discussed the economic theories posited by Sir Arthur Lewis. Hermione Mark reports. The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College successfully hosted the Unthink Festival on 15th June, 2021. The thought festival aimed to promote regionalism and global competitiveness in the Caribbean. The Unthink Festival was held in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the passing of Sir Arthur Lewis. The virtual event consisted of a series of panel discussions, including an open session which focused on Caribbean futures. So the key point is that to encourage the region to think forward, but also for developing countries as a whole. That's what the pandemic tells us that we need to do now. And that's why we constructed the idea of the Unthink Thought Festival. We've brought together a stella cast of thought leaders from around the world and from within the region. And we are hoping that the audience will be delighted by the key provocations today. One topic of particular importance discussed by the presenters was the significance of regional integration to the group of the Caribbean nations. Professor Avinash Basad, chairman of the Karakam Commission on the economy, highlighted a shift in the regional development over the years. Back in Sir Arthur's day, we were the fastest growing region, developmentally one of the most successful, the 1960s, 70s and 80s. And then something happened. Then we seemed to get stuck. Now we are one of the slowest growing regions in the world. And all the consequences that lead from slow growth. We've become as a result of slow growth. One of the highest indebted regions in the world. Highly indebted, slow growing. We are giving up many of the gains and social economic gains and developed gains that we had made earlier. Jonathan Joannes is the managing director of First National Bank. He encouraged participation among countries to attain regional growth. I think if we take the time out to realize how powerful collaboration is as opposed to competition, we will see how the sharing of best practices makes each country, each bank, each business, each citizen a lot better and a lot stronger. The sharing of assets to benefit all. Knowledge transfer and forming consortia where we can. I know we have this deep yearning to remain independent and to maintain our identity. And believe you me, the journey to form the consortia to acquire RBC was struck with this idea of remaining indigenous and keeping our own unique identities. But there are mechanisms that allow us to be independent and cooperate as though we are one. Other topics explored during the Sao Paulo's Unthink Festival included climate action, fourth industrial revolution, creative futures, and youth and social entrepreneurship. From the Government Information Service, I'm Huma De Mark.