Tonika Sealy-Thompson

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.

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

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. 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. 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. "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.

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

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