IDB’s Pivot Movement launches book, music video

Some "big ideas" for regional transformation are featured in a new book titled Pivot: The Future Makers which was published by the The Pivot Movement.

The book "helps to visualise what is possible for the region by 2040."

The Pivot Movement was created to inspire ambitious ideas to help the Caribbean overcome its challenges and become a global leader in innovation, said a media release.

Launched in 2020, Pivot is the result of a partnership among the IDB, Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, The Destination Experience, and Singularity University.

Pivot: The Future Makers brings to life nine moonshots or big ideas for regional transformation which were created at the first Pivot Event, the release said.

The book was launched on April 9 alongside the music video premiere of Shine, The Pivot Movement’s theme song, by Freetown Collective, on Freetown’s YouTube Channel.

The moonshots featured in the book focus on electric mobility, digital transformation and tourism. These are brought to life, in comic-book style, through the fictional story of the Singh-Smiths, a Caribbean family of the future.

General manager of the IDB’s Country Department Caribbean Group (CCB), Therese Turner-Jones said the book is a bold statement for the work of the Pivot Movement.

“The Pivot Book transports readers into an imagined future for the Caribbean as a global leader in new technologies that improve its resilience and the quality of life of citizens. With the help of talented Caribbean illustrators, the book helps us to visualise what is possible for the region by 2040. We see the Pivot Book as a bold statement for the work of the Pivot Movement and we encourage Caribbean people to join us as we continue to think big and work together,” Turner-Jones said in the release.

Nuri Djavit, chief marketing officer of Singularity University said, “We had the honour of pulling together the content for the Pivot Book working with the writer and artists. The entire experience from guiding the future makers through the intensive sessions of the Pivot Event to completing this book has been energising. It is an indication of what lies ahead for innovation in the Caribbean.”

The Pivot theme song, Shine, was released last year as part of the Pivot Event and the music video which celebrates the passion, creativity and potential of Caribbean people was premiered. Freetown Collective’s lead singer Muhammed Muwakil said the song "is a dedication to turning the tragedy of our histories into moments and legacies of beauty."

Muwakil said, “A song is much more than the promotion of an artist and that an artist is much more than an entertainer but each of these elements has always been instrumental in our evolution, that is the beauty of this particular collaboration. Shine is a dedication to turning the tragedy of our histories into moments and legacies of beauty, time and time again. The Pivot movement is a recognition of our ability, as Caribbean people, to do that.”

Anyone is free to join the Pivot Movement.

To download a digital copy of the book visit: www.caribbeanpivot.com