Biennial of the Americas Denver 2010

From July 11-16, Pan Ramajay and the University of Denver will sponsor a Steel Drum Workshop, devoted to the studies of steel drum and caribbean music styles. The workshop will culminate in a free concert on July 16 in Gates Hall at the Newman Center with Ray Holman, renowned steel drum composer and performer from Trinidad and Tobago.

Combined GDP of the Western Hemisphere exceeds $19 trillion. As a result, the 35 nations of the Hemisphere produce close to 30 percent of the world’s GDP. Nevertheless, along with those of the rest of the planet, economies in the Hemisphere have recently suffered tremendous setbacks. To promote and sustain healthy economies in the region, trade is certainly one important catalyst. For that reason, one approach might be to write even more bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Greater value might come, however, from attempting to leverage the trade agreements already in place. How could these agreements be refined to work more successfully? How might their economic gains to-date be consolidated and furthered? How can technology advancements be put to use more strategically?

Perhaps no one is more knowledgeable or better equipped to comment on the needs of his or her country than a former head of state, now unrestrained by the confines of political office. In 2007, former President Alejandro Toledo of Peru gathered for the first time many of his colleagues from throughout the Western Hemisphere to initiate the drafting of a social agenda, the focus of which is the role of democracy in improving the lives of the Hemisphere’s citizens. The Summit of Former Heads of State features a diverse group of former presidents as they describe the priorities of their nations, as they see them, in the promotion of democracy to reduce poverty, increase public health, advance education, and create employment.

From July 11-16, Pan Ramajay and the University of Denver will sponsor a Steel Drum Workshop, devoted to the studies of steel drum and caribbean music styles. The workshop will culminate in a free concert on July 16 in Gates Hall at the Newman Center with Ray Holman, renowned steel drum composer and performer from Trinidad and Tobago.