Caribbean Social Studies Partners with ReCreators Agency to Document & Explore Youth-Led Cultural Infrastructure in UK CSS Diaspora Conversations Series
London, UK — Caribbean Social Studies (CSS) is bringing its Diaspora Conversations series to the UK through a new partnership with London-based ReCreators Agency The inaugural event in this series launches as part of ReCreators' Inherited Light project, a cultural archive documenting Caribbean youth identity and cultural placemaking in Britain.
This collaboration brings together CSS's cultural ecosystem research with ReCreators' creative vision to illuminate the stories of Caribbean Millennials and Gen-Z in the UK. The partnership explores how Caribbean diaspora communities create place, and how cultural placemaking functions as cultural and economic infrastructure, shaping identity, belonging, and opportunity across the UK, the broader diaspora, and the Caribbean region.
About the Project: Inherited Light
Inherited Light is an evolving archive authored by Imaan Samson, founder of ReCreators Agency. Through photography, film, and personal narratives, the project captures the journey of ambitious Caribbean Millennials and Gen-Z in the UK as they find inspiration in their Caribbean heritage and build new pathways.
The Caribbean community in the UK, though small in numbers (just 1.9% of the population), has a powerful cultural presence. Inherited Light focuses on the emerging generation redefining what Caribbean identity means in contemporary Britain. Rather than positioning Caribbean youth as passive inheritors of culture, Inherited Light centers them as active cultural architects: individuals reinterpreting heritage, building community, and creating new forms of belonging.
The project is funded by the JN UK Circle program, an initiative that seeks to strengthen cultural connections, foster entrepreneurship, and create meaningful opportunities for Caribbean communities in the UK.
Diaspora Conversations, powered by CSS, extends this work beyond documentation into dialogue, creating space for reflection, exchange, and strategic discussion about how Caribbean culture and placemaking translate into long-term creative and economic systems.
The Event
The official launch of Inherited Light takes place on February 13th, 2026 at JN Bank at 410 Brixton Rd, London SW9 7AW, UK
Agenda
- 18:00–19:00 — Guest arrival & check-in
- 19:00–20:00 — Panel discussion & Q&A
- 20:00–22:00 — Networking & close
The Panel: Diaspora Conversations on Cultural Infrastructure
The evening's panel explores: Caribbean placemaking as cultural and economic infrastructure.
The panel brings together Diaspora business and creative leaders to explore and examine:
- How diaspora communities build cultural value
- Where untapped potential lies and how to unlock it
- Balancing cultural preservation with economic opportunity
- Building systems for sustainable advancement through cultural placemaking
- The role of diaspora youth as cultural architects translating Caribbean heritage into contemporary value
- How diaspora infrastructure development can inspire and advance the Caribbean region
The evening creates space for connection, reflection, and forward-looking strategy, grounded in lived experience and collective wisdom. Subscribe to Caribbean Social Studies for the post-event report, key insights, and updates on future Diaspora Conversations.
Meet the Panelists
Paula Dyke 🇯🇲
Paula brings over 20 years of strategic marketing and communications experience across financial services, tourism, and media. Her career includes senior roles at Santander UK, Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Financial Conduct Authority. Today, she supports JN Group’s UK operations and The Voice — Britain’s leading Black British newspaper — bridging corporate communications with community engagement and inclusive storytelling.
Jo Wong 🇹🇹
An award-winning business development leader with experience across Estée Lauder Companies and FARFETCH, Jo managed portfolios exceeding £450M before launching Let’s GROW BFF in 2025. Her consultancy provides accessible, fractional business development support for Black female founders. A Black, queer, neurodivergent mother originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Jo is recognized for her work on founder economics, dismantling traditional professionalism, and building systems that support underrepresented entrepreneurs.
Imaan Samson 🇯🇲🇱🇨
A multifaceted digital producer and creative visionary, Imaan works at the intersection of art, technology, and cultural storytelling. A Webby Award honoree and SXSW nominee, he has led immersive projects across film, digital art, and experiential media. In 2022, he became the youngest creative practitioner on StoryTrails, the UK’s largest immersive storytelling project. His work consistently amplifies underrepresented voices and reframes how culture, memory, and innovation intersect.
Elaine Grant 🇯🇲
With 38 years in the creative industries, Elaine is a theatre education and access specialist dedicated to audience diversification and inclusion. Through Elaine Grant Creative Consulting, she bridges cultural institutions with underrepresented communities and mentors emerging creatives toward sustainable careers. Her work spans institutions such as Sadler’s Wells, the Royal Opera House, the V&A, and the National Portrait Gallery. She is a trustee and board member across multiple arts organizations and a recipient of the 2021 Alfred Fagan Award.
ReCreators Agency
Recreators Agency is a forward-thinking creative studio at the intersection of culture, technology, and storytelling. We exist to bridge worlds—merging digital innovation with authentic human experience to create work that resonates, challenges, and inspires.
Caribbean Social Studies (CSS)
Caribbean Social Studies is a pioneering Cultural Ecosystem and Strategy Studio dedicated to advancing Caribbean creative excellence on the global stage. CSS sits at the intersection of Cultural Intelligence, Creative Strategy and Economic Infrastructure.
JN Circke UK
JN Bank, part of the Jamaica National Group, is a leading financial institution with a long-standing commitment to community empowerment across Jamaica and the diaspora. Through the JN UK Circle Program, JN Bank provides grant funding to initiatives that strengthen cultural connections, foster entrepreneurship, and create meaningful opportunities for Caribbean communities in the UK.
Grant support from the JN UK Circle Program enables the delivery of Inherited Light and Diaspora Conversations — supporting cultural documentation, public dialogue, and community-building initiatives that invest in the next generation of Caribbean creative leaders.
You can join the waitlist for the event by clicking on the graphic below.
