The aim of this project is to offer an explanation for the limited impact of international resilience programmes in local communities. International financial investment in reducing risk has grown significantly over the last decade, giving rise to a large number of programmes designed to increase resilience in developing countries. Yet studies and reports continue to reveal inconsistencies and limitations in the local implementation of such programmes. One reason for this lack of reception is a mismatch in the conceptualisations of risk at the global and local level. This important and under researched explanation is explored in this study by examining risk perceptions in the Pacific and the Caribbean islands through local forms of art. This raises awareness of alterative worldviews on resilience and provides the grounds for encouraging a more refined and equitable programmes on resilience in the future.