· April, 2006

Stories about Caribbean from April, 2006

Martinique: Tourists Turned Off

  29 April 2006

Bien Vu worries (FR) that Martinique is turning tourists off. Some have complained to him, he says, about: “a poor welcome, bad company, not feeling safe during their vacations and to top it all off, women being the subject of obscene insults.”

Man and anthill (Guyana)

  29 April 2006

Admiring an anthill in the north Rupununi, Guyana, with the Kanuku Mountains hidden by clouds in the distance. Photo by Nicholas Laughlin.

Martinique: Do Not Piss Here

  29 April 2006

Bien Vu finds a “Do not piss here” bilingual french/creole sign near the Tourism Bureau in downtown Fort-de-France and concludes “In Martinique, we spell things out.”

World: Farmer's Market International Parade

  28 April 2006

Melissa De Leon and Elena Hernandez are co-hosting the “The Farmer's Market International Parade” where participants from across the world post photos of their neighborhood markets, which will then be collected and linked to. So far, entries have been received from Venezuela, Mexico, Trinidad, UK and Panama. Entries will be...

West Indian literature online

  28 April 2006

One of the crucial elements in the rapid development of the literature of the Anglophone Caribbean in the 1940s and 50s was a weekly radio programme called Caribbean Voices, broadcast from London on the BBC's Caribbean Service and produced by Henry Swanzy. Caribbean Voices featured stories and poems by West...

Trinidad & Tobago: Press statement on aluminum smelter

  28 April 2006

The Rights Action Group T&T blog pulls no punches in the press statement outlining the group's views on the aluminium smelter project proposed for south Trinidad: “What is at stake for Trinidad and Tobago is not only the giving away of our natural gas, which accounts for 20% of our...

Dominica: Karib Cultural Village

  27 April 2006

French Antilles blog Bondamanjak describes (FR) a new cultural village located in Dominica which showcases the history and culture of native Karibs. Dominica retains a rare community of the Caribbean indigenous group.

Jamaica: A writer's development

  27 April 2006

On his personal blog, Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philps reproduces a lecture he delivered recently in which he discusses his development as a writer and also raises the question: “What is the mission of my generation?”

Caribbean: Cricket captaincy gamble

  27 April 2006

West Indies star batsman Brian Lara is appointed team captain for a third time. Jeremy Taylor at the Caribbean Beat weblog calls it “an interesting gamble, both for Lara and for the West Indies Board.”

Martinique: Parental Rant

  26 April 2006

Bien Vu wonders (FR) why his/her teen-aged son is being taught History in French class. “Martinique doesn't do anything like anyone else [in the French school system],” says the blogger “unless this is our very own national curriculum.”

Guyana: Funeral of slain government minister

  26 April 2006

Guyana Providence Stadium posts a photograph and a two-line report on the funeral of Guyana's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Crops and Livestock, who was murdered this past weekend. Guyana Resource Centre posts a Guyana news agency report on comments made by the Canadian High Commissioner during a speech made at...

Trinidad & Tobago: World Cup football news

  26 April 2006

Stacy-Marie Ishmael responds to a FIFA news story expressing surprise that the Trinidad & Tobago World Cup team has a white member, with a reminder that it's important to “militate against stereotypes wherever possible”. She also points to some of the commemorative items being produced as tributes to the team,...

Belize: VoIP blocked by local telecom

  26 April 2006

Melody reports that Belize Telecommunications Limited has been blocking VoIP connections in the country and calls for users’ assistance in surveying the effects of the blocking on their internet usage. “They have gone as far as jamming chat and messenger programs like GoogleTalk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Voice and other,” Melody...

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Janine Mendes-Franco
Janine Mendes Franco is the Caribbean editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.