Stories about Caribbean from February, 2009
Martinique and Guadeloupe: Vocabulary of the general strike
le blog de [moi] [Fr] discusses how a new vocabulary has entered into the creoles of Guadeloupe and Martinique since the beginning of the general strike: “What was really surprising (and for me, I admit, a little unsettling) was to see how in interviews, men and woman on the street...
Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Aggravation Nation
Trinidadian blogger Now is Wow Too is finding the U.S.A. “an unfortunate source of aggravation”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Living for Carnival
This Beach Called Life suspects that Trinidad Carnival may have a positive impact on longevity.
Bermuda: Budget Response
From Bermuda, Vexed Bermoothes comments on the opposition's response to the government's 2009-10 Budget.
Guyana: The Ripple Effect
The far-ranging effects of the CL Financial failure have now reached Guyana. One blogger has been assiduously following the latest developments...
Jamaica: Passion
Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Phlip republishes text from a lecture he gave about the importance of pursuing your passions.
Guadeloupe: Police “Blunder”?
Amidst the confusion of the month-long social conflict in Guadeloupe, two nights of violence took place on February 17th and 18th. Apart from acts of arson in shops and numerous burning roadblocks, the climax of these violent clashes has been the as-yet unsolved assassination of a man. Trikess, who blogs...
Martinique: Violent clashes in Fort de France
Martinican bloggers Imaniyé and Bondamanjak both note the recent degradation of the social conflict in Martinique, as clashes between the police and young people took place in the capital city of Fort-de-France, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Jamaica, Guyana: Action or Reaction?
Both Active Voice [Jamaica] and Guyanese blogger C.D. Valere (writing at Baiganchoka) continue the discussion about recent attempts by the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission to “clean up” the airwaves.
Aruba: Calling the Socialists
“Some Arubans are also affected because they invested in Stanford's company and are now, as we say in quaint Dutch, sitting with the baked pears”: Arubagirl examines her government's reaction to the Allen Stanford story and wonders where all the socialists have gone.
Haiti: Carnival History
Real Hope for Haiti writes a detailed post about the island's Carnival traditions.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Injunction
Barbados Free Press finds it “interesting” that the Trinidad and Tobago Central Bank and the Colonial Life Insurance Company Limited (CLICO) have been granted an injunction against CL Financial.
Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica: Carnival Photos
More photos from Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, this time from Trinidad Carnival Diary, and from Dominica's Carnival, courtesy Dominica Weekly.
Guyana: Mash 2009
Guyana Providence Stadium posts photos from this year's Mashramani celebrations.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Missing Carnival
B.C.Pires is in “quiet Barbados” for Carnival and wonders if he can still manage to catch a flight to Trinidad: “There really is nothing like it; even in its modern, diluted, throwaway, made-in-China form…”
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Pics
From Trinidad and Tobago, de cooler : soca news and This Beach Called Life link to photo sets of this year's Carnival celebrations.
Bermuda, Cayman Islands: Freedom of Info
“While Bermuda continues to pay lip service to public access to information, the Cayman Islands forge ahead”: Vexed Bermoothes weighs in.
Martinique: On independence and French “paternalism”
As the workers' movement in Martinique and Guadeloupe continues, bloggers in Martinique consider what it might mean for the overseas departments to become independent. le blog de [moi] finds the idea Martinique couldn't make it on its own offensive and paternalistic. Her readers think that one reality of being a small island country is that you are always under someone else's shadow.
Martinique: Carnival cancelled after weeks of workers’ protests
le blog de [moi] discusses officials’ decision to cancel Carnival in Martinique after four weeks of workers’ protests. She quotes Louisy Berté from the Alliance union who asks, “How can we stand against the rising cost of living and, at the same time, present an image of Martinique singing and...
Martinique: President Sarkozy
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has finally met with elected representatives of French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Réunion, regarding the crisis which has been shaking the French West Indies for the last month. Martinican bloggers Imaniyé and blogde[moi] are dissatisfied and note that his TV address raised two questions: Why was...
Guadeloupe: Local media under pressure
Guadeloupean CaribCreoleOne is the first blogger to talk about the political pressure put on Guadeloupean media RCI and Canal 10. Some journalists even seem to have been summoned by the Local service of the Judiciary Police [Fr].
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Janine Mendes Franco is the Caribbean editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
