Stories about Caribbean from March, 2009
Haiti, U.S.A.: Immigration Reform
Haiti's jmc strategies is very interested in U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's statements on immigration reform: “Biden did not specifically say that the Administration was backing away from a legalization program. It remains therefore to be seen what steps they will take in the future.”
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: At the Summit
“It seems far-fetched to think that the summit’s news coverage would be dominated by the one country in the region that is absent from the event” – but The Cuban Triangle thinks that “two factors – a no-news summit agenda, and a vocal regional consensus calling on President Obama to...
Trinidad & Tobago: Dinner Mints
This Beach Called Life thinks that dinner mints are part of Trinidad and Tobago's identity.
Jamaica, Suriname: Creative Connections
“This is why it's important for collaborations to take place in every sphere–in different parts of the Caribbean and elsewhere. For cultural criticism is partly detective work and you can't read all the clues sitting marooned on an island”: Jamaican Annie Paul explores the connections among Caribbean artists.
Guyana: The Legacy of Janet Jagan
Guyanese bloggers react to the death of Janet Jagan, the country's first female president.
France, Americas, Africa: The “Y'a Bon” Awards
On March 17th 2009, a group called les Indivisibles [Fr] launched the “Y'a Bon Awards”, a dubious honour bestowed upon politicians, journalists, or any public officials who have contributed to the spreading of racism in France. The Awards have sprung from reactions to a century-long advertising campaign that has not sat well with most black people in France.
Trinidad & Tobago: Identifying the Problem
Blogging from Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life thinks that the biggest problem with UDECOTT “isn’t that the public thinks it is a corrupt organization…[it's] that the masses who screamed about the corruption with the Piarco Airport Terminal are now silent and indifferent about UDECOTT.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Shouter Baptist Liberation
triniscene.com pays tribute to the Shouter Baptists of Trinidad and Tobago, who today celebrate “the abolition of laws that prohibited the activities of the Shouter or Spiritual Baptist faith on March 30, 1951.”
Barbados: Animal Cruelty
Barbados Free Press republishes a letter from an “irate hiker” whose group discovered the body of a dog that was hanged from a tree: “The RSPCA was notified. Their response was ‘write a letter to the newspapers’. Where is the the ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ in such a response?...
Jamaica: Going to Calabash
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp and Life, Unscripted, on the Rock are pleased to report that the Calabash International Literary Festival is back on.
Global Recession Survey: Survival Tips and Business Opportunities
Everybody is trying hard to cope with the global economic crisis. Bloggers are offering survival tips to their readers. Businesses around the world are adjusting. Some are even profiting from the crisis. In this post, I will feature individuals and companies exerting their very best to overcome the recession.
St. Lucia: Waclott Square
Repeating Islands Blog pays a visit to Derek Walcott Square in St. Lucia.
Jamaica: Curtains for Calabash?
Diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp is part of a group that has written an open letter to the Jamaican Prime Minister expressing disappointment over the news “that the 2009 Calabash Festival has been cancelled due to insufficient funding.”
Barbados: Moving On Up?
“Will Barbados’ proposed housing developments be part of an economic and social package that is geared to give people a better standard of living?”: Living in Barbados questions the wisdom of high-rise developments on the island.
Bermuda: Going on Faith?
Both Vexed Bermoothes and The Devil Island discuss the Bermudian government's faith-based tourism programme.
Jamaica, Canada: Caribbean Voices
Is there room in Canadian literature for a Caribbean voice? Jamaican diaspora author and blogger Pamela Moredecai shares her thoughts…
Trinidad & Tobago: Naipaul Nominated
Repeating Islands Blog reports that “Trinidadian writer V. S. Naipaul is among the nominees for the Man Booker International Prize.”
Trinidad & Tobago: SEA of Fools?
“The children of Trinidad & Tobago are this morning sitting the dreaded SEA (Secondary Entrance Assessment) exam that replaced the even-more-dreaded 11-Plus”: Barbados-based B.C. Pires shares his thoughts.
Barbados: Suspect Named
“Further media details indicate that the suspect is a 24 year old man. Apparently, the man was found with a camera, jewelry and an imitation firearm”: Bajan Dream Diary links to mainstream media articles that provide details about the suspect in the Terry Schwarzfeld murder.
Barbados: Being Green
Living in Barbados admits: ‘It's not easy being green”, but he's trying.
Guadeloupe: Happy 70th!
Repeating Islands Blog sends greetings to Guadeloupean novelist Myriam Warner-Vieyra on her 70th birthday.
About our Caribbean coverage
Janine Mendes Franco is the Caribbean editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
