· May, 2009

Stories about Caribbean from May, 2009

Trinidad & Tobago: Police Presence

  29 May 2009

From Trinidad and Tobago, Mauvais Langue cannot believe that “in the year 2009 they [the police] still saying they have no vehicles”, while B.C. Pires takes great pride in the way his friend, through a letter to the Editor, comes “around the wicket, to send one right up into the...

Jamaica, U.S. Virgin Islands: Cruise Control

  29 May 2009

The popularity of cruises to Caribbean destinations gets Jamaican diaspora blogger Labrish thinking about “the overwhelm of the environment, marine and land, that these mega-cities-on-the-sea bring with them.”

Belize: Earthquake

  29 May 2009

Belize-based blogger As The Coconuts Drop recounts his experience of yesterday's strong earthquake.

Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Schengen Waived

  29 May 2009

As Bajan Dream Diary reports that “Barbadians travelling to the European Union will no longer need to obtain the Schengen visa”, Trinidad and Tobago's fake Prime Minister asks: “Since when do Trinis visit Europe anyway?”

Jamaica, Cuba: Amnesty International Report

  29 May 2009

Iriegal and Jamaica Salt comment on Amnesty International’s criticism of the Jamaican police force, while Havana Times notes that the organization”recognized…that the US blockade on Cuba has a negative effect on the general population.”

Guadeloupe: In May 2009, keep May 1802 and May 1967 in mind

  28 May 2009

2009 will definitely be a "new" year in Guadeloupe - at least judging from a pun that people used as their New Year's wish, since in Creole "new" is pronounced "nef" and "nine" is also pronounced "nef". The first social movements in December 2008 foreshadowed the massive mobilization which took place from January until March 2009, which resulted in 45 days of an all-out strike on the island. Although an agreement was signed, the situation still has not been properly settled - and May, traditionally a month of protest in the French and Guadeloupean social history, is particularly hot this year.

Bahamas: Flooding

  28 May 2009

Weblog Bahamas republishes an article which addresses the serious impact of flooding on the island.

Trinidad & Tobago: AG Resigns

  28 May 2009

Bloggers have their say about the resignation of Trinidad and Tobago's Attorney General. This Beach Called Life: “The AG resigned, bringing with it accusations she wouldn’t tow The Party Line. Or support The Dictatorship, depending how you say it”; Jumbie's Watch: “This is a red herring to detract us from…the...

Caribbean, UK: Padel resigns from Oxford post

  27 May 2009

After regional bloggers reacted en masse to the withdrawal of St. Lucian Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott from the race to be Oxford Professor of Poetry, Ruth Padel, Walcott's closest competitor who eventually won the coveted post, has resigned under pressure of mounting allegations that she was the puppet master behind the smear campaign. Caribbean bloggers do not seem surprised.

Barbados: Inquest Begins

  27 May 2009

“Some three years after Bajan fisherfolk made the grim discovery of a boat full of bodies off our coast, Barbados is holding an inquest into the deaths of the African migrants who perished trying to journey to Europe”: Barbados Free Press hopes that the local media will closely follow developments.

Bermuda: Gang Violence

  27 May 2009

“I find the gang violence and drive-by shootings this weekend too depressing to write about. WTF Bermuda?”: Still, Vexed Bermoothes manages to throw out some constructive ideas.

Jamaica: The Calabash Experience

  27 May 2009

“What was it about this year’s Calabash that still causes its many images and tones and textures to linger in my memory, refusing to leave?”: For Jamaica's Life, Unscripted, on the Rock, it was the entire literary experience.

Guadeloupe: Analysis of the Unrest

  26 May 2009

Repeating Islands reports that “The Council of Hemispheric Affairs has just posted their analysis of the unrest that plagued Guadeloupe and other French Overseas Territories earlier this year.”

Dominica: Emancipation of the Mind

  26 May 2009

“If we as a people are to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, we must first establish a new sense of self and engage in a critical transformation of the mind”: Dominica Weekly wishes everyone a happy African Liberation Day.

About our Caribbean coverage

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