Stories about Caribbean from January, 2011
Trinidad & Tobago: Fine Flavour Cocoa
“Gran Couva is part of the Montserrat hills in the Central Range of Trinidad, where the combination of the trinitario cacao, the weather, the soil…converge to make some of the finest cocoa in the world”: Lifespan of a Chennette tells the delicious story.
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: Looking at Egypt
Cuban bloggers speculate that the Egypt protests may set an example for Cubans, issue advice to the Egyptian people and blog about similarities and differences between the two countries, while from Trinidad and Tobago, Globewriter calls social networking “the new human rights weapon”.
Trinidad & Tobago: In Solidarity Over Kato's Death
gspotttt and Globewriter join their voices in offering “tribute to the life of slain Sexual Minorities Uganda human rights defender David Kato Kisule.”
Jamaica: Leah & Dog Paw
“Will she herald a new kind of representational politics since she has personally breached not only the uptown/downtown divide but also the legit/illegit one by literally commingling with a Don?”: Active Voice thinks that Leah Tavares-Finson “is a fascinating character.”
Haiti: Candidates on Twitter
“With a measly 199 followers, @Judecelestin10's campaign seems to have underestimated Twitter as a communications tool”: kiskeacity looks at the popularity of Haitian political candidates on Twitter.
Trinidad & Tobago: More Questions About Ramnarine
Of the ongoing controversy over the appointment of Reshmi Ramnarine, Jumbie's Watch says: “The failure of the PM to apologise for misleading the country is not merely a stalling tactic. It is an aberration of her promised mantra to “Serve the people, Serve the people, Serve the people”.
Jamaica, Cuba: Bye Bye, BBC
Cambios en Cuba [ES] and Jamaica Salt both note with sadness the BBC's decision to cut parts of its Caribbean service in a bid to save money: “The expertise and the daily news that will be lost will have consequences far beyond the loss of jobs and programmes.”
Jamaica: “Dog-Paw”
“The cliche that truth is stranger than fiction is true”: Active Voice interviews the author of Dog-Heart about parallels with the story of Christopher ‘Dog Paw’ Linton, who was recently arrested by Jamaican police.
Jamaica: Wikileaks & “Dudus”
Jamaica Salt says that Wikileaks only confirmed what people already knew about the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition, which “pretty much makes this whole Jamaican govt enquiry completely redundant (at a cost of JA 40 million), but they carry on regardless and the Jamaican people have to eat it.”
Bahamas, D.R.: Fish Poaching
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith notes that “a recent report…has confirmed that poaching by commercial fishermen from the Dominican Republic is the greatest single threat to Bahamian seafood resources.”
Caribbean, U.S.A.: Contemporary Art Exhibit
“It includes work by thirty-six artists from twelve Caribbean countries and the international diaspora”: Antilles blogs about an exhibition of contemporary Caribbean art that is now on show at the Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC.
Trinidad & Tobago: Independent Mas
Alice Yard blog is excited about Coalition, the 2011 independent mas band offering which “will provide potential masqueraders with a variety of design components they can use to decorate their costumes themselves — a practice similar to elements of the sailor mas tradition.”
Guyana: End of Relationship, Not End of Life
The Guyana Groove is concerned about “the extremely high rate” of domestic violence, especially “in those cases in which one or both of the partners left the relationship.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Young People Die in Car Accident
On the heels of a horrific car crash in which two young people lost their lives, KnowTnT.com blogs about “three elements that cumulatively share in the complicity of this tragedy.”
Caribbean: Walcott Wins T.S. Eliot Prize
“He has won almost every other poetry award he’s eligible for, and this evening in London it was announced that Derek Walcott has won the 2011 T.S. Eliot Prize for his latest book, White Egrets”: Caribbean bloggers are thrilled at this latest literary accomplishment.
Trinidad & Tobago: Looking at Ourselves
From terrible driving to the lack of innovation, Coffeewallah vents some of her frustrations about living in Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica: following Junot Diaz in Jaipur
Jamaica-based blogger Annie Paul, following the Jaipur Literature Festival online, reports on an appearance there by the Dominican-American writer Junot Díaz.
Guyana: “real” men
The Signifyin’ Woman contemplates Caribbean homophobia and notions of what it means to be a “real” man vs an “anti” man.
Bahamas: economic “Bahamianisation”?
Rick Lowe of Weblog Bahamas responds to those who argue that “all economic activity” in the Bahamas should be “reserved exclusively for Bahamians” by pointing to a 2003 paper on foreign investment.
Haiti: Aid From Slovakia Blocked by Customs for Ten Months
A container with the second shipment of humanitarian aid from Slovakia has been blocked by the customs in Haiti for nearly ten months. Tibor Blazko translates some of the Slovak netizens' views on the problem.
Jamaica: “Dudus” Enquiry Starts
Caribbean Camera reports on the opening of the Commission of Enquiry into events surrounding the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition.
About our Caribbean coverage
Janine Mendes Franco is the Caribbean editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
