· March, 2012

Stories about Caribbean from March, 2012

The Cuba the Pope Leaves Behind

Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba has come to an end, a visit bookended by the Castro brothers: President Raul Castro greeting the pontiff at the airport and Fidel Castro meeting with him before his departure. But bloggers are suggesting that despite the Pope's message of change and hope for the future, it looks like business as usual on the island.

29 March 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Divisive Politics

The Eternal Pantomime is critical of what she considers to be divisive politics on the part of the ruling government, which “has also sought to promulgate the good old colonial stand-by...

27 March 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Bloggers Question Relevance of “Congress of the People”

The Congress of the People began as a break-away party from the United National Congress, but the two entities came together to contest the 2010 parliamentary elections - and won. But with the recent defection of San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray to the UNC camp, two political bloggers in Trinidad and Tobago are questioning the continued viability of the Congress of the People as a separate entity.

27 March 2012

Cuba: Pope Arrives Today; What Will His Visit Bring?

Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive today in Cuba, even as bloggers chronicle the “wave of arrests and threats” preceding the papal visit. But top of mind for most bloggers, particularly from the diaspora, is whether or not the pontiff will decide to meet with the Ladies in White and other members of the political opposition.

26 March 2012

Jamaica: Hoodie is No Excuse

“An excited man kills someone for the flimsiest of causes. And someone asks us to believe it’s due to clothing choices!”: Diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac comments on the...

26 March 2012

This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere

Activity in the Caribbean blogosphere this week has been predominantly coming from Cuba and its diaspora, as the country prepares for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI amidst frustration about the human rights situation on the island and dissatisfaction over the pontiff declining to meet members of the Cuban opposition during his stay.

24 March 2012

Cuba: Black Spring, Nine Years After

The Cuban Black Spring - a term that has come to describe the government crackdown on dissidents that took place in 2003 - marks its ninth anniversary this year. Cuban bloggers remember their history and wonder whether anything has fundamentally changed - especially in the context of the impending papal visit and the pontiff's inability to meet with opposition groups to discuss the country's human rights record.

20 March 2012

Cuba: Bloggers Uncomfortable as Pope's Visit Looms

As Pope Benedict XVI's controversial visit to Cuba draws closer, online discussion is heating up. Bloggers are upset over what they perceive as a partnership between communism and Catholicism, especially in light of reportedly ongoing human rights abuses and other surreptitious methods of curtailing personal freedoms.

19 March 2012

Jamaica: The Tivoli 73

Active Voice blogs about an art exhibit that references the 73 Jamaican citizens killed during the 2010 Tivoli Gardens occupation: “The 73 flags were suspended with clothespins from a simulated...

19 March 2012

Cuba: Bloggers Respond to Archbishop's Action

Bloggers are reaching boiling point over the political/religious acts of repression that have been taking place in Cuba - and the Pope hasn't even arrived yet. The latest controversy involves the request to remove protesters from a church, which reportedly came from the Archbishop of Havana.

17 March 2012

About our Caribbean coverage

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