· November, 2012

Stories about Caribbean from November, 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Kublalsingh's Hunger Strike Continues; So Does the Debate

Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh's ongoing hunger strike to protest the proposed route of a highway in south-western Trinidad is raising questions of transparency, good governance and the approach to political debate. Some bloggers feel that the current administration is out of touch with the needs of the people and they are concerned about the way in which the government is dealing with dissident voices.

29 November 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: No Simple Highway

University lecturer and environmentalist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh, who began his hunger strike on November 15 outside the Prime Minister's office as a protest against the construction of one part of a billion dollar highway project in southeastern Trinidad, has the blogosphere talking about much more than a road - many netizens see his dissidence as a plea for transparency in the use of public funds and a demonstration against the cavalier manner in which the electorate's concerns are managed by those in public office.

28 November 2012

Protests Put an End to Chris Brown's Guyana Gig

Just over a month ago, Guyanese bloggers were voicing their displeasure over talk of a Chris Brown concert that was allegedly being supported by the government. Much of the controversy was linked to the singer's 2009 assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna and the message that his notoriety could send in a country with a high incidence of domestic violence. Now, two Guyanese bloggers are reporting that the Chris Brown concert has been cancelled.

27 November 2012

New Art Exhibit Draws Attention to the Disabled in Jamaica

The debut of Jamaican artist Astro Saulter's first exhibition was significant not only because it introduced a new artist to the local art scene, but also because it brought attention to the need for greater access to arts education, particularly by disabled persons.

22 November 2012

Coming out of the Water Closet: Haiti on World Toilet Day

Today is World Toilet Day. Of a global population of 7 billion, a staggering 2.5 billion people have no access to clean toilet facilities - that's about 1 in 3 people. Some of them live in the Caribbean; many of these live in Haiti - and the lack of this fundamental human right to sanitation continues to cause unnecessary disease and death.

19 November 2012

“The Needle” Threads Another Story of Puerto Rican Trans Community

The sidewalks on the main avenues of San Juan’s donwtown sector of Santurce feature members from Puerto Rico’s trans community working the street corners. “The Needle”, a new documentary directed by local filmmaker Carmen Oquendo-Villar, focuses on the underground beauty business on which these street workers rely.

19 November 2012

New Governor Elected in Puerto Rico

After a hard-fought election in which there was never a clear trend from the beginning, Alejandro García Padilla was declared elected Governor. In the status plebiscite held along with the general elections, the option of annexation to the United States won for the first time. However, given the massive abstention along with a poorly conceived referendum, the results are not easy to interpret.

12 November 2012

Student Dies in Protests in Dominican Republic

On Thursday the 8th of November, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo was the scene of one of several protests against the fiscal reform. During the protest, the police caused the death of 21-year-old medical student, William Florián Ramírez. It didn't take long for the indignation to spread to social networks.

12 November 2012

About our Caribbean coverage

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