Stories about Caribbean from April, 2013
Open Letter to Blogger Yoani Sánchez
Journalist and Global Voices author, Leila Nachawati, writes an open letter [es] to Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez, who has been touring the United States, Latin America and Europe talking about Cuban technopolitics. Sánchez has been embraced by some, and criticized by others during her voyage. In her open letter, the Spanish-Syrian...
To Cut or Not To Cut College Subsidies in the Bahamas?
Education, democracy and societal priorities are being called into question as Bahamian bloggers address the government's recent decision to reduce the subsidy it provides to the College of The Bahamas.
Haiti: “Better Prisons, Fewer Prisoners”
Haiti does not need more prisons, it needs better prisons and fewer prisoners. Haiti Chery provides some interesting statistics which support his view.
Public Trust Wiped Away; Jamaicans at Risk from Tainted Toilet Paper
The poop has been hitting the proverbial fan in Jamaica recently over the sale of substandard toilet paper that has allegedly caused a slew of rashes and vaginal infections.
Chronicler of Saint Lucian History Remembered
Historian and conservationist Robert Devaux was laid to rest this week, having passed away on the morning of April 16th 2013, after a battle with cancer. St. Lucian netizens have been paying tribute to a man many consider to be an environmental hero and national visionary.
Trinidad & Tobago: Jack Fell Down and Broke His Crown
Years of accusations against former FIFA Vice-President turned Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of National Security, Jack Warner, came to a head yesterday as the country's Prime Minister accepted his resignation from Cabinet. Netizens are watching the developments with interest, as they wonder who, if anyone, will come tumbling after...
Barbados: The Economy & Crime
This is not the Bimshire I moved to six years ago…there was no gun culture. The problem is still one we could control if we had leadership who put resources into fixing the problem rather than denying its existence. Notes From A Small Rock sees trouble in paradise.
The Future of a Community Library in Puerto Rico is Threatened
Library users were saddened to learn that this local institution would be closed until further notice because of insufficient funds to repair its damaged roof. The Library is exploring sources of financial assistance to meet immediate needs and protect its collection.
Monsanto Nominated for Puerto Rico's Agricultural Hall of Fame
As soon as the non-profit organization Acción y Reforma Agrícola announced that it nominated the agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto to the Hall of Fame of Puerto Rican Agriculture, many grassroots groups demonstrated their fiercest opposition.
A ‘Good Food Revolution’ in Trinidad & Tobago
Saying no to bad food will benefit the economy and the happiness index of the country. aka_lol explains.
Young Haitian-Dominicans Demand Their Right to a Legal Identity
Around 50 Dominican youth of Haitian ancestry marched towards the National Palace demanding the return of their documents and, as such, their Dominican nationality, taken away arbitrarily through an administrative ruling issued by the Central Electoral Board in 2007.
Urban Art Festival Highlights Neighborhood in Puerto Rico
After the 4th annual urban art festival of "Santurce es Ley" in Santurce, Ángel Carrión strolls down the Calle Cerra, a street now converted into the mural mecca of Puerto Rico.
Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean Digital Expo, V2.0
This was an event for people in the private and public sector tasked with making sense of fast moving changes in the digital realm. BitDepth reports on the second Caribbean Digital Expo conference.
Guyana: Smelly City
A canal in the capital smells so rancid “it can kill a nation”. Guyana-Gyal smelled it and lived to tell the tale.
Who Owns St. Lucia's Beaches…Citizens or Celebrities?
St. Lucians can usually visit any beach they choose, but thanks to a recent celebrity wedding, the beach surrounding a local resort was deemed off limits, raising longstanding questions about beach access and the cost benefits of large resorts.
Air Show Ends in Tragedy in the Dominican Republic
An aircraft from the Dominican Air Force crashed into the open sea during the Caribbean Air Show while it was performing an acrobatic stunt. The two pilots manning the aircraft died in the incident.
Racism Remarks in the NYT Land Cuban Intellectual in Trouble
Author Roberto Zurbano's tough talk on racism in Cuba published in The New York Times apparently cost him is job as editor at a publishing house and generated a heated debate among the island's intellectuals.
Haiti: CARICOM Should Speak Up
Appalled by the “legal immunity” that the United Nations appears to have in the country's cholera epidemic, Kevin Edmonds says that it's high time Caribbean leaders speak up for Haiti.
Bahamas: Limericks for Thatcher
She has to be admired for her ability to transform her country…as a middle-class woman in the conservative party. But I remember apartheid, and…how she almost destroyed the British university system, and…made Britain unwelcoming. Blogworld writes limericks in commemoration of the Iron Lady.
Jamaica: Folklorist Olive Lewin Dies
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp notes the passing of Jamaican folklorist and author, Dr. Olive Lewin.
Haiti: Too Fragile to Shoulder the Blame
Can I get an A-MEN? When it comes to an analysis of the country's aid management failures, kiskeácity admits she couldn't have said it better than Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck.
About our Caribbean coverage
Janine Mendes Franco is the Caribbean editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
