Stories about Jamaica from April, 2006
West Indian literature online
One of the crucial elements in the rapid development of the literature of the Anglophone Caribbean in the 1940s and 50s was a weekly radio programme called Caribbean Voices, broadcast from London on the BBC's Caribbean Service and produced by Henry Swanzy. Caribbean Voices featured stories and poems by West...
Jamaica: A writer's development
On his personal blog, Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philps reproduces a lecture he delivered recently in which he discusses his development as a writer and also raises the question: “What is the mission of my generation?”
Caribbean: Cricket captaincy gamble
West Indies star batsman Brian Lara is appointed team captain for a third time. Jeremy Taylor at the Caribbean Beat weblog calls it “an interesting gamble, both for Lara and for the West Indies Board.”
Caribbean: CSME provides chance for success
The Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) may not “grab us”, says Francis Wade, but it may be the best shot the region has at a successful future.
African music #7
Nothing beats a music festival. You meet like the music lovers, people interested in the genre and enjoy the good party vibe. And though you know the lineup in advance you have no idea what antics will be displayed on stage. With these musings I look forward to the 4th...
Caribbean: Bureaucracy kills & biofuel
Taran Rampersad is starting a “death and injury counter” in response to the region's lack of action in the area of disaster preparedness. “My theory is that all the bureaucracy kills people in a way that could be seen as criminally negligent,” he says. And why isn't the Caribbean thinking...
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: US Army Bases
A Flickr photoset prompts Mad Bull to satisfy his curiosity – whetted years ago in Lit. class — about the presence of US army bases in Trinidad and Jamaica.
Caribbean: Billionaires Investing in Local Telecoms
Last week Irish billionaire Dennis O'Brien announced his company Digicel was purchasing the Caribbean arm of Bouygues Telecom . This week Mexican billionnaire Carlos Slim announces he is purchasing three Caribbean and Latin-American subsidiaries of Verizon, an American telecom, writes (FR) InternetRapide.com. The Verizon subsidiaries to be purchased by Slim's...
Jamaica: Marley philosophy
Geoffrey Philp views Bob Marley through the lens of philosophies ranging from Joseph Campbell's to Caroline Myss’.
Caribbean: What's going on?
“So what else is going on, this fiercely hot Thursday?” writes JT at the Caribbean Beat Weblog. He finds West Indies, the anniversary of the Bay of Pigs, and some soul-searching on the part of Caribbean heads of state.
Caribbean: The financial realities of the Cricket World Cup
The Caribbean Cricket Blog links to a Jamaica Observer article on one of the realities of the Caribbean's hosting of the Cricket World Cup next year: host countries are unlikely to recoup the massive investments they've been forced to make.
A Seamless Caribbean Network?
InternetRapide.com, a blog dedicated to telecommunications in the Caribbean says (FR) Digicel, a cell phone company owned by Irishman Denis O'Brien that covers 60% of the Jamaican market, celebrates its fifth anniversary this week. The company has expanded to 14 other Caribbean countries since its inception in 2001 and plans...
Caribbean: Towards a West Indian canon
At the Caribbean Beat Blog, Nicholas Laughlin solicits suggestions for inclusions in a West Indian literary canon.
Jamaica: Homophobia and defensiveness
Francis Wade offers a thoughtful response to TIME magazine's designating Jamaica “the most homophobic place on earth”. “We sound like some Chinese or Cubans when we argue that human rights issues are an internal matter, and that any outside comments are just “interference in our internal matters,” he says. “We...
Jamaica: Reggae Falls
Stunner visits Reggae Falls and partakes of various Jamaican delicacies, including “mannish water”. He posts photos too.
Barbados: Say no to Passa Passa
“Passa passa” events, which are also causing a stir in Grenada, have arrived in Barbados as well, according to Barbados Free Press, who notes that the story has also been picked up by Russian news service Pravda. “We must congratulate the Royal Barbados Police Force for moving against this bit...
Village cricket match, Caribbean-style
Easter Sunday cricket match — Howsen Village, Trinidad. From caribbeanfreephoto At this time of year, thoughts in the English-speaking Caribbean turn to the game of cricket. Travel around any of the region's former British colonies and you're likely to come across greens like this one, located in Howsen Village, Trinidad....
Don't go near the sea on Good Friday, and other Caribbean Easter traditions
The Easter Weekend in the Caribbean arrives at the height of the dry season, with gorgeous weather and Christian traditions conspiring to make it a time both solemn and fun-filled. A popular Easter weekend activity is kite-flying, and a number of bloggers did just that on Good Friday. Barbados Free...
Caribbean, Venezuela, USA: CARICOM talks with US
Seeing it as evidence that the Caribbean has begun to resist the overtures of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, A. M. Mora y Leon links gleefully to a Miami Herald article which states that CARICOM is exploring the possibility of holding free trade talks with the US.
Jamaica: Peace Corps bloggers
Francis Wade runs across a few blogs by Peace Corps volunteers working in Jamaica.
Jamaica: Homophobic blog?
Mad Bull wonders if the homophobic agenda of a Jamaican blog called Killbattyman.org is a huge joke — or deadly serious.
