· March, 2009

Stories about Caribbean from March, 2009

Jamaica: Lessons from the By-Election

  25 March 2009

Abeng News Magazine asks of the results of the recent by-election in West Portland: “What does it tell us about where things currently stand in Jamaica, if this constituency can be viewed as a microcosm of the Jamaican body politic?”, adding, “It’s high time this dual citizenship issue is seriously...

Barbados: Suspect Arrested

  24 March 2009

Barbados Free Press and Bajan Dream Diary both blog about the recent arrest of a suspect in the Terry Schwarzfeld murder.

Trinidad & Tobago: Pompoms

  24 March 2009

“I thought for a second I was hallucinating. Like I think I’m hallucinating when I hear some wild rumour that Papa Patos wants to invoke the Terrorism Act during the Summit of the Americas to stop people from protesting. I mean it can’t be, can it? Cheerleaders in cricket? Why,...

Jamaica: Election Example

  24 March 2009

As the West Portland by-election is settled, Girl With a Purpose says: “What should be noted…is that this by-election went through without incident…the majority of Jamaicans are tired of the crime and violence in general, but especially at election time.”

Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Don't Worry, Be Happy

  23 March 2009

“When a really uptight person marries another who is way laidback, we who attend the wedding always make the optimistic assumption that the uptight person will learn to relax a little bit – but it often pans out the other way around”: Barbados-based B.C. Pires thinks that “on that basis,...

Trinidad & Tobago: Meaningful Art

  23 March 2009

Trin (Surviving Life in Trinidad and Tobago) is of the opinion that “while Fay Anne and other Carnival artists deserve a prize for their contributions, that prize should not be so large that it prevents the Ministry from being able to fund a balanced cross-section of artists who represent our...

St. Lucia: Visiting Gros Islet

  23 March 2009

Repeating Islands’ Blog visits St. Lucia and discovers that “the fishing village of Gros Islet – the principal setting for Derek Walcott’s Omeros – seems serenely frozen in time.”

Barbados: BNB & CLICO

  23 March 2009

Living in Barbados republishes a piece by a Bajan economist which suggests that the government's repurchasing of the Barbados National Bank may not be the best solution to the CLICO situation.

Barbados: Impact on Tourism

  23 March 2009

“Although we applaud the current Minister of Tourism…for taking the bold step to restructure the Barbados Tourism Authority Board, what purpose will it serve if we have a tarnished brand to sell?”: Barbados Underground is concerned about the future of the island's tourism sector.

Bermuda: It's a Secret

  23 March 2009

“Every major government that I can think of publishes its accounting, auditing, and contracting standards. Why is Bermuda hiding behind a bureaucratic wall? You can’t have accountability if the rules themselves are held secret!”: Vexed Bermoothes wonders “if Government [is] really serious about Public Access to Information.”

Jamaica: The Red Earth

  23 March 2009

“The fact that a rich natural resource can be a curse on a country has rung true everywhere – whether it’s oil in Nigeria, cobalt in Congo or in fact bauxite in Jamaica”: Jamaica Salt blogs about the long-term cost of mining aluminium ore on the island.

Bahamas: Society of Fear?

  20 March 2009

Sidney Sweeting wonders what kind of society the Bahamas has become when “unifomed goons can force their way into our homes at night, terrorize us (or worse) and just leave without an explanation.”

Martinique: Rhum Agricole

  20 March 2009

“In the history of Caribbean rums, Martinique has gained a place of its own…”: Repeating Islands’ Blog explains why.

Barbados: Nature Sanctuary Issue

  20 March 2009

Barbados Free Press believes that the Prime Minister's “million-dollar support” for the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary “is a ploy…there is no dispute that the Thompson DLP Government intends to develop the lands around Graeme Hall.”

Jamaica: Mind Games

  20 March 2009

From Jamaica, Girl With a Purpose wonders whether the English and Wales Cricket Board is playing “mind games” with the West Indies.

Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda: Migrant Vote

  20 March 2009

“The Caribbean migrant vote was a key factor in the recent Antigua and Barbuda general election. And with Dominica’s general elections just around the corner, the whole issue of the migrants vote will definitely raise some political eyebrows”: Dominica Weekly discusses the issue.

About our Caribbean coverage

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