Stories about Caribbean from March, 2011
Caribbean: Caribe Wave 11, the first simulated tsunami alert
On Wednesday, March 23, the first full-scale simulated tsunami alert exercise will take place in 33 countries in the Caribbean to test the effectiveness of alert, monitoring and warning systems (Hashtag on Twitter: EXERCISE – NOT REAL #CW11) . Open Street Map France [Fr] and Crisis Camp Paris [Fr] will...
Trinidad & Tobago: “Bocas” Launches
“Literature doesn’t just mean fiction and poems — it’s also about ideas, questions, and debates, and using the tools of reading and writing to understand the world”: The Bocas Lit Fest announces its programme and list of participating authors for its inaugural event.
Trinidad & Tobago: Upsetting Issues
From the state of health care to advertising campaigns, Plain Talk posts a list of all the things that are upsetting him.
Barbados, Bermuda: Cost of Development
“As Barbados citizens question the government’s decision to allow development at Cove Bay, our friends to the north in Bermuda are rising against a similar decision by their government to kill green space in pursuit of the almighty dollar”: Barbados Free Press reports.
Haiti: Was Wyclef Shot or Cut by Glass?
Early on Sunday 20 March, 2011, while Haitians headed to the polls for the second round of a historic and controversial presidential election, a story about Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-born hip hpp star, being allegedly shot in the hand monopolized the mainstream media news cycle about Haiti for a good portion of the day.
Trinidad & Tobago: Soca Stars on Twitter
Outlish has a list of the Top 20 Soca Stars to follow on Twitter.
Barbados, Turks & Caicos: Corruption Charges
As the brother of a former Turks and Caicos Finance Minister is arrested on allegations of fraud and money laundering, Barbados Free Press says: “In Barbados when elected or appointed public officials or their family members are found to be engaged in corrupt activities, the politicians will trade some insults...
Jamaica: Legal Wrangling
“The cross-examination of…Minister of Justice and Attorney-General [in the Manatt Dudus Enquiry] continued this week”: Jamaica and the World says, “It was excruciating to watch.”
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago: On Nuclear Power
Guyana-Gyal just doesn't get “the benefits of nuclear power”, while Coffeewallah says: “The nuclear crisis has huge long term implications for the future use of nuclear power world-wide.”
Haiti: Aristide’s return, the word “house” and today’s election
To say the twice exiled President Aristide is a mythic figure in the Haitian imagination is an understatement. To say he evokes strong emotions from Haitians, even less so. So what effect might his return have on today's elections? Bloggers discuss the possibilities.
Haiti: The Entertainer, or The Professor?
According to the reports on Twitter regarding today's presidential election runoff in Haiti, the lines at polling stations are long, and voters at certain pollin were unable to find their names on voter lists. But many are also speculating on the outcome.
Haiti: Election Morning in Pictures
Today, March 20, Haitians go to the polls to decide who will be the Caribbean nation's next president. This runoff election is being contested by Mirlande Manigat and Michel Martelly, the two candidates deemed to have received the highest number of votes in the controversial general election held last November. Reports posted this morning by Twitter users on the ground in Haiti pointed to delays in the opening of polling stations, while many outside the country fixated on an incident in which Haiti-born rap star Wyclef Jean, a Martelly supporter, was shot in the hand. Here's a selection of photos posted on Twitter of the scenes in Haiti as the polls opened—or tried to—this morning.
Haiti: As the polls open
Miami Herald journalist Jacqueline Charles, covering the Haiti elections runoff today, notes the lack of a police presence outside candidate Michel Martelly's house, expresses skepticism that the vote will be able to proceed uninterrupted, in spite of what the officials say, and reports that the opening of at least one polling...
Haiti: Aristide's Return “Something Big”?
Haitian bloggers discuss the return of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide on the eve of the country's controversial election run-off.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: ARC Interview
Repeating Islands interviews Holly Bynoe and Nadia Huggins about their new magazine “focusing on works by contemporary artists practicing in the Caribbean and its diaspora.”
Haiti: Winds of Change?
“It is not contentment that changes a nation, or a culture, or the history of the world; it is dissatisfaction with the status quo”: Throwing Down the Water thinks that change just might be possible.
Haiti: Aristide's Return
“Many believe that he still has the power to control the masses and disturb the current electoral process”: From New York City to Haiti thinks that “things just got a bit interesting.”
Trinidad & Tobago: What Mothers Do
“For each decision I had to puzzle through on my own, I give them the tools and advice to make the best choices they can. I want them to be independent and powerful women, but I don’t think they need to learn those skills the hard way, as I did”:...
Haiti: Election Violence Escalates
Election-related violence in Haiti appears to be escalating. As Haitian presidential candidate and legal scholar Mirlande Manigat set out to begin a campaign rally in Mirebalais yesterday, her convoy was stoned by alleged supporters of opponent Michel Martelly, leading to a scuffle that resulted in gunshots and wounds.
Haiti: To Vote or Not To Vote
Throwing Down the Water says that the outcome of the Haitian election will be decided by which sections of the population vote and which stay home.
Bahamas: Energy Reform
“So here we are, two years after the last oil shock, and prices are over $100 per barrel again, with some forecasters saying they could pass the 2008 high of $147 a barrel that sent everyone scrambling to cut energy costs”: Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith looks at alternatives for the...
About our Caribbean coverage
Janine Mendes Franco is the Caribbean editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
