· January, 2012

Stories about Caribbean from January, 2012

Bahamas: A Belief in Democracy

  19 January 2012

“To date, my country has not put in place anything to serve and build me; to every politician who has served in parliament in the time I have been voting, people like me have been invisible. In our democracy, we do not count”: Hence the reason Blogworld puts forward her...

Trinidad & Tobago: Hopeless to Combat Crime?

  19 January 2012

Jumbie's Watch says that when it comes to crime, “the hopelessness and anguish are all too real”; Plain Talk adds: “The escalating murder toll is once again bringing the government's inability to bring crime under control into sharp focus”, while The Eternal Pantomime, who has been monitoring the crime situation...

Cuba: Hunger Striker in Coma

  19 January 2012

Uncommon Sense posts an update on this Cuban political prisoner, saying: “Courageously taking his protest to the brink of death, Wilman Villar Mendoza tonight remains in a coma brought on by a hunger strike he started in late November to demand his release.”

Cuba: Whither Gay Rights?

  18 January 2012

While Havana Times reports that Raul Castro's daughter “hopes the upcoming January 28 conference of the country’s communist party will help end the stalemate around a draft law intended to grant rights to transsexuals and homosexuals on the island”, babalu counters: “While…Mariela Castro, is busy jetting around the world promoting...

Caribbean: Solidarity with SOPA Protest

  18 January 2012

A few regional bloggers have joined “the largest online protest in history”, against the proposed PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), here, here, here and here.

Trinidad & Tobago: “Disturbing” Laws

  18 January 2012

Globewriter points out some “strange and disturbing laws” that are still on the books in Trinidad and Tobago, saying: “Yes, T&T can’t deal with LGBT rights but it is so on the ball for child marriage rights.”

Cuba: Hunger Striking Prisoner Close to Death

  18 January 2012

Cuban bloggers are concerned that there could be a repeat of what happened to political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and draw attention to the plight of Wilman Villar Mendoza, who “has been on hunger strike since November, when he was arrested and sentenced to 4 years in prison for the...

Bermuda: Lack of Political Dialogue

  18 January 2012

politics.bm thinks that tIt speaks volumes about the PLP's interest in informed dialogue that two brief fact based and civil comments that I posted on their Facebook page were deleted and I was removed from the page entirely…not all comments were deleted. Only those that didn't echo the official line.”

Cuba: Citizen Media Workshop

  16 January 2012

Crossing the Barbed Wire blogs about a recent workshop “about the basics of citizen journalism and what could be done with the new information technologies”, adding: “The importance of what we now refer to as ‘citizen journalism’ gives human rights activists, social promoters, and dissidents in general a push…”

Cuba: Tackling Racism

  16 January 2012

Iván's File Cabinet profiles “two of the most lucid and coherent voices on the map of Cuban opposition”, who are fighting for democracy and “racial integration for the those of African origin in all social strata in Cuba.”

Caribbean: Thank You, Dr. King

  16 January 2012

Today, the United States marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day - a floating holiday which celebrates the birthday of the late civil right leader. The occasion resonates with Caribbean bloggers, both at home and throughout the diaspora and a few of them share their thoughts…

Bahamas: Need for a Voters’ Manifesto

  16 January 2012

“It’s 2012 and the silly season is officially upon us”: Blogworld notes that “it’s a rare situation this election. For the first time in 35 years, it’s a proper three-way race…[yet] predictably, and unfortunately so, the discussion is progressing the way football hooligans support their favourite teams.”

Jamaica: Blog Awards

  16 January 2012

“This award didn’t depend on electoral machinery…and for that I’m proud to accept it”: Active Voice wins a Jamaica Blog Award and thanks the organizers for “doing what’s necessary to popularize and publicize what we all do online…”

Jamaica: Tribute to Nembhard

  16 January 2012

National Gallery of Jamaica Blog pays tribute to the artist Hylton Nembhard, who recently passed away, calling him “a significant figure in the context of Jamaican art.”

Cuba: Prison Conditions

  13 January 2012

Pedazos de la Isla posts a letter by dissident Ivonne Malleza who, along with her husband and another citizen, have been imprisoned for over a month, ever since being arrested during a protest.

Trinidad & Tobago: Myomectomy, Explained

  13 January 2012

“Make a child and the cramps could get better. Could. If that was the sort of reason people were having children for then no wonder the country’s in such a state of hot messiness”: Suszanna.com shares her reasons for choosing to have a myomectomy.

Cuba: Dramatists Pass Away

  13 January 2012

Havana Times says that the Cuban theater world is in mourning, having lost, “only day’s apart, two of its finest exponents: Ramiro Herrero Beaton and Vicente Revuelta Planas.”

About our Caribbean coverage

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