Stories about Caribbean from September, 2009
Suriname: a word for freedom
“It’s hard for me to imagine a language or dialect without a word for ‘freedom'”: Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp reviews a new documentary film about the Surinamese poet Trefossa.
Jamaica: uncomfortable silence?
An incident on a minibus provokes Jamaican Ruthibelle to ask: “What is it about being in the silence of their own thoughts that makes people uncomfortable and uneasy?”
Trinidad & Tobago: “Soccer” Warriors
As Trinidad and Tobago's hopes of making it to the 2010 World Cup are further dimmed by the team's loss against the U.S.A. yesterday, B.C. Pires says: “It’s not so much a cry of, ‘Ye of little faith!’ as one of ‘We of much experience’.”
Trinidad & Tobago: No Justice
“There is no love for innocence in this gory time. Protect your heart from the hurt, because they think they are right and they in their putrid tabloid righteousness will do this crime again. And get away with it”: Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer shares her views on the decision of...
Barbados: Tourism & The Web
“The Web has changed the world, but does the Barbados Tourism Authority realise what that really means?”: Barbados Free Press maintains that “every destination has to deal with the dichotomy between the advertised image and the reality…the web has reduced the ability of governments and the news media to fool...
Jamaica: Truth & Laughter
“If death is the closing parenthesis on the fiction of every human life, then humor is the asterisk that proclaims the dignity of human life despite the many absurdities”: Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp explains.
Guyana: Garden Correspondence
Guyana-Gyal gets a letter from her garden.
Trinidad & Tobago: Driving It Home
Bandwagonist.com comments on parts of the Trinidad and Tobago 2009-2010 Budget that deal with transportation.
Jamaica, Barbados: Sandiford Speaks
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp features writer Robert Sandiford in his own words.
Bahamas: International Literacy Day
Bahamian bloggers Womanish Words and tings mash dedicate their posts to the marking of UNESCO’s International Literacy Day.
Trinidad & Tobago: Budget Comments
“It really didn't say much and didn't seem attached to a reality where citizens of the country exist”: KnowProSE.com posts some general impressions of Trinidad and Tobago's 2009-2010 Budget, while kid5rivers says of the TT$7.7 billion shortfall: “Such shortfalls…are really debts to be repaid by future generations…”
Barbados: Hearings on Tourist Murder Begin
As the preliminary hearing into the murder of tourist Terry Schwarzfeld begins (to no local press coverage), Barbados Free Press says it is a “poor show all around by our police, government and tourism authorities.”
Bermuda: Gambling Shooting
As a Bermudian man fights for his life after being shot at a gambling event, Catch a fire, who is “particularly concerned about the prevalance of organised gambling”, also acknowledges the bigger issue: “We currently live in an increasingly atomistic society, a collection of households rather than a neighbourhood, workers...
Jamaica: Drugs & Politics
Jamaica Salt and Letter from Jamaica blog about a move by the United States to extradite local Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke on alleged drug and ammunition trafficking charges.
Guadeloupe: Erika Delays School
The first day of school was seriously challenged by Tropical Storm Erika: les Cantin en Guadeloupe [FR] expresses fear as the alert levels are raised, Critiqart Guadeloupe [FR] can't see the need for delaying the first day of school because of some rain and wind, and Shakazulu [FR CR] thinks...
Grenada: Bishops Killers Scheduled for Release
Repeating Islands reports that the last of the “Grenada 17″, convicted for the murders of then-Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and ten others, “were scheduled to be freed as early as this past Saturday after serving nearly three decades in prison.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Commission Off Track?
As the Commission of Inquiry into the Construction Sector in Trinidad and Tobago is postponed because of a legal oversight with regard to gazetting, This Beach Called Life comments: “This latest incident shows the people either how smart manish this Government really is and everybody knows a smart manish Government...
Bermuda: Labour Day
Bermuda Jewel wishes everyone a happy Labour Day!
Martinique: Gas Station Assault
Repeating Islands republishes writer Raphaël Confiant's account of his experience of “physical aggression at a service station in Martinique.”
Bahamas, Turks & Caicos: Federation?
News breaks that the Bahamian Prime Minister may be considering forming a federation between the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, prompting blogger Sidney Sweeting to comment: “Please note that our PM is responding to a suggestion made by the ex-Premier of Turks and Caicos who was forced to resign because...
Bahamas: Skewed Priorities
As Customs Officers threaten to demonstrate over attempts to deal with alleged corruption within their ranks, Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas says: “We have so far to go.”