I am a writer and media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. Follow me on Twitter @JanineMFranco.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco
13 October 2017
‘They Tried to Give Us One Day Back’ — Trinidad & Tobago Marks a ‘One-Off’ First Peoples Day
"How do you know you are indigenous? [...] It does not matter what we are called, we know who we are. It is you who do not recognise me."
12 October 2017
Like the US, Trinidad & Tobago Won't Be at the 2018 World Cup, But They're the Only Ones Smiling About It
‘America, we know we not going to Russia,’ a nuts vendor shouted to nobody in particular, during the first half, ‘but allyuh not going neither!’
27 September 2017
Clapping Back Against Online Xenophobia, Trinidad & Tobago Citizens Continue to Help Hurricane-Ravaged Dominica
"I apologise for our having here persons who are less charitable and more ungracious in your time of trouble. They do not represent the majority of us."
20 September 2017
‘We Dare Not Look Out': Dominica Is Brutalised by Hurricane Maria
'Initial reports are of widespread devastation. So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace. [The] physical damage at this time [...] is devastating…indeed, mind boggling.'
8 September 2017
The Caribbean Comes Together After Hurricane Irma
"We need to see and hear and interact with each other much much more. That's the message Irma has brought to me".
2 September 2017
55 Years After Cutting Ties With Great Britain, Is Trinidad and Tobago Independent or “In Dependence”?
"We have almost all the models we need right here; we have most of the solutions that will move us up to a different level."
28 August 2017
30km Protest ‘Swim’ from Tobago to Trinidad Turns Into ‘Another Post-Colonial Tale’
"Those Tobago transport woes are real. Maybe it's a PR stunt, but it's a bold move to draw necessary attention to travel challenges between Trinidad and Tobago."
27 August 2017
Social Media Goes Off the Deep End Over Politician's Planned 30km Protest Swim from Tobago to Trinidad
"The Coast Guard cannot provide any dedicated resources or give any assurances for a voluntary expedition of this nature at this time."
26 August 2017
Could Trinidad and Tobago’s Media Shake Up Usher in a Return to ‘Total Local’ Programming?
While the commitment to local content excites filmmakers and media producers, state media employees share concerns over job security, especially in a slow economy.
23 August 2017
Men’s Relay Team Gives Trinidad & Tobago an Early Independence Day Gift With Historic IAAF Win
Trinidad and Tobago's 2017 IAAF 4x400 relay team made history by winning the country's first ever gold in that event -- and mustered up some regional love into the bargain!
13 August 2017
2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winner Trinidadian Ingrid Persaud Talks Writing
"When you are not writing, you should be reading. Writers are never off duty."
2 August 2017
‘My Freedom Is Mine’ — Caribbean Netizens Discuss Emancipation Day
"I choose to question myself every day and put down other people's loads that are no longer mine to carry. That is my freedom. What is yours?"
22 July 2017
Arrest Over a Facebook Rant Brings Trinidad & Tobago's Cybercrime Legislation Into Sharp Focus
"Overbroad content offences are always illegitimate, but are particularly dangerous online, where many people are still in the process of discovering their voice."
8 July 2017
Trinidad & Tobago's Secondary School Entrance Exam: Elitist, Divisive, Irrelevant?
"An education system that rewards a few at the expense of the rest. . . is not about education at all; it's about divide and conquer."
21 June 2017
‘Minor Storm’ Causes ‘Major Losses’ in Parts of Trinidad & Tobago
Tropical Storm Bret was milder than it could have been, but some areas of Trinidad and Tobago still suffered damage.
20 June 2017
Tropical Storm Bret Hits Trinidad & Tobago — and Twitter
A tropical storm with an attitude makes landfall in Trinidad and Tobago -- and causes a stir in the Twittersphere.
14 June 2017
More Twists and Turns in Trinidad & Tobago's Chief Justice Fiasco
"Marcia say her workload and short notice is why she couldnt remember her full caseload, oui. #MarciaCovfefe"
12 June 2017
Child Marriage Is No More in Trinidad & Tobago
"It was overlong and full of pointless double talk but you know what [...] child marriage is now illegal in Trinidad and Tobago."
10 June 2017
After Discharged Patient Dies on Hospital Grounds, Netizens Ask, ‘What About Compassion?’
"I could not sleep last night thinking about how this man was left to die in the grass on the compound of one of our major health institutions."
9 June 2017
Don’t Politicise the Judiciary, Warn Trinidad & Tobago Jurists
"As members of the legal profession, you cannot tout the importance of an independent judiciary while at the same time passing motions for the removal of judges."
