Janine Mendes-Franco · March, 2012

Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from March, 2012

This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere

  29 March 2012

Again this week, the regional blogosphere was dominated by talk of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Cuba. With reports of repression at an all-time high, Cuban bloggers were dismayed by the outcome of the trip.

The Cuba the Pope Leaves Behind

  29 March 2012

Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba has come to an end, a visit bookended by the Castro brothers: President Raul Castro greeting the pontiff at the airport and Fidel Castro meeting with him before his departure. But bloggers are suggesting that despite the Pope's message of change and hope for the future, it looks like business as usual on the island.

Cuba: Pope Arrives Today; What Will His Visit Bring?

  26 March 2012

Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive today in Cuba, even as bloggers chronicle the “wave of arrests and threats” preceding the papal visit. But top of mind for most bloggers, particularly from the diaspora, is whether or not the pontiff will decide to meet with the Ladies in White and other members of the political opposition.

Jamaica: Hoodie is No Excuse

  26 March 2012

“An excited man kills someone for the flimsiest of causes. And someone asks us to believe it’s due to clothing choices!”: Diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac comments on the Trayvon Martin case.

This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere

  24 March 2012

Activity in the Caribbean blogosphere this week has been predominantly coming from Cuba and its diaspora, as the country prepares for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI amidst frustration about the human rights situation on the island and dissatisfaction over the pontiff declining to meet members of the Cuban opposition during his stay.

Cuba: Bloggers Continue to Speak Out about Papal Visit

  23 March 2012

Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming trip to Cuba will be the first from the head of the Catholic church in more than a decade. As the pontiff's arrival draws ever closer, bloggers continue to be vocal about their opinions, even as human rights violations reportedly continue.

Cuba: Black Spring, Nine Years After

  20 March 2012

The Cuban Black Spring - a term that has come to describe the government crackdown on dissidents that took place in 2003 - marks its ninth anniversary this year. Cuban bloggers remember their history and wonder whether anything has fundamentally changed - especially in the context of the impending papal visit and the pontiff's inability to meet with opposition groups to discuss the country's human rights record.

Cuba: Bloggers Uncomfortable as Pope's Visit Looms

  19 March 2012

As Pope Benedict XVI's controversial visit to Cuba draws closer, online discussion is heating up. Bloggers are upset over what they perceive as a partnership between communism and Catholicism, especially in light of reportedly ongoing human rights abuses and other surreptitious methods of curtailing personal freedoms.

Trinidad & Tobago: Same Old Politics

  19 March 2012

The Eternal Pantomime is disillusioned with Trinidad and Tobago politics, saying: “A lot happened this week to paint both the ruling Government and the Opposition in a bad light, if you ask me. And in all instances the public’s reactions and responses revealed that as a country many of us...

Jamaica: The Tivoli 73

  19 March 2012

Active Voice blogs about an art exhibit that references the 73 Jamaican citizens killed during the 2010 Tivoli Gardens occupation: “The 73 flags were suspended with clothespins from a simulated clothesline. You couldn’t help think…were the 73 hung out to dry by the Jamaican government?”

Cuba: Bloggers Respond to Archbishop's Action

  17 March 2012

Bloggers are reaching boiling point over the political/religious acts of repression that have been taking place in Cuba - and the Pope hasn't even arrived yet. The latest controversy involves the request to remove protesters from a church, which reportedly came from the Archbishop of Havana.

Trinidad & Tobago: Protests & Parliament

  17 March 2012

The Eternal Pantomime suggests that the number of protests taking place is the country is indicative of “the population giving…their response to that Pappy Show of a Parliamentary sitting that happened on March 2nd”, adding: “You don’t insult the intelligence of tax payers and feel that because you have a...

Cuba: Aggression Against Women

  17 March 2012

Pedazos de la Isla blogs about the wives of two dissidents who maintain that they suffered miscarriages as a result of “violent operations carried out against them by the Cuban political police.”

Barbados: Could Bus Accident have been Prevented?

  17 March 2012

“Why are we so cynical and critical when it comes to mass-casualty bus accidents? We’ve learned to be because there are never any satisfactory answers as to cause or remedial actions taken afterwards”: Barbados Free Press blogs about the country's latest road accident.

Jamaica: “Dudus” Sentencing

  17 March 2012

Jamaica Salt blogs about the sentencing of accused drug don Christopher “Dudus” Coke, saying: “There seems to be little change when it comes to seeking out political corruption in Jamaica and the alleged links between drugs, crime, police and politicians…it seems a shame…that there has been little good to come...

Trinidad & Tobago: Political Fiction

  15 March 2012

The Eternal Pantomime says that it is becoming “very hard…to keep up with the many stories and angles to this new scandal with the PM’s travel assistant”, adding: “This govt is a fiction machine and churns them out faster than the Sweet Valley High series.”