Janine Mendes-Franco · March, 2013

Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from March, 2013

Blackout has Trinidad & Tobago Bloggers Seeing Red

  31 March 2013

Good Friday in Trinidad and Tobago was suddenly dubbed “Black Friday” as the country descended into darkness, thanks to a nationwide blackout. Most people were communicating via Facebook and Twitter, but soon the conspiracy theories started to fly...

Trinidad & Tobago: Warner's Woes

  29 March 2013

The headlines in Trinidad and Tobago's mainstream media over the last couple of days have focused on a Reuters exclusive report that Daryan Warner, son of former FIFA Vice-President (and now the country's controversial Minister of National Security) Jack Warner, is allegedly assisting the FBI with its investigations into corruption allegations in the international football governing body. Social media users weigh in.

Guyana: Hole in the Wall

  28 March 2013

The Seawall in Georgetown is a unique social hub – a place to see and be seen – so naturally, Guyana-Gyal is concerned about a massive hole “on top of the wall where people walk or jog…long, from left to right…almost one foot wide at one end.”

Trinidad & Tobago: The Golden Globe

  26 March 2013

It’s another piece of our history that may disappear from our landscape because we lack the interest in preserving things of value. Tillah Willah thinks that the Globe cinema is worth preserving for another generation of Trinbagonians, adding: “I would pay good money to go and see that and make...

Trinidad & Tobago: Falling Apart?

  25 March 2013

The Eternal Pantomime sees disturbing parallels between the late Chinua Achebe's famous novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ and the political and social climate in Trinidad and Tobago.

Is President Carmona Trinidad and Tobago's Hope?

  24 March 2013

Last week, Trinidad and Tobago swore in its fifth President, retired high court judge Anthony Carmona. The new president's inaugural address, in which he vowed to “[hold] fast to the fundamentals [of] integrity, Transparency, Inclusiveness and Reverence to God Almighty” captured the public's imagination – and that of a few bloggers – who have been talking about what effect, if any, the new presidency could have on the country's political landscape.

Jamaica: The Female Image in Dancehall

  24 March 2013

[It] can be seen…as a celebration of full-bodied female sexuality. Especially the substantial structure of the Black working-class woman whose body image is rarely validated… Jamaica Woman Tongue thinks International Women's Month is the perfect time to put forward a different perspective of dancehall culture.

Trinidad & Tobago: Crime & Punishment

  20 March 2013

Right now the war is on for the soul of our country and if we’re not, every last one of us, actively engaged and prepared to battle, then what is the point? A must-read post by Tillah Willah about crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

Jamaica, Barbados: Vying for Tourists

  20 March 2013

Active Voice compares advertisements from the Barbados Tourism Authority and the Jamaica Tourist Board and wonders “why is the Barbadian ad…so perfect that it could be a global model on how to sell yourselves? And contrastingly how and why does the JTB ad sell the country short?”

Trinidad & Tobago: Soldiers as Police?

  14 March 2013

The soldier will have all of the powers of a police officer…but he doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Police. The Eternal Pantomime thinks that “this precepting of soldiers…is about something deeper and far sinister. It is about controlling the State.”

Guyana, Cuba: Habemus Papam, But “Who Is He”?

  14 March 2013

It's been a full day since the white smoke billowing above the Sistine Chapel signalled the news that Catholics the world over were waiting for: Habemus Papam. As it turned out, the Conclave of Cardinals elected the first Latin American and the first ever Jesuit pope...but, as one blogger asked, "Who is he"?

Jamaica, Barbados: Class & Justice

  8 March 2013

When I said let’s focus on substance rather than style or appearance it hadn’t yet occurred to me that in this case style IS the substance or a substantial part of what’s at stake. Active Voice blogs about a landmark case involving a Jamaican who was subjected to a cavity...

Guyana: Taming the Beast of Power

  7 March 2013

I start to call it the red-eye beast that can whisper in you’ head and tell you to do unspeakable things. Guyana-Gyal blogs about power, and how it affects all relationships.