I am a writer and media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. Follow me on Twitter @JanineMFranco.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from June, 2021
Was Michael B. Jordan's ‘J'ouvert’ rum cultural appropriation or a missed opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago?
While Jordan may have intended to pay homage to the roots of struggle from which the joyous festival emerged, much seemed to have been lost in translation.
Trinidad & Tobago marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, even as some seniors struggle at vaccine centres
The country's president advocated for the protection of the elderly, saying that their recent treatment at health centres is a "less than subtle form of elder abuse."
Vaccine hesitancy in smaller Caribbean islands benefits larger neighbours with high COVID-19 rates
Rather than have vaccine doses expire, regional governments have been donating part of their allocations to larger Caribbean Community (CARICOM) neighbours who need them.
Barbados’ prime minister chastises musicians for violent lyrics; artists defend freedom of expression
Prime Minister Mia Mottley dismissed the “artistic license” defence by noting that some people in Barbadian society lack the maturity required to not interpret the musical message literally.
Diversity is key: Speaking with Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, winner of the 2021 World Food Prize
"Immediate actions are needed as the numbers of those who are becoming malnourished and do not have access to nourishing foods are growing rapidly."
Sustainable nutrition: Speaking with Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, winner of the 2021 World Food Prize
"I hope this award will give me a platform to change the way we look at [and] work with food systems — moving the narrative from ‘just feeding’ to ‘nourishing.’"
‘We have to find something in ourselves': Vincentian photographer Nadia Huggins on the fallout of La Soufrière
"Food security and architecture; to me, they're the most interesting aspect of this whole eruption."
Transformation through eruption: Vincentian photographer Nadia Huggins captures La Soufrière
Photographer Nadia Huggins has been chronicling the activity of St. Vincent's La Soufrière: "This gradual process of the landscape being transformed through these eruptions is interesting to me."
