Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from May, 2023
The Caribbean mourns resilient rock and roll legend Tina Turner
Her decision to go public about her abuse made Turner even more relatable. This was especially true in the Caribbean, which struggles with high rates of domestic violence and femicide.
Investigators in Guyana allege that tragic dorm fire was set by disgruntled student over a confiscated phone
The blaze began in the bathrooms, where the teenager was thought to have sprayed insecticide on a curtain, then lit a match. The fire quickly spread through the building.
‘Deliberately set’ dormitory fire that killed 19 plunges Guyana into mourning
Most of the victims were teen girls who came from surrounding Indigenous communities.
Prolific Jamaican writer Kwame McPherson wins the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story regional prize for the Caribbean
Judges hailed McPherson's submission, "Ocoee," as “a memorial to the enduring nature of the human spirit."
The Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica beach cleanup points to the need for greater public education
In the Caribbean, though beach clean-ups and plastic collections help to reduce the amount of plastic and raise the level of environmental consciousness, they never seem to be enough.
King Charles’ coronation stirs little interest in the Caribbean, save for how he plans to respond to calls for reparations
"King Charles must translate the rhetoric of sorrow into the truly meaningful language of immediate reparations."
The Caribbean outlook on World Press Freedom Day
Despite dismissiveness from elected officials, as well as instances of verbal abuse and cyberbullying, Caribbean journalists press on.