I am a media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. I blog at WIM. My Twitter handle is @JanineMFranco.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco
20 May 2016
Trinidad and Tobago Reconsiders Marriage Act After Push to Recognise Child Marriage as Abuse
Trinidad and Tobago is a society of contradictions: the legal age of sexual consent was recently raised from 16 to 18, even as another law on marriage differs significantly.
12 May 2016
6 May 2016
For Trinidad & Tobago, the Olympics Gymnastics Furore Is About Perceived Corruption
Netizens weren't happy with one blogger's take, which seemed to brush aside concerns that there was something more sinister behind the last-minute replacement of the country's representative gymnast.
3 May 2016
Trinidad and Tobago Has Qualified for Gymnastics in the Olympics, So Why Aren't People Happier About It?
Hashtags. Online petitions. Lawyer's letters. None of these could save gymnast Thema Williams' dream to compete in the 2016 Olympics, but Trinidad and Tobago will still be represented in Rio.
Trinidad and Tobago Is Sending a Gymnast to the Olympics For The First Time, But It's Not Who You Think
Today's announcement by the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee was the final nail in the coffin of gymnast Thema Williams' Olympic dream.
29 April 2016
Meet the Anti-Discrimination Non-Profit Behind the Jamaican Version of a ‘Privilege Walk’
"We believe that everyone, no matter who they are, is deserving of respect. [...] This is necessary in changing the course [of] human rights development in Jamaica."
23 April 2016
Goodnight, Sweet Prince: The Caribbean Bids Farewell to the Consummate Artist
"Going to wear assless pants and eyeliner out of respect. I guess this is why Doves Cry. #Prince."
22 April 2016
Following Olympics Drama, Trinidad & Tobago Fans Lobby for Gymnastics Board to Resign
"This is about years of horribly poor stewardship of the board of an organization, for whom it seems the welfare of athletes is nowhere on their to do list."
18 April 2016
One Trinidadian Gymnast's Olympic Dream Is Killed, While Another's Is Born
The cut and thrust in the gymnastics fraternity as Trinidad and Tobago tries to qualify for its first Olympic place in the sport is startling.
7 April 2016
6 April 2016
Meme vs. Movie Theatre—Dawn of Consumer Justice in Trinidad & Tobago?
"BRAPS!!! Screen gone blank [...] BRAPS...screen gone down again." One Trinidadian film fanatic tries his best to enjoy a movie, but technical difficulties win out...until he retaliates with a meme.
25 March 2016
24 March 2016
Beyond Heroics and the Cold War, Changing the Discourse on the Grenada Revolution
"Thirty-seven years after the overthrow of Sir Eric Gairy, scholars, activists and others who value social justice, continue to explore and document the ‘revo’ and its ongoing impacts."
23 March 2016
Nepotism Cases Sully Both Sides of the Political Aisle in Trinidad & Tobago
"In 2016, it is long past the time for independent and transparent systems of investigation and accountability."
21 March 2016
Teacher's Intolerant Tirade Raises Questions About Education in Trinidad & Tobago
"Fixing" homosexuality and atheism by wielding a gun is not talk you would expect to hear from a teacher -- yet, at one Trinidad school, students are in full support.
16 March 2016
Gymnast Thema Williams’ Long, Fraught Road to Representing Trinidad & Tobago in the Olympics
Thema Williams, the gymnast whose topless pic caused a social media firestorm, has finally been chosen to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the Rio Olympics Test Event.
7 March 2016
‘Unmasking the Corrupt’? Transparency International’s Trinidad and Tobago Chapter Is Giving It a Shot
Global Voices talks to Deryck Murray about the 2015 Corruption Perception Index, his organisation's work, and why continued efforts to fight corruption are critical to the region's future.
2 March 2016
36 Years After Guyanese Activist Walter Rodney's ‘State-Sanctioned’ Murder, a Glimmer of Justice
"Rodney, who attracted support across the race-divide, had to die. And Burnham thought nothing of killing him. Something we, Walter’s friends, knew all along."
29 February 2016
Body-Policing and Identity Politics Bog Down Trinidad Gymnasts’ Olympic Dreams
"So many countries celebrate an athlete's body. In my country, a female athlete could be shamed and disciplined for showing hers."
22 February 2016
What Masqueraders’ Selfie-Snapping Says About Trinidad & Tobago Carnival
"I noticed a proliferation of masqueraders — in the melee on stage, in the stands and on the sides — on their phones. I thought, wow, this could be interesting."
