Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from July, 2009
Cuba: Light & Shadow
“This was the speech of the ‘shadow’ because light is something the authoritarians cannot tame…Raúl Castro is right: we can no longer see him, because the twilight he represents lacks…any...
Jamaica: Gladys Bustamante Passes On
Repeating Islands acknowledges the passing of 97-year-old Gladys Bustamante, “the widow of Jamaica’s first prime minister and a fierce supporter of women’s and workers’ rights.”
Trinidad & Tobago: LGBT Rights
As Emancipation Day approaches, Trinidad and Tobago blog gspottt focuses on human rights, observing that “in the Anglophone Caribbean, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender often intersect...
Trinidad & Tobago: Anti-People?
“The Prime Minister is on record for saying that despite what the people think he will proceed with the [aluminium smelter]. Despite what people think. And the environmentalists, those crazy...
Barbados, Guyana: Immigration Debate
As reactions to the government's clampdown on illegal immigrants goes “off the boil”, Barbados Underground “condemns…the holier than thou attitude which President Jagdeo of Guyana and his cronies have directed...
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Tributes to Michael
“This year’s Reggae Sumfest was all about Tributes to Michael”: From Jamaica, The Phoenix in a Gas House reports.
Jamaica: Mento Master Missed
Repeating Islands remembers the life and career of Jamaica's Mento master, Theodore “T” Miller: “Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that draws heavily on musical traditions brought to...
Cuba: Political Arrests
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense links to a report that claims “there were 130 political arrests” in Cuba in the month of June.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Fatherly Advice
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp considers the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. from a father's perspective: “I want my son to be a man who...
Bermuda: The Race Card
Bermudian Catch a fire says that neither political party “has an exclusive monopoly on the race card”, claiming that both factions resort to using it.
Cuba: Ferrer Arrested
Cuban bloggers react to the arrest of Dr. Darsi Ferrer on the grounds that he allegedly bought construction materials on the black market to repair his house: Blog for Cuba,...
Trinidad & Tobago: Building Authenticity
Build an authentic community and “the worship thing will come”: Trinidad and Tobago's gspottt attends a talk “about faith and sexuality, pain and healing, abuse and inclusion by the Christian...
Bermuda: Crime & Punishment
Bermuda's 21 Square takes a look at the country's crime statistics and concludes: “We should be focusing more on improving the justice system rather than worrying about the effectiveness of...
Trinidad & Tobago: Top Sites
KnowProSE.com takes a look at Trinidad and Tobago's most viewed websites, saying: “It's really interesting to see how the Internet use has changed…and will continue to change as internet penetration...
Puerto Rico, B.V.I.: Earthquake
Repeating Islands reports on an earthquake that was felt yesterday in Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands.
Guyana, Jamaica, Bahamas, U.S.A.: Racial Profiling?
Signifyin’ Guyana, Jamaican Geoffrey Philp and Bahamian Nicolette Bethel all comment on the arrest of (and subsequent dropping of charges against) Harvard professor and black American scholar Henry Louis Gates,...
Cuba, Jamaica: Film & Music
AfriClassical notes that famed Afro-Cuban composer Leo Brouwer has received his country's 2009 National Film Award, while Repeating Islands discovers that the musical based on Jamaican Perry Henzell’s 1972 film...
Trinidad & Tobago: Journalistic Integrity
Trinidad and Tobago blogger KnowProSE.com says that “no preconditions leads to better interviews…and that's where journalism sells out – and social media is beginning to.”
Barbados: Where's the Culture?
Barbados Underground suggests that when it comes to Crop Over, “culture issues have taken a backseat in recent years at the expense of running the festival as a business”.
Jamaica: The Last Don
As “word on the street has it that the Jamaican Security Forces have created a ‘Don Squad'”, Annie Paul interviews the man behind the film The Last Don, “about the...
Trinidad & Tobago: Media Responsibility
Attillah Springer considers the role of the local media in light of a comment by the Prime Minister: “It’s a time-honoured tradition in Trinidad now for Prime Ministers to have...
