I am a writer and media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. Follow me on Twitter @JanineMFranco.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from August, 2011
Jamaica, U.S.A.: East Coast Earthquake
Diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac describes yesterday's earthquake, which affected the east coast of the United States.
Haiti: Grim Housing Situation
Haiti Grassroots Watch investigates whether “the 634,000 people still living in Haiti’s 1,001 camps, and the undoubtedly tens of thousands of others living in unsafe and even condemned structures [will] soon move to safe housing” and discovers an upsetting answer.
Caribbean: Irene's Path
More updates about Hurricane Irene: Havana Times is relieved that its “projected path is taking it further away from Cuba”; Weblog Bahamas acknowledges that she is “a serious threat”; Pwoje Espwa is praying “that Haiti be spared more tragedy” and U.S.V.I. bloggers report on the aftermath of the storm.
Trinidad & Tobago: Honouring Pat Bishop
“Bishop would have wanted the government and corporate Trinidad and Tobago to act on their words, making real investments in sustainable, sensible projects that would educate our intellectual potential, promote our best cultural works and engage so many lost minds in their creative legacy”: Mark Lyndersay thinks that the most...
Cuba: Amnesty Reports on “Las Damas”
The Ladies in White are on Amnesty International's radar. Read more, here and here.
Jamaica: Obama Rejects Plea for Garvey Pardon
Geoffrey Philp is surprised by the Obama administration's rejection of the request for a presidential pardon for Marcus Garvey on the grounds that “it would be ‘a waste of time and resources’ since Garvey had been ‘dead for ages‘”, saying: “Marcus Garvey has joined the ancestors. So this plea for…exoneration...
Guyana: Supporting T&T's State of Emergency
Demerara Waves reports that Guyana has officially declared its “support of Trinidad and Tobago’s limited state of emergency that has been imposed to quell a spike in drug-related murders and other forms of violence.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Dr. Pat Bishop Passes On
Netizens of Trinidad and Tobago are coming to terms with the loss of one of its patriots: artist and musicologist Dr. Pat Bishop, who collapsed during “a meeting with a cabinet appointed committee of high level experts on culture and the arts” this past Saturday. Online tributes soon started to pour in.
Cuba: Oh, the Horrors!
Rebeca Monzo blogs about what she calls Cuba's architectural and monumental horrors.
U.S.V.I.: The Power of Film
“Is there any artistic medium that raises more ugly questions of representation and power than film?” In the context of this, A Nation or Nobody blogs about film and neo-colonialism.
Bermuda: Who's Driving the Bus?
a bermudian's view weighs in on the country's bus strike.
Caribbean: Watching Irene
Bloggers are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Irene in Jamaica, Cuba, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Haiti.
U.S.V.I.: Saying “No” to Plastic Bags
“Plastic bags too often find their way into the waters of the island and end up wrapped around coral reefs”, says News of St. John, which is why “members of the St. John Rotary are planning to talk with the island's largest grocery stores” about replacing them with a more...
Trinidad & Tobago: Honouring Andre Tanker
Lisa Allen-Agostini is thrilled “that a group of artists has been drawn together to do a tribute concert to the late, great Andre Tanker,” a musician who “played the soundtrack to [her] life.”
Barbados: New CJ Appointed
Two different takes on the appointment of Barbados’ new Chief Justice, here and here.
Jamaica: Technology & Business
“Smartphones have truly revolutionised the way we interact”: Pray, laugh, grow! wonders whether “a BlackBerry pin [is] the new business card.”
Curaçao: “The re-enslavement of Tula”
Controversy is brewing over a film about Curaçao's “liberation warrior Tula” – read why, here.
Cuba: The Life of an Exile
Pablo Pacheco Avila blogs about “swim[ming] in the sad and difficult waters of the Cuban exile.”
Bermuda: BAD Call to Boycott
“Bermudians Against the Draft have launched a campaign to persuade young black men not to cast their ballot in the next general election [because] neither political party supports their position”: Respice Finem disagrees, on the grounds “that disengagement keeps the status quo in place and renders you voiceless.”
Cuba: From the Mouths of Las Damas
Pedazos de La Isla has an account of “physical blows, shoving, threats, deportations, and arrests” against members of the Ladies in White.
Belize: Breakfast Fare
Ever wondered what a typical Belizean breakfast is like? Diaspora blogger Rice and Beans shows us, here.
