Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from April, 2007
Trinidad & Tobago: Naipaul's Visit
Writer (and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 2001) V.S. Naipaul is in Trinidad for a week of celebrations honouring his 75th birthday year. Jonathan Ali shares his thoughts on the visit.
Jamaica: Elegy for Virginia Tech
“What happened…goes beyond what the mind can fathom, the heart can bear, the soul can possess”: Jamaican Geoffrey Philp posts an Elegy for Virginia Tech.
Guyana: Parent-Child Relationship
“Everyday, in between silly mother-daughter struggles, we insist on taking care of one another…sometimes we appreciate, sometimes resent because it feel so over-protective; other times, we take it for granted.” Guyana-Gyal examines the parent-child relationship.
Cuba: Political Balance Por Favor
The publicly-funded STV network in Sweden last year broadcast a four-hour show in honour of Fidel Castro's 80th birthday. Child of the Revolution has discovered that “19 formal complaints were lodged with the Swedish Broadcasting Commission…The regulator concluded that the ‘theme evening’ had breached a requirement that television productions be...
Bermuda: Private Clinic, Public Interest?
In the context of the Bermudan Premier's power to influence public health care policy coupled with his alleged financial interest in a private medical clinic, Politics.bm writes, “In mature democracies, the elected leader of the Government, and other public officials, are required to not only declare their private interests, but...
Trinidad & Tobago: Salt Fish
Thebookmann takes a detour from his Caribbean Fruit theme to photograph saltfish (salted cod), a popular regional dish that has also been the subject of double entendre in some of Trinidad and Tobago's most entertaining calypsoes.
Puerto Rico: Gli Gli Sails Again
The Voice of the Taino People is excited about The Gli-Gli (or Carib Canoe) sailing expedition in celebration of the 10th anniversary of its first voyage to relink the indigenous Carib communities of the region.
Jamaica: Decolonization of the Mind
Further to his post on Frances-Anne Solomon, who called creation “a form of terror, particularly when you come from a colonial context”, Geoffrey Philp examines fellow Jamaican Olive Senior's poem Colonial Girls School, which grapples with decolonization of the mind.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Bombastic?
Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica have been baring their teeth at each other recently over two major issues. The first is that Trinidad Cement Limited acquired a 43.5% stake in Jamaica's Carib Cement, a move that has not sat well with many Jamaicans, especially following last year’s debacle over cement...
Trinidad & Tobago: Why Blog?
Can Cook, Must Cook recently had a discussion with three other Caribbean food bloggers – the happy outcome was that “it’s become more and more obvious that there are several reasons why my fellow bloggers and I must continue doing this.”
Jamaica: Second Thoughts on Simpson-Miller
Fwade at Moving Back to Jamaica has second thoughts about Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaica's first female Prime Minister.
Guyana: Cricket…Yawn!
Guyana Providence Stadium features an article by Peter Roebuck that calls the 2007 ICC World Cup Cricket Tournament “an abysmal failure”.
Cuba: Michael Moore
“…With his latest project, filmmaker Michael Moore reveals himself as a ‘sicko,’ willing to use some seriously ill veterans of the ground zero cleanup in New York to help the Castro dictatorship score a few public relations points,” writes Uncommon Sense, linking to a New York Post report on the...
Aruba, Puerto Rico: Recognizing Gay Marriage
Aruba is the first Caribbean territory to officially acknowledge gay marriage, reports gay news blog. The move follows a three-year legal battle with Dutch authorities that began when a lesbian couple tried to register their marriage on the island. And Vivir Latino says that Puerto Rico may be considering the...
Cuba: Asking the Question
In the context of a recent blog post about “a young Cuban rapper who criticizes injustice in Cuba while wearing a che t-shirt”, Babalu Blog asks a question that he thinks is “an excellent example of something not much talked about, but that is very important to the future of...
Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: R.I.P. Kurt Vonnegut
Both Caribbean Free Radio: “Like many of my ilk (US-educated Trinidadians of a certain age?), I had my Vonnegut phase” and The Latin Americanist: “One of his best science fiction novels was 1963’s Cat’s Cradle which was set in the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo and whose ruling dictator...
Dominica: New Book about the Caribs
The CAC Review is happy about the publication of a new book about the indigenous Kalinagos (or Caribs) of Dominica, which “tells the story of a remarkable people”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Moko Jumbie Movie
Stefan Falke's Eye takes note of German filmmaker Harald Rumpf's documentary about the Moko Jumbies (stilt walkers) of the Dragon Kilimanjaro School of Arts & Culture in Trinidad and Tobago.
Barbados: Poor Attendance for First Super 8 at Kensington
Barbados Free Press laments that despite the “carefully crafted photographs” that “give the impression of a stadium packed with excited cricket fans enjoying the best cricket in the world”, attendance at the Super 8 match at Barbados’ Kensington Oval was “only 37% of capacity”.
Bahamas: New Junkanoo Blog
Nicolette Bethel has a new favourite blog – the first that's dedicated to the great Bahamian cultural tradition of Junkanoo – (never mind she's a little biased).
Jamaica: West Indies are Minnows
Jamaican b C wishes the West Indies well, but calls a spade a spade: “The truth is, the West Indies team is a minnow. You can't win matches when your opening pair of batsman can't give you more than 24 runs. You can't win when only one strike bowler actually...
