Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco from June, 2010
St. Kitts & Nevis: Jumbie Tree?
“‘You parked us under a silk cotton tree at NOON?'”: Lifespan of a Chennette reminds us why that's not a particularly good idea.
Jamaica: Ingredients for a Caribbean Classic
What is a Caribbean Classic? Thanks to Jamaican born writer Opal Palmer Adisa, litblogger Geoffrey Philp finds out.
Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean-American Heritage
“With June officially proclaimed as National Caribbean-American Heritage Month in the USA, you’d think the Caribbean community would be full of excitement”: Outlish Magazine gets feedback from the blogosphere about the month designed to be “the platform for a dialogue between Caribbean peoples and the American public.”
Jamaica: The Real ‘Dudus’
Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is probably one of the most wanted men on the planet. Annie Paul and Jamaica Salt find out more about the person behind the persona.
Haiti: “No” to Monsanto
“Today, tens of thousands of Haitian farmers and earthquake-displaced peasants will gather on the occasion of International Environment Day to preserve the agricultural lifeblood of the nation”: Repeating Islands blogs about protests against Monsanto and their genetically modified seeds.
Trinidad & Tobago: Broken Promise
Trinidad and Tobago's new Prime Minister has reneged on her promise to not move into her predecessor's residence, prompting B.C. Pires to comment: “What the palace stands for is clear…and anyone who deliberately chooses to occupy the palace necessarily assumes all its trappings. You can't play sailor mas and ‘fraid...
Jamaica: Extortion
Jamaica Salt blogs about the alleged “extortion rackets going on in downtown Kingston, linked to the power held by Dudus.”
Trinidad & Tobago: About those Laptops…
The recently elected government of Trinidad and Tobago has promised free laptops for children about to enter secondary school; KnowTnT.com has a better idea: “Schools. Infrastructure that supports broadband internet access – not just in urbanized areas but throughout the nation. Subsidize it.”
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Gulf Spill
Labrish Jamaica wonders whether the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will affect the Caribbean, while the incident has made Trinidad and Tobago's This Beach Called Life “think about our very own offshore drilling efforts”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Saving our Heritage
Afra Raymond blogs about the need for Trinidad and Tobago to preserve its heritage buildings.
Jamaica: Hard Policing
“Last week many poor people were shot, and while no doubt some were criminals, there is also no doubt that some were innocent”: My View of JamDown from UpSo suggests that “maybe it's time to admit that so-called hard policing is only an easy, cowardly, way out of complex problems...
Jamaica: Searching High & Low
As the Mayor of Kingston's home is searched in an attempt to find ‘Dudus'; YardFlex.com says: “Come on now, even the Prime Minister’s residence should be subjected to a thorough search by the police”, while Girl With a Purpose provides recent updates on the state of emergency.
Jamaica: On the Run
“Life has more or less returned to normal on the rock except for those who lost family members in the clash and for those who remain on the run”: Annie Paul says that “the tragedy is that the parts of the city where gangsters unleashed violence are the same areas...
Jamaica: New Developments
Two new developments regarding Jamaica's state of emergency are here and here.
Jamaica: Rock the Calabash
“Calabash 2010 rocked, it really did”: Annie Paul thinks that “this literary festival provides a neat model for similar ventures that could showcase the best that Jamaica has to offer.”
Cuba: Condemning the Flotilla Attack
Havana Times notes that Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed “its strongest condemnation” of the Israeli attack against a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Trinidad & Tobago: Red Earth
“The Red Earth Eco-Arts Festival has become one of the highlights of Trinidad's cultural calendar”: MEP Caribbean Publishers previews this year's events.
Jamaica: Dudus’ Brother In Custody
Bloggers are reporting the breaking news that alleged drug don Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke's brother, Leighton ‘Livity’ Coke, has just been arrested.
Trinidad & Tobago: Stepping Out of the Mold?
“Manning has one more chance at posterity: he can decide whether Trinidad AM (After Manning) goes backward (with Keith Rowley) or forward (with Penny Beckles)”: Trinidad Media Arts & Culture blogs about his impression of the country's former Prime Minister.
Jamaica: Ripple Effect
Islandista says that “the ‘terror in Tivoli’ has inflicted wounds not just on the hundreds injured and scores killed, but on Jamaica’s economy and Kingston’s vibrant entertainment scene.”
Jamaica: Art & Violence
“Jamaica's widening gap between rich and poor and our historical reliance on an underground economy related to drugs has created tensions and led to violence of which artists are all too aware”: Petrine Archer notes that several local artists “are engaging with these issues and the social dislocation that has...