Latest posts by Nicholas Laughlin
Haiti: heritage mission
Repeating Islands links to information about a recent World Heritage Centre mission to Haiti, aimed at helping conserve the country’s built heritage in the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake.
Barbados: disillusioned by Crop Over
“Crop Over … is a festival which has morphed from a cultural expression of a people to a wukup, mash up, drink up party.” Barbados Underground says “culture” has been “squeezed out” of the national festival.
Jamaica: Sumfest report
Annie Paul reports on “Dancehall Night” at the 2010 Reggae Sumfest, which featured an appearance by the recently imprisoned performer Vybz Kartel, who “dressed as a prisoner complete with handcuffs which had to be unlocked before he could perform, a literal reference to his arrest and two-week detention by security...
Cuba: remembering Zapata Tamayo
Uncommon Sense argues that the recent release of Cuban dissidents was triggered by the death of activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo in early 2010, after a hunger strike. “Events of the past five months, culminating with the release of the 20 prisoners and the promised release of others, have proven that...
Cuba: Capitol stories
Generation Y writes that the historic Capitol building in Havana “has suffered the fate of the castigated” and hopes that it “will become — one day — the site of the Cuban parliament: a magnificent building that houses real debates.”
Barbados: missing butterflies
My Rustic Bajan Garden wonders if a decline in numbers of butterflies is a worrying sign for Barbados. “The absence of these creatures is a strong indicator that all is not well in our environment.”
Bahamas: Forward poet
Geoffrey Philp shares the news that Bahamian poet Christian Campbell has been shortlisted for a Forward Prize, and the Caribbean Review of Books blog links to one of Campbell’s poems.
Bahamas: on “race”
“Please. Don’t call me white.” Nicolette Bethel writes about the intricacies of race, history and politics in the Bahamas. “The ‘race’ that has historical significance and the ‘race’ that we appear to practice today are two very different animals.”
Guyana: Honey and Lime
Signifyin’ Woman offers her thoughts on Honey and Lime, a book of poems by the Guyanese writer Peggy Carr: “A poem is its own unique, economical world.”
Puerto Rico: the CAC games begin
The Central American and Caribbean Games are under way in Puerto Rico. Gil the Jenius criticises the organisers for “mismanagement” and “incompetence”, and reports on the controversial use of hidden cameras for surveillance of protesters by the police.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: happy birthday, Mandela
“When I was ten years old, I like the rest of the world watched Nelson Mandela walk to freedom,” writes Abeni, sharing her thoughts on the 92nd birthday of the South African hero.
Trinidad and Tobago: recycled jeans
Trinidadian artist and designer Richard Rawlins posts images of his “Bag Project”, turning discarded pairs of jeans into one-of-a-kind bags. Jeans are “the great unifier”, he writes.
Bermuda: municipalities takeover
Vexed Bermoothes opposes the Bermuda government’s plan to take over the operations and services of the country’s municipalities, including those of the capital, Hamilton.
Barbados: economic crisis?
Barbados Underground posts an analysis of a recent speech by former prime minister Owen Arthur, on the current economic situation in the Caribbean. “In the midst of this economic disaster where are our leaders, where are the voices speaking to this unprecedented crisis, educating our people to its consequences?”
Jamaica: LGBT rights protest
gspottt reports on a protest staged by J-Flag (the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays) at the recent CARICOM (Caribbean Community) heads of government meeting in Jamaica, “because of the continued presence of anti-buggery laws … which contribute to discrimination, marginalization and other serious human rights violations of CARICOM...
Bahamas: national pride
Nicolette Bethel reports on the recent popularity of Bahamas National Pride Day: “a step or two towards understanding ourselves and our country, the fact that we the people made the choice to celebrate our nationality and took matters into our own hands.”
Bermuda: water worries
“Water. It's hard to believe that this, the most basic of resources is still a major issue for so many Bermudians.” Tales from the Triangle's Tip worries about resource management and other social concerns.
Trinidad and Tobago: Election Landslide
After a snap election ends the rule of Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Trinidadian bloggers react to the new People's Partnership coalition government, led by the country's first female prime minister.
Blogging about the Caribbean's Repeating Islands
An interview with Ivette Romero-Cesareo and Lisa Paravisini-Gebert, the scholar-bloggers behind Repeating Islands, a blog that covers Caribbean literature, art, and culture and cuts across the region's language barriers.
Jamaica, Caribbean: Tributes to Rex Nettleford, 1933-2010
The late Rex Nettleford — scholar, dancer, choreographer — who died on 2 February, was a cultural icon in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Bloggers pay tribute to "a quintessential Caribbean man" and consider his intellectual legacy.
Talking to Trinidadian journalist and blogger Andre Bagoo
An interview with Trinidadian journalist Andre Bagoo, who writes hard-hitting political coverage for the daily press, and innovative, wide-ranging cultural commentary on his blog PLEASURE.
