Ol’ time calypso: long time music
It’s all too easy — in fact, it’s something of a tradition — for one generation to criticise the musical preferences of another. It...
The long walk home
On 31 July, 1498, Christopher Columbus and his men, sailing along the southern coast of the island of Iere, are said to have caught sight...
Massacre River of blood
The placid Massacre River (or Río Massacre) seems to belie its ominous name. Running in wide shallow bends and occasional faster-flowing...
The holes in history
The paper was achingly fragile. So thin and worn that chunks of it had vanished entirely. So brittle that I was only allowed to touch it if...
Remembering Independence 1962 in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago
Jamaica: August 6, 1962 Independence means the opportunity for us to frame our own destiny and the need for us to rely on ourselves in so...
A Golden Anniversary? The Caribbean at the Olympic Games
Jamaica celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence from Britain during the London Olympics. What would be the perfect gift for its...
Jamaica: Freedom Come
One of the more esoteric items that used to be available on Amazon was a black-and-white jigsaw puzzle depicting the prime minister of...
When Cuba flew the Union Jack
It’s hard to avoid the British in Cuba these days. As tourism booms, hundreds of thousands of Brits are descending on the island each...
