Need to know | Events calendar (Jan/Feb 2020)

By  and

Essential info to help you make the most of January and February across the Caribbean — Carnival Kings and Queens in T&T, Barbados’s Hometown Festival, Jamaica Jamaica! exhibition, and more

Shynel Brizan, T&T’s Queen of Carnival 2019, portraying Mariel-la, Shad-ow of Con-scious-ness from the band Palace of the Peacock, presented by Moko Somõkõw. Photo by Jason C. Audain

Carnival backstage | Closeup

By  and

Carnival is a time to shine: from performers on the soca and calypso stage to costumed masqueraders in the street and fete-goers showing off their most acrobatic dance moves. But “the greatest show on earth” wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the many thousands who work behind the scenes — year-round or seasonally — on the organisation and logistics of the festival. Laura Dowrich-Phillips and Georgia Popplewell meet four of the people whose backstage efforts make Carnival happen

Photo by Kibwe Brathwaite

Back to the Bahamas | Explore

By 

When the Bahamas was hit by Hurricane Dorian last year, the images of destruction horrified people around the world. But, severe as the damage was, only a small part of the archipelago nation was affected, and one of the best ways to help with recovery efforts is to spend tourist dollars there, explains Nazma Muller

Forty miles northwest of New Providence, the Berry Islands are relatively undeveloped and slightly off the beaten track — perfect for visitors looking for unspoiled seclusion. It’s a coveted spot for big game fishing, while scuba divers and snorkellers explore the shallow waters teeming with marine life. Photo by Michael Freifeld/Alamy Stock Photo

All creatures great and small | Inspire

By 

Last September, Hurricane Dorian devastated the lives of thousands in the Bahamas — and not just the human residents of the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahamas, but their pets as well. As Erline Andrews learns, in the aftermath of the storm, animal welfare organisations have stepped in to save hundreds of domesticated animals and reunite them with their owners

When disasters like last year’s Hurricane Dorian strike, human victims are the priority — but animal welfare activists say pets shouldn’t be forgotten. Photo by Design Pics Inc/Alamy Stock Photo
Shynel Brizan, T&T’s Queen of Carnival 2019, portraying Mariel-la, Shad-ow of Con-scious-ness from the band Palace of the Peacock, presented by Moko Somõkõw. Photo by Jason C. Audain
Photo by Kibwe Brathwaite
Forty miles northwest of New Providence, the Berry Islands are relatively undeveloped and slightly off the beaten track — perfect for visitors looking for unspoiled seclusion. It’s a coveted spot for big game fishing, while scuba divers and snorkellers explore the shallow waters teeming with marine life. Photo by Michael Freifeld/Alamy Stock Photo
When disasters like last year’s Hurricane Dorian strike, human victims are the priority — but animal welfare activists say pets shouldn’t be forgotten. Photo by Design Pics Inc/Alamy Stock Photo
embark immerse

Kambule: on morning ground | Snapshot

Early each Carnival Friday morning, before dawn breaks, crowds assemble at Piccadilly Greens in east Port of Spain for a re-enactment of a key event in the history of Trinidad — and of Carnival itself. Attillah Springer gives an intimate account of Kambule, when the spirits of the ancestors are invoked in a ritual of memory, story, song, and resistance

immerse Kambule performers re-enact the beginning of the 1881 Canboulay Riots. Photo by Maria Nunes
arrive

Choose your own Tobago | Destination

Everyone has a different idea about what makes a dream vacation. Whether you’re looking for quiet time or an adrenaline hit, to explore pristine nature or the stories of history, to get pampered or get wild, Tobago has something for you, writes Nixon Nelson

arrive The stunning view across Pirate’s Bay, just north of Charlotteville. Photo by Joanne Husain
engage

Guide and prejudice | On this day

Few things get outdated faster than a guidebook, but one century-old guide for Caribbean travellers reveals much about old stereotypes of the region — and what has and hasn’t changed, writes James Ferguson

engage Illustration by Rohan Mitchell

Most Recent

The return of the baby doll | Backstory

By |  

With a frilly dress and bonnet, carrying a replica of an infant, the traditional Baby Doll is a playful Carnival character with a serious message about the social roles of women and men. A new generation of activists have adopted the Baby Doll as form of feminist intervention, write Amanda T. McIntyre and Jarula M.I. Wegner — like the masqueraders behind the Belmont Baby Dolls band

The Belmont Baby Dolls band made their debut at Carnival 2019. Patrick Rasoanaivo/Culturego Magazine
Copyright © 2020 Caribbean Beat. All Rights Reserved.