Són city, Cuba | Destination
Near the eastern end of Cuba, Santiago is a regional capital, a treasure house of history — and, Donna Yawching writes, the island’s most musical city. The soundtrack is driven by the rhythms of són, she learns — and the soul of Santiago is in its musicians’ fervour for their heritage
Santiago — carnival city | Explore
Santiago, Cuba’s second-largest city, has long been a hotbed of culture — and it comes to a blaze each July, as Santiago’s unique annual Carnival, centred on the feast of St James the Apostle, takes over. Donna Yawching explains the historical roots of Santiago Carnival, and why it’s a time of year when no one expects to get much sleep
Falling for Havana | Explore
Few cities in the world have such an aura of history and glamour as Havana. As Donna Yawching writes, the Cuban capital has its gritty side — right next to world-class architecture, amazing culture, and a spirit that has to be experienced to be understood
André Alexis: the puzzle of “home” | Closeup
Born in Trinidad, brought up in Canada, writer André Alexis is a “Nowherian” — and that complicated identity, along with his passion for exploring big ideas, drives his philosophical and deeply literary novels. A recent string of awards has raised his international profile, but as Donna Yawching learns, it was no overnight success for one of the most original writers in both Caribbean and Canadian literature
Basking in Barbados
“The roads,” insisted my aunt Hyacinth, who has lived in Barbados for more than 30 years. “Don’t forget to say what...
Black Stalin: king of kings
“A kaisonian is always a warrior. The more the odds are against him, the better he works.” — Black Stalin, interviewed by Small Axe:...
Caribbean craftwork at its best
“The best of the Caribbean in one trip.” This, in the words of coordinator Joy Hall, is what professional buyers can look forward to...
Trinidad Theatre Workshop: still searching
Forty years, in any enterprise, should spell security. In the case of a theatre, a roof over one’s head perhaps, and a sense of knowing...
