Author: James Ferguson

History, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis

The Caribbean Cane and Abel | On this day

St Kitts, 1623: Thomas Warner establishes the first English colonial settlement in the Caribbean. His legacy of conflict would spill over into Antigua and Dominica — and to his sons. James Ferguson learns more

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History, United Kingdom, Guyana

John Edmonstone: from Guyana to the Galapagos | On this day

The science of taxidermy played an integral part in the formation of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. And it was John Edmonstone — born into slavery in Guyana before establishing himself as a well-respected free man in Scotland — who taught Darwin these critical skills. James Ferguson learns more about his story

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History, People, Suriname

Anton de Kom: reclaiming “Papa de Kom” | On this day

Suriname’s great freedom fighter Anton de Kom was born 125 years ago. His work — including We Slaves of Suriname, which has recently been published in English — and his short, tragic life deserve to be much better known, writes James Ferguson

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Literature, History, People, United States, Jamaica

Claude McKay: the Black Bolshevik | On this day

James Ferguson profiles Jamaican poet and revolutionary Claude McKay, whose landmark collection Harlem Shadows was published a century ago

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History, People, Science, Barbados

Alain Bombard: the voluntary castaway | On this day

Seventy years ago, Alain Bombard journeyed from the Canaries to the Caribbean in a 15-foot dinghy to prove that man could survive on water, fish, and plankton alone. James Ferguson tells the tale

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Immerse, History, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago

Royal dissent | On this day

Like Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica celebrates its 60th anniversary of independence in August and, as James Ferguson reports, is among the countries in the region likely soon to become a republic

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Engage, History, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

An island for a princess | On this day

Sixty years ago, the newlywed Princess Margaret, sister to the queen of England, arrived in Mustique on her honeymoon. It was the start of a relationship between the tiny Grenadine island and international celebrity, writes James Ferguson — and a twist in the complicated and often unhappy life of the princess

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Engage, History

Be fruitful and multiply | On this day

March brings the 180th birthday of the man who singlehandedly created the Caribbean banana industry. James Ferguson looks back at the life and times of Lorenzo Dow Baker, Yankee entrepreneur

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Funding provided by the 11th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme Direct Support Grants Programme.
The views expressed on this website are those of the the authors and do not reflect those of the Direct Support Grants Programme.

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