Alicia Alonso: forever prima | Backstory By Nazma Muller | Issue 156 (March/April 2019) How did Havana come to be one of the world’s leading centres of classical ballet? Nazma Muller tells the story of prima donna assoluta Alicia Alonso, and her influence on generations of Cuban dancers
The inimitable Grace Jones | Backstory By Nazma Muller | Issue 154 (November/December 2018) She’s an instantly recognisable icon of music and fashion, with a forty-year career in the limelight. And the inimitable Grace Jones is Jamaican to the core, says Nazma Muller
Skip Marley: “I’m not trying to fill his shoes” | Own words By Nazma Muller | Issue 150 (March/April 2018) Twenty-one-year-old Skip Marley, grandson of the legendary Bob, on growing up in Jamaica’s musical royal family, his hopes for stardom, and the message of his songs, for his own and every other generation — as told to Nazma Muller
Pasito a pasito: Daddy Yankee & Luis Fonsi | Backstory By Nazma Muller | Issue 148 (November/December 2017) The Caribbean musical hit of 2017? That’s “Despacito”, the steamy song by Puerto Ricans Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, which has been breaking records all year. Nazma Muller investigates its runaway success, and explains why “Despacito” has roused controversy for more than its lyrics
Jamaica, land we love | Escape By Nazma Muller | Issue 146 (July/August 2017) Jamaica’s beaches are as famous as its reggae and dancehall. But turn from the coast into the lush, hilly interior and you discover why the island’s name means “land of wood and water.” And there’s no better way to experience that wild beauty than to hike up Blue Mountain Peak, as Nazma Muller did
Caribbean eco progress report By Nazma Muller | Issue 144 (March/April 2017) In the pages of Caribbean Beat, over the past twenty-five years, we’ve often reported on environmental stories. So what’s the real state of progress across the region, when it comes to protecting our natural resources? Nazma Muller investigates
Beyond another boundary: the Windies at the first T20 blind cricket World Cup By Nazma Muller | Issue 143 (January/February 2017) Come January 2017, the West Indies cricket team will head off to India to contest the T20 World Cup, alongside players from around the globe. Wait, you haven’t heard about this tournament? Maybe it’s time you started following blind cricket. Nazma Muller learns more
’Tis the season to buy local By Nazma Muller | Issue 142 (November/December 2016) Christmas is about goodwill, family, friends — and presents. But showering your loved ones with gifts doesn’t have to mean brand-name imports. Nazma Muller suggests some sustainable and very covetable Caribbean-made holiday presents
Word of mouth (September/October 2016) By Philip Sander, Nazma Muller and Nixon Nelson | Issue 141 (September/October 2016) Caribbean writers star at the Brooklyn Book Festival, a new musical work remembers the Guyanese poet Martin Carter, and Trinidadians anticipate the sweet treats of Divali
CimaVax: revolutionary medicine By Nazma Muller | Issue 141 (September/October 2016) The CimaVax vaccine may be the biggest breakthrough yet in the treatment of lung cancer — and it’s just one of the success stories of Cuba’s biotechnology innovation. Nazma Muller investigates
Barbuda — precious blue By Nazma Muller | Issue 139 (May/June 2016) For islands, coastal waters form a boundary, but also a source of life, offering food and other resources, and protection from storms. When Barbuda’s coast began to suffer from decades of pollution and overfishing, the Blue Halo Initiative stepped in. Nazma Muller finds out more
Easter fare By Nazma Muller | Issue 138 (March/April 2016) No Caribbean holiday is thinkable without a delicious menu — and Easter weekend is no exception. Nazma Muller shares recipes for seasonal dishes from up and down the islands: Jamaican Easter bun, Bajan-style fried flying fish, and Martinique’s spicy matoutou crab stew
Pelau vs Pelau By Nazma Muller | Issue 137 (January/February 2016) It’s a tasty staple of family get-togethers, beach limes, and Carnival festivities — and there are as many recipes as there are cooks. Nazma Muller offers three versions of T&T’s beloved pelau
Castor oil, please By Nazma Muller | Issue 136 (November/December 2015) Nasty-tasting castor oil was once the bane of Caribbean childhoods. But now an innovative line of beauty products from Haiti is putting castor beans to a different use — and helping make Haiti’s hills green again, Nazma Muller reports
Dustin Brown: Ride, Natty, Ride By Nazma Muller | Issue 135 (September/October 2015) Dustin Brown didn’t make it to the Wimbledon finals, but he still conquered Jamaican affections, on- and offline
The garbage problem: the Caribbean tackles recycling By Nazma Muller | Issue 135 (September/October 2015) Disposing of garbage is a growing concern for small islands with limited space for landfills. Aruba is tackling it head-on with an ambitious recycling programme, Nazma Muller explains — are other Caribbean countries following suit?
Show me your blue flag By Nazma Muller | Issue 134 (July/August 2015) Only three Caribbean countries so far have beaches certified by Blue Flag, an international programme for assessing the health of coastal waters. Nazma Muller investigates why this matters to sea-bathers and the tourism sector alike
The transparency challenge By Nazma Muller | Issue 133 (May/June 2015) What the new Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative means for Trinidad and Tobago’s economy
Say it loud By Nazma Muller | Issue 132 (March/April 2015) A booming spoken-word movement has revitalised Trinidad and Tobago’s poetry scene with fresh ideas and hard-hitting lyrics from a new generation of poet-performers. Nazma Muller finds out what’s driving this surge of talent, and profiles eight popular new voices
Once bitten: Chikungunya in the Caribbean By Nazma Muller | Issue 131 (January/February 2015) It was the Caribbean’s big public health crisis of 2014: a rapidly spreading outbreak of mosquito-borne chikungunya. Nazma Muller investigates how governments have responded, and suggests how visitors to the Caribbean can avoid the dreaded pains and rashes of CHIK-V
Rosalind Gabriel: the kiddies’ queen By Nazma Muller | Issue 131 (January/February 2015) Many observers agree that in today’s Carnival the most memorable spectacles happen in “kiddies’ mas.” And bandleader Rosalind Gabriel has been at the forefront for over two decades. Nazma Muller meets the innovator with a taste for tradition
On the wing: birdwatching in the Caribbean By Nazma Muller | Issue 130 (November/December 2014) The Caribbean is a birdwatchers’ paradise, thanks to six hundred bird species, including some of the world’s most spectacular. Nazma Muller learns about eleven birds that serious ornithologists long to cross off their lists, and what bird tourism could mean for the region
