Datebook | Events calendar (May/June 2018) By Caribbean Beat | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) Your guide to Caribbean events in May and June, from Guyana’s debut Carnival to a pineapple festival in the Bahamas
A tale of two flowers | Word of mouth By Suzanne Bhagan | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) On the other side of the world from Trinidad & Tobago, Suzanne Bhagan experiences the Japanese cherry blossom spring festival, and remembers the golden poui trees that bloom at home
Bookshelf (May/June 2018) | Book reviews By Shivanee Ramlochan | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) This month’s reading picks, with reviews of Tell No-One About This; Brother; Infidelities; and Sans Espoir
Playlist (May/Jun 2018) | Music reviews By Nigel Campbell | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) This month’s listening picks, with reviews of the latest by Jeanine S. Ruiz; Michael Brun; King Kembe; and Sting and Shaggy
Some like it hot: Trinidad pepper sauce | Cookup By Franka Philip | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) It may be the quintessential Trini condiment, and many can’t imagine a meal without pepper sauce. Franka Philip investigates how T&T’s hot peppers have become internationally famous for their delicious sear
Tessa Mars: full free | Closeup By Shereen Ali | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) Haitian artist Tessa Mars is influenced by her country’s revolutionary history as much as her own family’s intellectual tradition, and her lifelong fascination with riddles. Her colourful paintings often feature a semi-autobiographical character named Tessalines — and deal in complex ideas about identity and freedom. Shereen Ali finds out more
FIFA World Cup: Caribbean footballers by proxy | Snapshot By James Ferguson | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) For sports fans around the world, the arrival of June means the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals. No Caribbean team qualified this year, James Ferguson writes, but that doesn’t mean our region won’t be represented
Port of Spain: the story of a city | Backstory By Judy Raymond | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) A childhood encounter with a touring steelband began Stephen Stuempfle’s connection with Trinidad. Now the US scholar has written an illuminating history of Port of Spain in the era before Independence. As Judy Raymond learns, Stuempfle’s research has only deepened his love for T&T’s capital
Love is in the air | Round trip By Caribbean Beat | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) For many lovebirds around the world, the idea of a Caribbean wedding — making vows on the beach, with a backdrop of glimmering blue sea — seems like a dream. And it easily comes true
Kralendijk, Bonaire | Neighbourhood By Caribbean Beat | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) The gateway for dive tourists drawn to Bonaire’s pristine waters, the island’s capital has a relaxed charm, and touches of colourful history
“Just drive all around the island” | Personal tour By Caribbean Beat | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) Artist Suelin Low Chew Tung offers a tour of her home island, Grenada, from beaches to hiking to the best place to buy local chocolate
Create Caribbean: tech to the people | Plugin By Lisa Allen-Agostini | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) Founded by scholar Schuyler Esprit, Dominica’s Create Caribbean was well on its way to making tech tools for education available to all. Then Hurricane Maria hit. Lisa Allen-Agostini discovers how the digital humanities project is putting the pieces back together
Sans-Souci, Haiti: uncovering a kingdom | Discover By Erline Andrews | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) It’s one of the Caribbean’s most resonant historic sites, but surprisingly little is known about the true history of Sans-Souci, the palace of Henri Christophe, writes Erline Andrews. Now a multinational team of archaeologists are using high-tech tools to resurvey the site, and perhaps rewrite Haitian history
Sin city: Jamaica’s Port Royal | On this day By James Ferguson | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) It was once known as “the Sodom of the New World” — until a catastropic earthquake sent it tumbling into the sea. On the 500th anniversary of its founding, James Ferguson recalls the history of Jamaica’s infamous Port Royal
Datebook | Events calendar (Mar/Apr 2018) By Caribbean Beat | Issue 150 (March/April 2018) Events around the Caribbean in March and April, from Guyana’s Easter Regatta to Carnival in Jamaica and St Patrick’s Day in Montserrat
Word of mouth (Mar/Apr 2018) By Laura Dowrich-Phillips and Subraj Singh | Issue 150 (March/April 2018) The bright colours of Guyana’s Phagwah celebrations mingle into a shade of unity, and Sint Maarten’s annual Carnival defies the ravages of Hurricane Irma
