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
Wendy Yawching: just watch me | History buzz (Mar/Apr 2023)
Wendy Yawching — the first female captain of a jetliner at BWIA (Caribbean Airlines’ predecessor) — has released a book not just about her groundbreaking journey, but full of encouragement for anyone to believe in and pursue their dreams. Jeremy Taylor learns more
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
Soca gold — soca music turns 50 | Backstory
It’s been 50 years since soca music emerged in Trinidad & Tobago. Nigel A Campbell looks back at the birth and evolution of the music that’s become the soundtrack to Caribbean carnivals around the world — and continues to seek a commercial life beyond it
JR Ralph Casimir: Garvey’s disciple | Icon
Lennox Honychurch explores the life of the late Dominican activist JR Ralph Casimir — an early Pan-Africanist, Garveyite, and poet — who is also the subject of a powerful new biography
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
La Soye: Dominica’s town beneath the sand | Discover
Archaeologists in Dominica are unearthing an abandoned town which, explains Paul Crask, may fundamentally change our understanding of Dominica’s history
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
