Screenshots (Sept/Oct 2018) | Q&A By Jonathan Ali | Issue 153 (September/October 2018) A Q&A with Khalik Allah, director of Black Mother
Michele Henderson: “I woke up with an entire song in my head” By Paul Crask | Issue 153 (September/October 2018) Singer-songwriter Michele Henderson, performing at October’s World Creole Music Festival, on her musical childhood and her transition to the international stage — as told to Paul Crask, at her home in Grand Bay, Dominica
Savi Naipaul Akal: her side of the story | Snapshot By Ingrid Persaud | Issue 153 (September/October 2018) They’re the Caribbean’s great literary dynasty, but for decades their story has been written only by the Naipaul men. A new memoir by Savi Naipaul Akal tells another side of the tale, reports Ingrid Persaud
Georgia Popplewell: “In my dreams, my travel journals look like illuminated manuscripts” | In the bag By Georgia Popplewell | Issue 153 (September/October 2018) Georgia Popplewell — Trinidadian writer, media producer, and frequent traveller — on one essential item in her luggage: a decent notebook
Nailah Blackman: welcome to the evolution | Snapshot By Laura Dowrich-Phillips | Issue 152 (July/August 2018) With music in her bloodline, T&T’s Nailah Blackman was almost destined for a career behind the microphone. She was the breakthrough performer of Carnival 2017, still a teenager — but, as she tells Laura Dowrich-Phillips, her ambitions go beyond soca, to another stage of musical evolution
Arthur Wint: long before Bolt | On this day By James Ferguson | Issue 152 (July/August 2018) Usain Bolt may be Jamaica’s most famous Olympic medallist — but he was far from the first. James Ferguson looks back at the life of Arthur Wint and his extraordinary achievements both on and off the track
“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
André Alexis: the puzzle of “home” | Closeup By Donna Yawching | Issue 150 (March/April 2018) 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
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
Winston Duke: “I’m unfinished” | Own words By Caroline Taylor | Issue 149 (January/February 2018) Tobago-born actor Winston Duke, appearing in the eagerly awaited Black Panther movie, on his love of stories and magical realism, how his village childhood shaped his ethos, and his love of soca music — as told to Caroline Taylor
How to win the road (march) | Backstory By Mark Lyndersay | Issue 149 (January/February 2018) T&T’s Carnival is full of rivalries and competitions, and none is more fierce than the annual Road March battle. Mark Lyndersay traces the history of the musical title that reflects the will of masqueraders on the street — and we dare to share our picks for the top ten Road March songs from the 1930s to the present day
Johanan Dujon — seaweed for sale | The deal By Erline Andrews | Issue 149 (January/February 2018) For St Lucian Johanan Dujon, sargassum-covered beaches are’t just a problem — they’re an opportunity. As Erline Andrews learns, Dujon has his eye on a regional market for his Algas Organics line of fertilisers
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
Genevieve Jodhan: a legacy of change | The Deal By Cate Young | Issue 148 (November/December 2017) When Genevieve Jodhan was named CEO of Angostura, T&T’s 193-year-old rum distillers, it was a decisive change for an industry still dominated by male executives. But, as Cate Young finds out, her understanding of the Angostura legacy is what makes Jodhan exactly the right woman for the job
June Soomer: a voice for all | Backstory By Shelly-Ann Inniss | Issue 147 (September/October 2017) As head of the Association of Caribbean States, appointed in 2016, St Lucian June Soomer keeps regional integration high on the agenda. She tells Shelly-Ann Inniss how her career as historian and diplomat prepared her for this trailblazing new role
Jason Jeffers: stories like ours | Snapshot By Nailah Folami Imoja | Issue 147 (September/October 2017) His passion for film started when he was growing up in Barbados. It led Jason Jeffers to make the award-winning short documentary Papa Machete, and to found the Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival in Miami. What these initiatives have in common, he tells Nailah Folami Imoja, is a dedication to telling Caribbean stories and changing the way the world imagines our islands
Twisting Rhodes | On this day By James Ferguson | Issue 146 (July/August 2017) It’s an irony of history that the legacy of arch-imperialist Cecil Rhodes includes the education of many Caribbean intellectuals — like Jamaican Rex Nettleford, who arrived in Oxford sixty years ago, writes James Ferguson
Arif Bulkan: standing up for rights | Inspire By Raymond Ramcharitar | Issue 146 (July/August 2017) In the field of Caribbean human rights law, few have done more on behalf of the vulnerable than Guyanese Arif Bulkan. Raymond Ramcharitar learns about his work in indigenous and LGBT rights
Etienne Charles: a head for jazz and a creole soul | Closeup By Nigel Campbell | Issue 146 (July/August 2017) From his jaunty fedora to his bespoke suits, Trinidadian Etienne Charles looks like a jazzman — and he has the musical chops to back it up. A phenomenal talent with the trumpet, he’s also earned a reputation as a composer with a gift for merging traditional Caribbean genres with jazz, Nigel Campbell reports
25 Caribbean achievers under 25 By Various Contributors | Issue 145 (May/June 2017) Caribbean Beat celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2017. But this isn’t only an opportunity to look back at our quarter century of publication: it’s also a moment to look ahead to the new generation of talented, determined Caribbean people who will shape the decades ahead. In this special feature, we introduce 25 remarkable young people aged 25 and under. Athletes and entrepreneurs, artists and scientists — they and their contemporaries are the future of our region
