Kamau Brathwaite (1930–2020) | Icon By Kelly Baker Josephs | Caribbean Innovation (15 May 2020) On his ninetieth birthday, 11 May, 2020, Kelly Baker Josephs explains the groundbreaking influence of the late Barbadian poet and scholar, perennially ahead of his time. An online exclusive
Kelly Sinnapah Mary: Riddles of survival | Portfolio By Shereen Ali | Issue 159 (September/October 2019), Caribbean Resilience (1 May 2020) Working across mediums, Guadeloupean artist Kelly Sinnapah Mary creates images with a fairytale quality, mingling cruelty and enchantment, as she explores postcolonial dilemmas and the resistance of self-invention, writes Shereen Ann Ali
Q&A with Carlos Lechuga | Screenshots By Jonathan Ali | Issue 162 (March/April 2020) Cuban filmmaker Carlos Lechuga talks about his hard-hitting, sepia-hued short Generation
Nina Compton: “I’m going to do something different” | Cookup By Franka Philip | Issue 162 (March/April 2020) Chef Nina Compton discovered her passion for cooking as a teenager in St Lucia. After winning fame on the TV show Top Chef, she’s now turning heads with two restaurants in her adopted city, New Orleans
All that jazz | Closeup By Nigel Campbell | Issue 162 (March/April 2020) Musically, Trinidad and Tobago are best known for calypso and soca, but a thriving jazz scene proves there’s an avid audience for other genres. Nigel A. Campbell profiles Charmaine Forde, Vaughnette Bigford, and LeAndra — three jazz vocalists of different generations whose separate stories make a bigger narrative about paths to musical success
The rightest place | Portfolio By Andre Bagoo | Issue 162 (March/April 2020) “Art has to transform,” says Blue Curry. The London-based Bahamian artist puts unlikely objects into new contexts, writes Andre Bagoo — and sometimes out of place is where things belong
As far as it goes | Snapshot By Sheldon Waithe | Issue 162 (March/April 2020) When Grenadian Anderson Peters won javelin gold at the 2019 World Championships, it took observers by surprise. This was no overnight success, says Sheldon Waithe — but the product of steady hard work and staunch confidence. Now the young athlete is preparing for his biggest challenge yet at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Carnival backstage | Closeup By Georgia Popplewell and Laura Dowrich-Phillips | Issue 161 (January/February 2020) Carnival is a time to shine: from performers on the soca and calypso stage to costumed masqueraders in the street and fete-goers showing off their most acrobatic dance moves. But “the greatest show on earth” wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the many thousands who work behind the scenes — year-round or seasonally — on the organisation and logistics of the festival. Laura Dowrich-Phillips and Georgia Popplewell meet four of the people whose backstage efforts make Carnival happen
Gilbert “Dibo” Doran: “I want my legacy to live on” | Own words By Nelly Rosa | Issue 161 (January/February 2020) Gilbert “Dibo” Doran, Curaçao’s 2019 King of Tumba, on his decade-long journey to winning the title, the role of culture in national identity, and Carnival as a time of solidarity — as told to Nelly Rosa
Written for the young of all ages | Closeup By Kimberly De Souza | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) Young adult (or YA) literature is aimed at teenage readers, but appeals to many grownups, too. And in recent years there’s been a boom in Caribbean YA, Kimberly De Souza reports, as she meets five writers telling innovative stories about Caribbean youth
The Jimmy October Project | Snapshot By Laura Dowrich-Phillips | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) “New Calypso” is how twenty-four-year-old Jimmy October describes his genre-bending music — a sound that feels like “home” to listeners in Trinidad and Tobago but also appeals to international audiences. Laura Dowrich-Phillips learns more
Q&A with Lisa Harewood | Screenshots (September/October 2019) By Jonathan Ali | Issue 159 (September/October 2019) Barbadian filmmaker Lisa Harewood talks about her new virtual reality project exploring families separated by migration
Dionne Brand: The reinvention of poetry | Closeup By Shivanee Ramlochan | Issue 159 (September/October 2019) Born in Trinidad and based in Canada, writer Dionne Brand has spent decades exploring the transgressive possibilities of poetry, says Shivanee Ramlochan — breaking through boundaries of genre in her quest to understand the shapeshifting self
Machel Cedenio: Racing for the hit | Snapshot By Sheldon Waithe | Issue 159 (September/October 2019) When T&T’s men’s 4×400-metre team won gold at the 2019 World Relays last May, it was thanks to a “finish for the ages” by Machel Cedenio. As Sheldon Waithe reports, the young athlete grounds himself with family support and mental preparation long before he even takes to the track
Bookshelf (July/August 2019) | Book reviews By Shivanee Ramlochan | Issue 158 (July/August 2019) This month’s reading picks, with reviews of The Caribbean Biography Series — Earl Lovelace, Derek Walcott, Marcus Garvey, and Beryl McBurnie; Tentacle; and Where There Are Monsters
Q&A with Arturo Infante | Screenshots (July/August 2019) By Jonathan Ali | Issue 158 (July/August 2019) Cuban filmmaker Arturo Infante talks about his new sci-fi feature, The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García
Far and near — Milton Kam | Panorama By Shelly-Ann Inniss | Issue 158 (July/August 2019) Suriname’s indigenous communities walk a line between the traditional and the contemporary, distance and proximity — documented in a new book of photographs by Milton Kam
Koffee: Strong and sweet | Backstory By Nazma Muller | Issue 158 (July/August 2019) Dancehall’s latest sensation, nineteen-year-old Koffee, is captivating fans across the globe with her vibesy toasting, catchy riddims, and cheeky lyrics. Nazma Muller reports on the pint-sized Jamaican phenomenon with the relentlessly positive attitude
Naomi Osaka: “It was never my goal to blend in” | Snapshot By Caroline Taylor | Issue 158 (July/August 2019) For anyone who likes easy answers to questions of identity, Naomi Osaka is a conundrum: half-Haitian, half-Japanese, raised for part of her childhood in New York City, visibly hybrid. As Caroline Taylor learns, Osaka hasn’t always been comfortable with the role of mixed-race role model — but she’s learning to embrace it, on her own terms
Q&A with Maya Cozier | Screenshots (May/June 2019) By Jonathan Ali | Issue 157 (May/June 2019) Trinidadian filmmaker Maya Cozier talks about her new short, She Paradise
Jean-Ulrick Désert: look and look again | Closeup By Andre Bagoo | Issue 157 (May/June 2019) Born in Haiti, currently based in Berlin, Jean-Ulrick Désert may be a citizen of the world — but his ideas are shaped by his Caribbean roots. A kind of discomfort that makes you look closer is key to this artist’s work, writes Andre Bagoo
Letitia Wright | Backstory By Caroline Taylor | Issue 157 (May/June 2019) Growing up in Guyana, Letitia Wright never imagined a Hollywood career. But after a string of stage and TV roles and early recognition of her talent, her casting in the blockbuster movie Black Panther was the break every actor hopes for, says Caroline Taylor
