Q&A with Ian Harnarine | Screenshots (Jan/Feb 2019) By Jonathan Ali | Issue 155 (January/February 2019) Filmmaker Ian Harnarine talks about his new short, Caroni
The plastic wars | Green By Erline Andrews | Issue 155 (January/February 2019) Plastic pollution is a growing danger to the environment, to wildlife, and to ourselves. As Jamaica implements the first major plastics ban in the Caribbean, Erline Andrews learns about its possible impact — and pitfalls
Saved by microbes | Discover By Raymond Ramcharitar | Issue 155 (January/February 2019) Trinidadian microbiologist Adesh Ramsubhag is a pioneer in researching potentially revolutionary uses of the Caribbean’s native microorganisms, writes Raymond Ramcharitar
Ayurveda: finding the balance | Be well By Cate Young | Issue 154 (November/December 2018) Practised for millennia in the Indian subcontinent, traditional ayurvedic medicine, with its focus on achieving both physical and spiritual balance, was brought to the Caribbean in the nineteenth century — and recently has been more widely adopted as a form of “alternative medicine.” Cate Young learns more, and talks to two practitioners who say ayurveda has helped them bring their lives and health into equilibrium
The secret life of sunscreen | Green By Erline Andrews | Issue 154 (November/December 2018) The blazing rays of the tropical sun can take a heavy toll on your skin — which is why most beachgoers and swimmers in the Caribbean slather on a layer of protective sunscreen before they disrobe. But the very chemicals that protect human skin can be toxic for corals — and the Caribbean’s reefs pay the price. Erline Andrews investigates
Jaws of life | Green By Erline Andrews | Issue 153 (September/October 2018) Pop culture has given sharks an undeservedly scary reputation. What’s truly frightening, reports Erline Andrews, is a sea without sharks, vital for a healthy marine ecosystem. And after decades of neglect, the countries of the Caribbean are finally waking up to the importance of shark conservation — for the environment, but also for their economies
A plague from above | On this day By James Ferguson | Issue 153 (September/October 2018) It’s not just a story from the Bible: thirty years ago, thanks to unprecedented weather conditions, a massive swarm of locusts crossed the Atlantic and ended up in the Caribbean. James Ferguson investigates how, and what became of them
Clearing the trail | Escape By Paul Crask | Issue 152 (July/August 2018) Dominica’s Waitukubuli National Trail is the jewel in the Nature Isle’s ecotourism crown. 2017’s Hurricane Maria devastated the trail — along with the rest of Dominica — but now an unusual breed of “voluntourists” are helping restore it. Paul Crask meets two of them
Eye on the sky — from Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory | Discover By Erline Andrews | Issue 152 (July/August 2018) For five decades, one of the world’s most important radio telescopes, gathering essential information about outer space, has operated from Puerto Rico’s Arecibo, at the heart of the Caribbean, writes Erline Andrews
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
Next stop: space | Discover By Erline Andrews | Issue 150 (March/April 2018) As more and more entrepreneurs look towards space exploration, it’s still almost unknown outside the industry that one of the world’s busiest launch sites is on the doorstep of the Caribbean. Erline Andrews learns how French Guiana’s half-century-old spaceport is essential to our future exploring the galaxy
What follows the storm in Dominica | Green By Paul Crask | Issue 149 (January/February 2018) In September 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica’s houses, businesses, and infrastructure. But the storm also took a toll on the Nature Isle’s forests and wildlife — a major blow for an economy that depends on eco-tourism. Paul Crask reports
After the storm | Perspective By Caribbean Beat | Issue 148 (November/December 2017) In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, here’s how you can help the islands most badly affected
The games are afoot | Snapshot By Mark Lyndersay | Issue 148 (November/December 2017) Video games aren’t just for teenagers to have fun — globally, they’re a highly lucrative business, requiring state-of-the-art technical know-how, creative flair, and significant investment. Mark Lyndersay meets the minds behind Couple Six and Coded-Arts, video game developers in Barbados and T&T, whose agenda includes creating games that reflect the culture of their home islands
Redonda rescue — saving its native species | Green By Erline Andrews | Issue 147 (September/October 2017) Tiny Redonda, with its steep and barren cliffs, is home to colonies of seabirds, rare lizards found nowhere else — and, until recently, hordes of invasive goats and rats. But a new restoration project aims to return Redonda to its original inhabitants. Erline Andrews learns more
The energy of the future: renewables in the Caribbean | Green By Erline Andrews | Issue 146 (July/August 2017) Year-round sunshine, endless breezes, gushing rivers: most Caribbean countries have ample natural resources to harness renewable energy. So why is the region so dependent on fossil fuels? Erline Andrews investigates
Aloe vera: the thorny balm By Shelly-Ann Inniss | Issue 145 (May/June 2017) The spiky Aloe vera plant is a favourite of Caribbean gardens, its bitter gel used as a moisturiser, stomach remedy, and ingredient in healthy tonics. You might imagine you could build a whole industry around this handy plant — and Aruba has done just that. Shelly-Ann Inniss visits the island’s biggest aloe farm, and learns how this wonder of the kitchen and medicine cabinet is an economic wonder, too
Born blue: Suriname’s blue poison dart frog By Caribbean Beat | Issue 145 (May/June 2017) Suriname’s blue poison dart frog is a living treasure of the rainforest
Mangrove view By Caribbean Beat | Issue 144 (March/April 2017) A mosaic of greens and blues seen from high above, Barbuda’s Codrington Lagoon is a natural gem, home to mangrove forests and seabird colonies
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
Electric Avenues By Shelly-Ann Inniss | Issue 143 (January/February 2017) As the world grows more environment- and energy-conscious, electric cars seem like the transport of the future. And most Caribbean countries offer ideal conditions for their adoption, writes Shelly-Ann Inniss
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
