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
Melanie La Barrie: Broadway bound | Snapshot
After decades delighting audiences in Trinidad & Tobago and Great Britain, Melanie (Hudson) La Barrie makes her Broadway debut. Caroline Taylor learns more
Hew Locke: making mas with the messiness of history | Portfolio
Andre Bagoo profiles the award-winning Guyanese-British contemporary artist Hew Locke, whose latest commission is on show at the Tate Britain
Bookshelf (May/June 2021) | Book reviews
This month’s reading picks from the Caribbean, with reviews of A Million Aunties by Alecia McKenzie; Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden; An Autobiography of the Autobiography of Reading by Dionne Brand; and Mama Phife Represents: A Verse Memoir by Cheryl Boyce-Taylor
The rightest place | Portfolio
“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
Letitia Wright | Backstory
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
Remembering Windrush
When the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in 1948, its West Indian passengers didn’t know their arrival would become a historical watershed. A new exhibition at the British Library explains how the Windrush generation changed Britain for good
Walter Tull — over the line | On this day
A century ago, as the First World War drew to a close, a Barbadian-British man named Walter Tull was killed on the battlefield. He was one of many thousands dead in the “Flanders clay,” but also unique: as James Ferguson writes, Lieutenant Tull was the first officer of colour ever appointed in the British Army, in defiance of race prejudice
