Alicia Alonso: forever prima | Backstory By Nazma Muller | Issue 156 (March/April 2019) How did Havana come to be one of the world’s leading centres of classical ballet? Nazma Muller tells the story of prima donna assoluta Alicia Alonso, and her influence on generations of Cuban dancers
All about blue | Round trip By Caribbean Beat | Issue 155 (January/February 2019) Is any colour more distinctive of the Caribbean? Take a tour of the region through our many hues and shades of blue
Falling for Havana | Explore By Donna Yawching | Issue 153 (September/October 2018) Few cities in the world have such an aura of history and glamour as Havana. As Donna Yawching writes, the Cuban capital has its gritty side — right next to world-class architecture, amazing culture, and a spirit that has to be experienced to be understood
Head for heights | Round Trip By Caribbean Beat | Issue 152 (July/August 2018) There’s nothing like the thrill of a higher perspective, far above the ground — from ziplining to rock-climbing to floating in a hot-air balloon. Get ready to soar
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
Love is in the air | Round trip By Caribbean Beat | Issue 151 (May/June 2018) For many lovebirds around the world, the idea of a Caribbean wedding — making vows on the beach, with a backdrop of glimmering blue sea — seems like a dream. And it easily comes true
Havana hello | Destination By Caribbean Beat | Issue 150 (March/April 2018) Caribbean Airlines’ newest destination is one of the region’s — and the world’s — most iconic cities. From music to revolutionary history, baroque architecture to pastel-hued classic cars, from the Malecón to the bar where mojitos were (supposedly) invented — welcome to Havana, now serviced by two direct flights from Port of Spain each week
Calling Rubén González By Garry Steckles | Issue 52 (November/December 2001) In Riddem and Rhymes, Garry Steckles puts out a call for Cuban pianist Reubén Gonzáles
A slave speaks By James Ferguson | Issue 46 (November/December 2000) James Ferguson takes a look at Miguel Barnet's Biography of a Runaway Slave, the story of Cuban ex-slave Esteban Montejo
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
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
A cave with a view | Parting Shot By Caribbean Beat | Issue 147 (September/October 2017) Puerto Rico’s Cueva Ventana offers visitors a stunning natural view of the Arecibo valley
Santiago de Cuba | Neighbourhood By Caribbean Beat | Issue 146 (July/August 2017) Cuba’s onetime capital, sheltered by the Sierra Maestra, is a living history museum and a cultural epicentre, especially during the July Carnival
This old house By Caribbean Beat | Issue 143 (January/February 2017) The historic architecture of the Old Havana neighbourhood in Cuba’s capital is an artistic treasure trove
Who’s your granny? By James Ferguson | Issue 142 (November/December 2016) Sixty years ago, a squadron of battle-hardened guerrillas landed on Cuba’s south-east coast, launching the revolution that would soon grip the world’s imagination. And the heroically leaky boat that got them there? It was named for someone’s grandmother. James Ferguson remembers the story of Granma
Ponce, Puerto Rico By Caribbean Beat | Issue 141 (September/October 2016) The Pearl of the South, the City of Lions — Puerto Rico’s second city is an open-air museum, an architectural treasure, and home of the island’s best ice cream
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
Cuba — the enigma of an island By Sharon Millar | Issue 139 (May/June 2016) On her first visit to Cuba, Sharon Millar finds both the unexpected — an Egyptian mummy? — and a reassuringly familiar Caribbean vibe
Secret islands: the “undiscovered” Caribbean By Caribbean Beat | Issue 136 (November/December 2015) There are seven thousand islands in the Caribbean, and though none of them is truly “undiscovered,” some come pretty close
The Cuba strategy By Erline Andrews | Issue 136 (November/December 2015) Cuba is already the Caribbean’s second biggest tourism destination, by visitor numbers. As the US government relaxes its decades-old restrictions on travel to Cuba, what happens to tourism in the rest of the region? How are other islands preparing? Erline Andrews finds out
No money, no love By Jonathan Ali | Issue 135 (September/October 2015) Laura Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas, partners in life and in filmmaking, tell intimate stories with a lyrical touch. Their latest film, exploring sex tourism in the Dominican Republic, is a step towards something even more ambitious, writes Jonathan Ali
Bookshelf (March/April 2002) By James Ferguson and Nicholas Laughlin | Issue 54 (March/April 2002) New books from and about the Caribbean
