Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe | Wish you were here (January/February 2020)
Postcards from the Caribbean’s most extraordinary places
Issue 161 (January/February 2020)
Need to know | Events calendar (Jan/Feb 2020)
Essential info to help you make the most of January and February across the Caribbean — Carnival Kings and Queens in T&T, Barbados’s Hometown Festival, Jamaica Jamaica! exhibition, and more
Bookshelf (Jan/Feb 2020) | Book reviews
This month’s reading picks, with reviews of In Nearby Bushes; Honeyfish; A Dark Iris; Another Mother; and Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm
Playlist (Jan/Feb 2020) | Music reviews
This month’s listening picks, with reviews of the latest by David Kirton; Bunji Garlin; and other various artists
Q&A with Michael Lees | Screenshots
Filmmaker Michael Lees talks about his documentary Uncivilized, recording the six months he spent living in the rainforest of Dominica
Carnival backstage | Closeup
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
Kambule: on morning ground | Snapshot
Early each Carnival Friday morning, before dawn breaks, crowds assemble at Piccadilly Greens in east Port of Spain for a re-enactment of a key event in the history of Trinidad — and of Carnival itself. Attillah Springer gives an intimate account of Kambule, when the spirits of the ancestors are invoked in a ritual of memory, story, song, and resistance
Look mas | Portfolio
Photographer Jason C. Audain’s portraits of traditional Carnival masqueraders record both their intricate costumes and the human energy that powers their performance
The return of the baby doll | Backstory
With a frilly dress and bonnet, carrying a replica of an infant, the traditional Baby Doll is a playful Carnival character with a serious message about the social roles of women and men. A new generation of activists have adopted the Baby Doll as form of feminist intervention, write Amanda T. McIntyre and Jarula M.I. Wegner — like the masqueraders behind the Belmont Baby Dolls band
Gilbert “Dibo” Doran: “I want my legacy to live on” | Own words
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
K2K — Where fashion meets mas (with a purpose)
Brand: K2K Alliance & Partners 2020 Collection: The Greatest Show Section: The Power of Believing (Believe that you can, and you will) Photography: Gary Jordan Photography MUA: Dion Samuel Model: Soowan Bramble Website: k2k-carnival.com
Choose your own Tobago | Destination
Everyone has a different idea about what makes a dream vacation. Whether you’re looking for quiet time or an adrenaline hit, to explore pristine nature or the stories of history, to get pampered or get wild, Tobago has something for you, writes Nixon Nelson
St Elizabeth, Jamaica | Neighbourhood
Tucked away in Jamaica’s southwest, St Elizabeth Parish is a laid-back alternative to the bustle of Kingston and the all-inclusive resorts of the north coast
Back to the Bahamas | Explore
When the Bahamas was hit by Hurricane Dorian last year, the images of destruction horrified people around the world. But, severe as the damage was, only a small part of the archipelago nation was affected, and one of the best ways to help with recovery efforts is to spend tourist dollars there, explains Nazma Muller
The Pitons, St Lucia | Bucket list
These twin volcanic peaks are the most recognisable icon of the island sometimes called “the Helen of the West Indies”
All creatures great and small | Inspire
Last September, Hurricane Dorian devastated the lives of thousands in the Bahamas — and not just the human residents of the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahamas, but their pets as well. As Erline Andrews learns, in the aftermath of the storm, animal welfare organisations have stepped in to save hundreds of domesticated animals and reunite them with their owners
Guide and prejudice | On this day
Few things get outdated faster than a guidebook, but one century-old guide for Caribbean travellers reveals much about old stereotypes of the region — and what has and hasn’t changed, writes James Ferguson
T&T Carnival | Did you even know
Our new trivia column opens with a T&T Carnival quiz. Think you’re an expert on Carnival and calypso history? See how many of our twelve questions you can answer correctly
