Caribbean birds: on a wing and a prayer
The Caribbean is renowned for its stunning birdlife, and many people visit the region either on specialist birdwatching tours or simply enjoy the beautiful avifauna [...]
View ArticleCaribbean Bookshelf (November/December 2006)
Unburnable: A Novel Marie-Elena John (Amistad, ISBN 0-06-083757-8, 292 pp) Unburnable is the first novel by young Antiguan writer Marie-Elena John. Although it is, by [...]
View ArticleCaribbean Bookshelf (May/June 2007)
Dubwise: Reasoning From the Reggae Underground by Klive Walker (Insomniac Press) An engaging collection of essays by Toronto-based writer Klive Walker, Dubwise is a welcome [...]
View ArticleEdwidge Danticat: finding her way home
I have never met Edwidge Danticat in person. Until I interviewed her a few months ago, any knowledge I had of her came from her [...]
View ArticleKatherine Dunham: voodoo priestess from Illinois
It is hard to picture a more desolate urban landscape than the slum quarter of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince known as Martissant. The hillside district is a labyrinth of breeze-block buildings and...
View ArticleCaRiMi: hip hop from Haiti
Haitian trio CaRiMi burst onto the music scene in the United States in 2001 with their hip-hop kompa sounds. The trio of Mickael Guirand, Carl Vieux and Richard Cavé were involved in music in Haiti for...
View ArticleBookshelf (July/August 2000)
PICK OF THE MONTH The Immaculate Invasion Bob Shacochis (Viking Penguin 1999; Bloomsbury paperback 2000; 408pp, ISBN 0-7475-4529-4) When the United States invaded Haiti in September 1994, one US...
View ArticleThe other side of Haiti
Just making my way through customs and out of Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport seemed daunting enough. But nothing could prepare me for the devastation I saw on the thirty-minute drive...
View ArticleStella Jean: culture chameleon
Stella Jean has captured fashionistas’ hearts around the world with her impeccably crafted clothing. Inspired by her Haitian and Italian roots, she has perfected the art of combining exquisite African...
View ArticleFaustin Wirkus: for king and country?
More or less exactly a century ago, on 28 July, 1915, the first contingent of United States Marines disembarked in Port-au-Prince to begin what would be a nineteen-year occupation of Haiti. The...
View ArticleWord of mouth (July/August 2015)
On Haitian earth Philip Sander explains the historic significance of Carifesta’s visit to Haiti There’s a sad disproportion between Haiti’s vast presence in the Caribbean’s historical and cultural...
View ArticleWord of mouth (November/December 2015)
Traveller’s tree What’s a miniature butterfly-winged skeleton doing on a Christmas tree? Philip Sander explains the origins of a curious family tradition December 2006, a chilly evening in Delhi. The...
View ArticleCastor oil, please
Castor oil. Two words that used to strike terror in the hearts — and stomachs — of Caribbean children. In the old days, at the end of the July–August vacation, we would be given a good “clean-out,”...
View ArticleJacmel, Haiti
Streetscape On the eastern side of sheltered Jacmel Bay, the town stretches back from a shingly beach to a steep escarpment above Rue Seymour Pradel, with the town square, Place Toussaint Louverture,...
View ArticleVoyager among gods
Eighty years ago, on 14 April, 1936, a forty-five-year-old African-American woman arrived by boat from New York City in Kingston, Jamaica. It was to be no run-of-the-mill business trip, family visit,...
View ArticleHadriana’s wedding | Showcase
I died on the night of the most beautiful day of my life: I died on the night of my marriage in the St Philippe and St Jacques Church. Everyone thought I had been struck down by the sacramental Yes...
View ArticleThe Lüders affair | On this day
For much of the more than two centuries since its declaration of independence on 1 January, 1804, Haiti has been the victim of both foreign intervention and neglect. It took until 1862 for the United...
View ArticleWord of mouth (Nov/Dec 2017)
Why Jean-Michael Basquiat is a posthumous art star, how the Sunset Festival in Trinidad is changing Caribbean dance music, and where to end 2017 with a truly big bang: Paramaribo The post Word of mouth...
View ArticleArt in the open | Round trip
Year-round, across the Caribbean, you can experience art in the street, in public spaces, out in the open — no need to buy a museum ticket. Here are murals, monuments, and even an impromptu art gallery...
View ArticleHappy Day in Haiti — the Duvaliers remembered
The history of Haiti contains few happy anniversaries. The events that have marked the country and made international news have almost always been bad news – natural disasters, refugee crises,...
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