Caribbean region needs to work together to deal with challenges, says Guyana president
November 20, 2008
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: President of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday evening told representatives of participating countries at the Caribbean Development Bank/Inter American Development Bank (CDB/IDB), Civil Society Organizations dialogue not to allow themselves to be lectured into creating a set of values in the region which may cause them to lose sight of their challenges and their unique way of dealing with them.
He stated that the challenges facing countries like Guyana demand that the region work together to deal with these issues. Read more
Is there a conspiracy to prevent soca/calypso music from making it?
November 18, 2008
Dear Sir:
Based on what I read on BBC Caribbean News, Nov 17, 2008, Popular Barbadian and Caribbean calypsoian John King thinks there is an international conspiracy against that popular Eastern Caribbean music genre. However, I personally believe that soca/calypso will break into the international music market, when the Eastern Caribbean countries unite as one strong force as a trading bloc.
In order for soca/calypso to constantly make the billboard chart, Eastern Caribbean countries must promote the music as an industry. Trinidad & Tobago alone cannot be the only Caribbean country Read more
Jamaica to buy more rice from Guyana
November 15, 2008
Published on Tuesday, November 11, 2008
By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Jamaica’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Karl Samuda has said that his government will buy more rice from Guyana as of next year.
Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Karl Samuda. Samuda, who was in Guyana over the weekend, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to purchase 60,000 tonnes of rice from Guyana next year. Read more
Calypsonian Black Stalin gets honorary doctorate from UWI
November 15, 2008
Published on Monday, November 3, 2008
By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondent
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: Well known calypsonian Leroy ‘Black Stalin’ Calliste, immortalised for his ‘Caribbean Man’ calypso, was conferred with an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies (UWI).
He was the third calypsonian to have received an honorary doctorate from the UWI. The others were Slinger Francisco (the Mighty Sparrow), and Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust).
The Trinidad Express stated that ‘Stalin’ urged young and upcoming calypsonians to remain dedicated to the art form and to work hard because, he said, “Hard work pays off”. Read more
Mr. Byron Lee from the “Byron lee and Dragonires” Band has died.
November 7, 2008
According to the family of Mr Lee, he suffered from a long standing battle with transitional cell cancer and more recently with bladder cancer. Mr. Lee passed away at the University Hospital of the West Indies earlier this week at the age of 73. He was surrounded by his family and closest friends. He is survived by his wife, Sheila, sons Byron Jr, Edward John, daughters Deanna, Judith, Julianne and Danielle as well as grandchildren Amelia, Alexander, Jessica, Victoria, Amanda, Jaden and Dylan. The band that Lee pioneered(The Dragonires) at the young age of twenty was known for global hits such as Tiny Winey and for also globalizing Soca music in the very same way the band had a standing impact on the expansion of carnival worldwide. The Baiganchoka Team would like to wish the family of the late Mr. Byron Lee our sincere condolences. May the music be sung by generations to come.
The Baiganchoka Team
A West Indian Halloween Tale
October 31, 2008
Kavita and Priya decided that they wanted to celebrate their birthday, which both happen to fall on Halloween. Kavita and Priya are first cousins; Priya is exactly a year older. This year these cute bubbly girls decided to go on a cruise around the West Indies. Kavita figured it would be awesome to go without any of her relatives because usually when she visits the islands, she’s stuck at her aunt’s house. The cruise they decided to travel with had a West Indian theme, everything flamboyantly colored and music blasting ever hour of the cruise. Read more
Trinidad’s Big Shame by Caribbean Writer
October 21, 2008
Another year is soon coming to a close and for Trinidadians and Tobagonians, it will end as the bloodiest in their 46 years as an independent nation.
Equally startling is the public perception that government and the security forces of the land have lost the battle against the criminals as blood continues to spill daily in homes, on the streets and in vehicles.
A Port of Spain businessman a few days ago expressed concern that the public was no longer reacting to the upsurge in violence in the country. It’s not that they are no longer concerned but there is a deep sense of apathy among the population which I wrote about in this space some weeks ago. Read more
Revenge of Agriculture’s Neglect by Caribbean Writer
October 21, 2008
Isn’t it just amazing how most countries in the region are belly-aching about the increase in the price of food, mainly imported, after years of rhetoric about kick-starting agriculture, which sadly never came.
It might be true to say our leaders were probably still talking about resuscitating this important sector of our economy while the high food prices crisis crept up on them. Read more
Bracing for the Fallout by Caribbean Writer
October 21, 2008
Most Caribbean countries, if not all, will be affected by the financial turbulence that continues to unfold in the United States which has seen the collapse of long standing financial houses and the buy-out of assets and nationalisation of some others.
These include the US$85 billion bailout for the world’s largest insurance company, American International Group by the administration, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the US$50 billion buyout of Merrill Lynch by the Bank of America and the nationalisation of the assets of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to save the two largest mortgage firms from collapse.
At the time of writing, President Bush and Congressional Democrats were pressing ahead with a rescue plan of US$700 billion for the battered financial markets which were having repercussions on the markets in Russia, the UK and parts of Europe. Read more
Saving Our Children by Caribbean Writer
October 21, 2008
Guyana has had its share of tragedies involving children, the latest which occurred when brazen gunmen in two separate massacres on Bartica and Lusignan mercilessly rained bullets on the bodies of young children, even as some of them were in the depths of sleep.
It’s a tragedy that Guyana - nor the Caribbean will easily forget and should not forget.
In Jamaica, it’s too commonplace to hear of children being killed alongside their entire families; killed by bullets or hacked to death. Read more
Review: 2008 Miami Carnival
October 13, 2008
Every year caribbeanites from all corners of the United States and parts of the Caribbean gather in Miami, Florida for the annual Caribbean carnival celebrations. It is a time to relax, unwind and get on bad to the latest Soca tunes from top performing Soca artists. Moreover, it is a time of rejuvenation and camaraderie for caribbeanites that have made the United States their permanent home. Read more
New Jersey: Reggae Sumfest 2008 with Barrington Levy, Bennie Man and more..
September 22, 2008
Yesterday, Sunday 21st of September, New Jersey’s annual Reggae Sumfest occurred in Newark area on Hasley Street. Top performing artists that graced the stage were Mother Africa, Barrington Levy, Ninja Man, and Bennie Man. Among many other local artists that had the opportunity to showcase their works prior to top stars coming out. However the show which was advertised to commence at 2pm did not actually begin until 5pm, which I think had to say a lot about lack of planning and preparation from promoters at Road Block Radio. Moreover, during the show there was an hour stint prior to the top artists coming on stage where it was rumored that a disagreement had occurred being the artists and promoters. This led Bennie Man to candidly note to the audience after he performed that there was a financial agreement between the artist and promoters and that the promoters need to do a better job at prompting. Bennie’s comment I think was noted in light of a promoter coming on stage during the stint and openly noted that it was no fault of theirs’; it was that of the artists. Despite it all, Reggae fans got to see a few of their favorite artists on local grounds.
Andrew
Carifesta IX: Photographs from Guyana
September 14, 2008
The origin of CARIFESTA “the Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts” was held in Guyana in 1972. Two successive Conferences of outstanding Caribbean Writers and Artists in 1966 and 1970 recommended to then Prime Minister of Guyana, Hon LFS Burnham that they would welcome the invitation to an annual Festival of the Arts. Prime Minister Burnham had related his vision of a cultural mecca for the Region’s people. It was a vision of peoples with roots deep in Asia, Europe and Africa coming together to share, to perform their art forms. The dream embraced the literature inspired by our peculiar Caribbean temperament, paintings inspired by our tropical jungles and art visualising our forefathers in the distant past.
The following Photos were taken by Michelle Singh for New York. The Baiganchoka team would like to thank Michelle from sharing her photos with us.
Brooklyn: West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway
September 2, 2008
West Indians all know that Carnival is a time to Party. Every Year on Labor Day, West Indians living in New York gather in the thousands on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn to share their unique culture and embrace the similarites that make us one caribbbean people. This year 2008 was no different. What I wittnessed was cultural cummunion like no other. The breathtaking costumes and soca/reggae music, are two of the unique aspects that are are Caribbean centric in nature and can only be found where West Indians are gathered. The folllowing pics were taken by Annand who is a member of the Baiganchoka Team. He told us that he was gettin’ on bad in the middle of the crowed while snapping those pics. Read more
Western Ideals and Female Body Image
March 27, 2008
Women in the U.S, U.K and greater western countries aspire to have a thin and ideal body, placing excessive importance on the ideal that being skinny is sexy and experiencing trepidation of being fat. Women value their experiences and emotions on body image and their eating habits. However, in the Caribbean, a curvy woman is regarded as sexy and healthy. Read more