What you may not know about the Caribbean
August 24, 2008
Bahamas
-Approximately five percent of the World’s Coral Reefs can be found in the Bahamas.
Suriname
In 1667 The Netherlands accepted Suriname in exchange for Nieuv Amsterdam, now known as New York City, in an agreement with Britain.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago has more species of birds than any other Caribbean island.
Bermuda
The majority of Bermuda’s slaves were imported from Slave markets in the West Indies.
British Virgin Islands
More than 50 per cent of the population are immigrants. And more than 55 percent of government’s direct revenue comes from financial services.
Guyana
St. Georges Cathedral is one of the tallest, free standing wooden buildings in the world. Its spire is over 40 meters high.
Haiti
Haiti is the world’s first Republic founded by Blacks [January 1st, 1804] and also the second oldest Republic in the Western Hemisphere.
Haitian volunteers fought in the American War of Independence on the side of the colonies.
Jamaica
Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country in the world.
Dominica
Dominica was the only British Caribbean colony to have a black controlled legislature in the 19th century. [1838].
St. Lucia
The giant Samaan tree located in Derek Walcott Square, Castries is more than 400 years old.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands are the world’s leading registry for large luxury yachts, having some 20 per cent of the world’s market for yachts over 120 ft in length.
Turks and Caicos Islands
John Glenn landed down just off Grand Turk in 1962 after his first space flight.
The world’s only Conch Farm was establishes on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Island in 1894.
Antigua
-Long before the arrival of Columbus, the Siboney or “stone people” inhabited Antigua. It is believed that the Siboney were the first inhabitants of Antigua and their settlements date as far back as 2400 BC. Traces of the Siboney are found at jolly Beach, Deep Bay and the North Sound.
Montserrat
The national bird of Montserrat , “the oriole’ also known as the ‘Tannia Bird’, is found nowhere else in the entire world except Montserrat.
The Langs Soufriere Volcano located in the Soufriere Hills, St. Anthonys, Monsterrat erupted in July 1995 after having been dormant for 400 years. The volcano continues to be active and has resulted in more than half the population leaving the island.
Belize
The 180.2 miles barrier reef is the longest in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world.
Belize was the center of the Maya Empire, which flourished AD 300-600.
Grenada
Grenada produces one third of the world’s output of spices, and is the world’s second largest producer of nutmeg.
The cliffs of La Mourne des Sauteurs or “leapers hill” are the site of mass suicide of Carib Indians in 1651, when about 40 men, women and children leapt to their deaths rather than submit to the French domination!
St. Kitts and Nevis
The Cottle church, formally known as St. Mark’s Chapel of Ease, located in Nevis and opened in 1825, was the first Anglican Church in the Caribbean where both blacks and whites worshipped together.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent is the world’s largest producer of arrowroot. It was first used by the Caribs for arrow wounds.
Apsana
Our West Indian Culture
August 19, 2008
In our community, culture is increasingly being seen as the root of our development. The root as it is goes; it is the heart of who we are as a person and in our society. Our culture embraces languages, religions, festivals, sports, values, customs and other forms of self- expression. It incorporates the historical experience of our people, our faiths and our creativity. It is a dynamic force, being continuously fashioned by our creative energies and other influences.
Our culture has thought us about strong appreciation of family and kinship values, community cohesion and moral issues including responsibility for and accountability to self and community. It is imbued with a respect for human life since it is the foundation on which all the other desired values must rest.
Our languages are part of the legacy of the various civilizations from which our ancestors came. For many countries, a major unifying factor has been the English language.
Festivals and celebrations give us the opportunity to showcase our creative energies. As in other part of the world many of the region’s festivals and celebrations are associated with events of religious significance.
Carnival is one of the most powerful symbols of our culture, has it origins in Europe and Roman Catholicism and has been heavily influenced by African traditions. Carnival is a two-day celebration held in Trinidad and Tobago and even those member states that do not celebrate a traditional carnival has festivals that are increasingly influenced by it, for example, Crop Over in Barbados, Junkanoo in the Bahamas, Mashramani in Guyana and Owruyari in Suriname.
Through the influence and energies of our Diaspora in North America and Europe, the Caribbean Carnival has become a major festival in several metropolitan centers. These include London’s Notting Hill Carnival; Toronto’s Caribana, New York’s Labor Day Carnival, Washington DC’s Carnival and the Miami Carnival.
The diversity of religions practiced also reflects our multiple origins. Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are the dominant faith in our Community [Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. In countries with longer histories of French and Spanish colonialism, Roman Catholic is the dominant faith, whereas in those countries with a strong British influence, Anglicans and Methodists have been historically predominant. Africans religious traditions continue to find expression through Voodoo, Pacomania and Orisha.
The Caribbean as it is vastly diverse yes similar in many ways due the sub-cultures that that have emerged from the varying islands. Thanks to the explorative ideals at are an innate part of our being, we are able to seek uniqueness among ourselves and mesh that apparent uniqueness into one global basket that identifies us as one Caribbean people.
Apsana
The Real Problem Facing Guyana is a Self-Profiting Government
August 8, 2008
Cost of living in Guyana has assumed an unbearable up surging, and this has been so far over a decade. Guyana on the whole has been imparting inflation; the government has done very little to cushion the impact on the economy. Financial policies are not geared to alleviate the suffering of the poor Guyanese people. The burden of the consumption tax on fuel, for instance, has been over priced. Despite the fact that rising fuel prices have a negative effect impact on agriculture, industries, and for that matter the entire economy, the government has been adamant on its’ severe economic policies. Read more
The importance of Donating to Kids First Fund
August 3, 2008
Kids First Fund is a non-profitable, non-governmental organization, which was registered on February 11th 2000 by the founder Ms Varshnie Singh. The objective of this organization is to provide funding for poor children who require emergency medical treatment, regardless of race, religion and political affiliation. Read more
I Am Proud To Be A Trinidadian
July 20, 2008
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most prosperous, diversified and industrialized countries in the Caribbean and has earned an excellent investment site for international businesses. There are proven substantial reserves of petroleum, natural gas and heavy industries such as iron, steel, methanol, nitrogen, and fertilizers. Read more
Have a laugh…
July 8, 2008
You Know You Are A True Guyanese When….
•You know that there are only two types of fish in Guyana – “Scale Fish” and “Unscale Fish”.
•You see a drunken man ride his bicycle all the way from a rum shop and fall down as soon as he reaches home.
•You go “home back” instead of “back home”.
•You know that the sweetest banana is a “speckle banana”. Read more
Guyanese proverbs and their meanings
June 20, 2008
All cassava get same skin but all nah taste same way.
-Though people may look alike because of their mode of dress, they are different in their own ways.
Big tree fall down, goat bite he leaf.
-When a great man falls, he is no longer feared or respected. Read more
What’s happening in Brazil?
June 19, 2008
Brazil has a current population of approximately 190 million people.
50% of the population in Brazil lives without access to sanitation facilities.
Brazils Income distribution is incredibly unequal: The richest 1% of Brazil’s population control 50% of its income. The poorest 50% of society have to live on just 10% of the country’s wealth. Read more
Domestic Violence and the detrimental impact on Women
May 16, 2008
Domestic violence leads to the destruction of marriages, homes, families and the lives of children and ultimately the suppression of culture. Such occurrences have transformed many good countries into urban disaster that leads to the sufferings from uncontrolled prostitution, child abuse, illegitimacy, physical abuse, sexual abuse and sexual predation.
Long-term effects of domestic violence on women who have been abused may include: eating disorders, drug and alcohol consumption, malnutrition, poverty, panic attacks, repeated self injury, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorders, strained family relationships, suicide attempts and the inability to respond to the needs of their children. When children cannot depend on their parents for emotional/ practical support, their development can be delayed or permanently distorted. Children without available parent may withdraw from relationships and social activities. Read more
Impact of Increased Cost of Living in Guyana
April 17, 2008
Bharrat Jagdeo refuses to admit that Guyana is below poverty line and the causes for this decline are: mismanagement of funds, bad policies, inflation, corruption, drugs and crimes. Wages and salaries are weakened gravely behind inflation and thus the currency is devalued more and more each day while wages remains the same. Read more
Peru- Coca / Cocaine - World’s Top Producer.
April 1, 2008
Coca cultivation is an old tradition practiced by Ancient Andean Inca Empire. The Incas used coca for religious and medical purposes and chewed the coca leaves as a method of easing hunger, protection from cold in the high Andean altitudes. It is assumed that 80% of the rural Andean population use coca leaf for healthcare purposes. Read more
Does Circumcision Reduce HIV Contraction?
March 31, 2008
In March 2007 the WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) stated that male circumcision is an effective intervention for HIV prevention, but also stated that male circumcision only provides partial protection and should not replace other interventions to prevent the hete rosexual transmission of HIV. Read more
Childhood Obesity in The U.S
March 30, 2008
The problem of childhood obesity in the U.S has grown considerably in recent years. Unhealthy weight gains, due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. Read more
The cherished Rules of Islam
March 28, 2008
Muslims are commanded to perform Salah [ritual prayers] five times a day. These prayers are obligatory on every Muslim above the age of puberty, with the exception being those menstruating, Psychologically and physically ill or those experiencing post- partum bleeding. 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