Category: Africa

Jamaican Kwame McPherson wins Commonwealth Short Story Regional Prize for the Caribbean

May 16, 2023

Kingston-born Kwame McPherson has won the Caribbean Regional Prize in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition for his story, “Ocoee,” a narrative fusing a terrible racist attack in the U.S. 100 years ago with Caribbean folklore. Congratulations Kwame! The overall winner will be announced on June 27. … More Jamaican Kwame McPherson wins Commonwealth Short Story Regional Prize for the Caribbean

Congratulations to Jamaica’s Margarette May Macaulay, elected President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

March 12, 2023

Jamaican Margarette May Macaulay has been elected President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for the 2nd time. Congratulations to her! But why is the Jamaican Government so unresponsive to the Commission’s concerns about environmental and LGBTQIA+ rights? … More Congratulations to Jamaica’s Margarette May Macaulay, elected President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

We need an Ocean Treaty – like, yesterday

February 27, 2023

This time, it’s got to work. Our oceans are facing an unbelievable array of challenges, and I think we know them by now: pollution, over-fishing, the many manifestations of climate change, and now the threat of deep sea mining. It’s urgent. So, the final negotiations for a UN Ocean Treaty resumed on Monday, February 20, 2023 in … More We need an Ocean Treaty – like, yesterday

How far back can you go? Some family trees have broken branches.

January 15, 2023

This was our recent Bloganuary post… How far back can you go in your family history? My father did a lot of delving into genealogy. He worked on it, painstakingly and diligently, without the benefit of a computer or the Internet. He dug up records and family documents and made phone calls and took copious … More How far back can you go? Some family trees have broken branches.

On the Rio Cobre, Cockpit Country, and their Jamaican people

December 21, 2022

As the year draws to a close, there are more issues hanging in the balance. I sometimes feel the future of the Planet, including our small, sometimes green, rocky island, is in the balance, too. As the delegates to COP15 – the critical UN conference on biodiversity – pack up their laptops, check out of … More On the Rio Cobre, Cockpit Country, and their Jamaican people

A Feral Commons: An exciting new arts project will highlight the busy hidden life of our city Kingston

October 18, 2022

I have long believed that the arts and culture have a powerful role to play in explaining and expressing the depths, and the breadth of our ongoing climate crisis. Now, Andrea Dempster Chung of Kingston Creative dropped me a line to tell me about a really exciting project in which downtown Kingston is involved – … More A Feral Commons: An exciting new arts project will highlight the busy hidden life of our city Kingston

Wattle and Red Earth Collective kicks up its heels for National Heritage Week

October 2, 2022

October is always the month when Jamaicans turn their attention to their cultural heritage. National Heroes Day is Monday, October 17, 2022, at the end of Heritage Week, which begins on October 8 with an Interfaith Service at the University of the West Indies Chapel (I like this). President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, … More Wattle and Red Earth Collective kicks up its heels for National Heritage Week

Richard and Tyrone are two young Jamaicans who inspire me. Sail on!

September 3, 2022

These are complicated and indeed challenging times for young people. All kinds of clichés are trotted out about the youth being “our future.” But as former President Barack Obama – who used to talk a great deal about the future in his campaigning – pointed out, simply put: The future belongs to young people with … More Richard and Tyrone are two young Jamaicans who inspire me. Sail on!