This Is Jamaica (&caribbean)

I Came to Haiti to Do Good …

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This op-ed piece by NORA SCHENKEL appeared in The New York Times.

WHEN I was living in Haiti, people often asked me for money. Strangers in the street held out their hands to me on the rare occasions that I walked by on foot. The construction workers shoveling sand in front of my house stopped as I closed the gate on my way to work, pointed to their throats. “I’m hungry,” that meant.

I came to Haiti in May 2011 as a development worker with an international nongovernmental organization. I liked Haiti from the start, but in my 15 months here, I struggled with the feeling that my job was ….[Full article HERE]

Builders Bulldoze Big Mayan Pyramid in Belize

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A construction company has essentially destroyed one of Belize’s largest Mayan pyramids with backhoes and bulldozers to extract crushed rock for a road-building project, the Associated Press reports.

The head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, Jaime Awe, said the destruction at the Nohmul complex in northern Belize was detected late last week. The ceremonial center dates back at least 2,300 years and is the most important ….[Full article HERE]

Royals Pay Tribute To Caribbean Contribution

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Prince Charles throws party for migrants and their children who helped make Britain great, as Mary Isokarirai writes for The Voice.

THE ROYAL family threw open the doors of St James’s Palace to celebrate the contribution of British Caribbean communities at an event last week.

Hosted by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, the reception on May 7 was attended by more than 200 guests of Caribbean descent from the worlds of business, politics, sport, entertainment, charity and the media.

Alongside famous faces like celebrity chef Levi Roots and actor Rudolph Walker OBE were recipients of the Queen’s Honours and the High Commissioners of the Caribbean countries, who played a role in selecting the guest list.

Roots, an entrepreneur who found fame on BBC’s Dragon Den’, told The Voice: “I think the Prince is fantastic, I think he is misunderstood by people, perhaps even myself would have thought he was more standoffish.

“Actually he is a very warm ….[Full article HERE]

First Female Governor General of Grenada

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The first ever female Governor General of Grenada—Dr. Cecile La Grenade—was sworn into office on Tuesday before Justice Margaret Price-Findlay. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell said that her inauguration serves as a “beacon of hope that can inspire a whole nation.”

[Dr. Cecile La Grenade] becomes the second woman to be head of state of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique. Dame Hilda Bynoe, who died earlier this year, became the island’s first Governor when Grenada attained statehood status from Britain in 1967. She was also the first Governor in the Commonwealth.

Dr. La Grenade, a United States trained……..[Full article HERE]

Haiti’s Papa Doc Makes US nervous

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On May 3, 2013, the UK’s The Guardian picked an article from May 3, 1963: “Haiti’s Papa Doc makes US nervous.” The article highlights the violence by the Haitian president’s private army, the Tonton Macoutes, which made the US consider evacuating its nationals:

A United States naval force still stands at alert in international waters off Haiti, ready to evacuate the 1,500 American there if the situation deteriorates further. The force includes an aircraft carrier and Marines. Its strength has given rise to speculation that it might also intervene more directly if the reign of terror, which President Duvalier is intensifying, spreads further.

Haiti has clamped down a heavy press censorship and correspondents are having to go to the Dominican Republic….[Full article HERE]

Tribute Poem for Curaçao’s Helmin Wiels (1958-2013)

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Influential Jamaican saxophonist Cedric Brooks dies at 70

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One of Brooks’ sisters, Paulette Keise, said he died Friday of cardiac arrest at New York Hospital Queens. She said Saturday that he suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes and fell ill several years ago, losing his ability to speak.

Brooks began his music career in the late 1960s as a studio musician, playing in songs such as Burning Spear’s “Door Peep.” He also had hits with trumpet player David Madden including “Money Maker” and “Mystic Mood.” Brooks also was a member of the Jamaican ska band The Skatalites. He is survived by seven children and four sisters.

The Broad Influence – Bob Marley to Sean Paul and Matisyahu

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A great article by Michael Haskoor (Sonic Scoop) follows the roots of reggae, from ska and rocksteady, through music history since the advent of Bob Marley, the Beltones, and other groups, to the newest sounds today, including dancehall, reggae punk rock, rap, and dub step, among other genres. He argues that “Regardless of what the future may hold for reggae, we can be sure that its classics will never sound old.”

In the late 1960’s, a genre emerged in Jamaica that would revolutionize the music industry forever. When Bob Marley laid down his anthem to Jamaica, “One Love,” who knew that reggae music would be where it is today — with the studio playing a major part in the creative process. Jamaica is the undisputed original source of reggae. According to Marley, the term “reggae” is translated from Spanish to mean “the king’s music.” This genre has been the language of the soul for …[Full article HERE]

Olive Lewin lauded as an exemplary Jamaican

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THE soothing strings of violins; the throbbing base of African drums; the harmony of voices lifted in Jamaican folk songs. These not only captured the essence of Dr Olive Lewin’s funeral service yesterday — they also embodied the life of the renowned musicologist, folklorist and teacher.

Lewin, who died on April 10 at the University Hospital of the West Indies at age 85, was laid to rest in a moving State funeral at the University Chapel in St Andrew. It was an event that was well-attended by friends, colleagues and parliamentarians on both sides of the political divide; an event which made even big men cry -— a testament to the value of her contribution to national development.

Probably the most moving of the all the tributes offered at Lewin’s life, was that from former prime minister Edward Seaga, who wished Lewin was greater recognised for her efforts to preserve the island’s folk music history.

“I asked her to take up the assignment of collecting the folk music that was not yet recorded so as to complete the inventory of our musical soul,” said Seaga. “She set about the task with……..[Full article HERE]