"While the work of the Jamaican Diaspora is being praised for its success in keeping the linkage with Jamaica very strong, I submit that a look at the experience of other Diasporas will provide us with valuable lessons of how we can even more effectively utilise the resources available to us to enhance both the Diaspora as well as our homeland."
Latin Americans of African descent, often referred to as Afro-Latinos, synchronized their African traditions with Latin culture, creating enduring African roots throughout Latin America. For example, Cuba's Santeria religious tradition traces its roots to Nigeria's Yoruba. Mofongo, Puerto Rico's savory fried plantain dish, is of West African origin. And the Dominican Republic's signature sound, merengue, developed from strong African rhythms. Today, New York City is the home of most of the United States' 4 million Afro-Latinos. In addition to being the center of Puerto Rican and Dominican culture in the country, New York City is also where Afro-Latinos from throughout the Diaspora reside.
The presenters discussed topics ranging from democratic reform and transition in Haiti to health concerns in the Haitian diaspora. One presentation by Lunine Pierre-Jerome, Ed.D., titled "Identity Development among Low-Literacy Haitian Adolescent Newcomers: Collective and Integrative View of the Self" was particularly poignant. Dr. Pierre-Jerome's case study explored how low-literacy Haitian adolescent newcomers identify themselves; their perceptions of family, peer relationships, community and schooling; and their opinions about attending a literacy program.
With the new law instituted, the face of the population of the Caribbean evolved and whites eventually became a minority although they continued to hold their superior social status. According to a book called "Caribbean Islands - The Sugar Revolutions and Slavery," by the early 19th century, less than 5 percent of the population in Grenada, Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Tobago were white. They accounted for less than 10 percent of the population of Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and the Virgin Islands. Only in the Bahamas, Barbados and Trinidad were more than 10 percent of the population white.
The Rastafarian exhibition in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History recounts the history and reveals nuance to a movement that celebrates African liberation, global peace and "one love." A glass case at the Smithsonian exhibit displays such manuscripts as the Holy Piby, a proto-Rastafarian text that was widely circulated across the African Diaspora before being banned in Jamaica during the 1920s.
What is Eiery Furnace Films? A film production company established by a group of Caribbean immigrants, predominantly Jamaicans, to produce community based films about the real Caribbean immigrant experience in this country. Their films portray the peoples' stories in an unrelenting honest and straight forward manner. Like the musical works of their courageous predecessor, Bob Marley, there is no "sugar coating" to the message of why people are struggling, as their lives are vividly portrayed on film. There is one industry always flourishing in the "ghetto" - that is the drug trade. Who profits from the drug trade? the big "drug lords," who live nowhere near the ghetto. If the only available jobs are those involved in the drug trade, that is what some people will go towards out of necessity. The majority of people don't get involved in all of that. They work very hard, many with two and three jobs, to support their children and send money home as well. Kevin Porter is a producer and writer with tremendous talents whose creative efforts are responsible for the publishing of "Inspirations of the God Within" (A Book of Classical Poems), and the production of "Rasta-Life and The Truth," an award winning film on the contributions and benefits of the Rastafarians.
"I cannot emphasize these things enough," he said. "People need to be extra alert and be very careful with what they're taking to and from the airport." "It's a tragedy because we don't have that kind of culture at all," he said. "It is quite unfortunate. "We can have all kinds of religions in the Caribbean, but we must have peace, love and respect for each other and for the outside world." he added. "I am troubled. We don't need that (alleged plot)."
Arbitrary detention of Haitian refugees should not be part of U.S. foreign policy. Minors should not be held captive, nor should any of the refugees be denied due process or the right to legal representation. In the past, all Haitian refugees were considered economic refugees. Today, even the president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is claiming that he is being persecuted. While the U.S. Special Forces and the State Department are busy chasing Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, on the island nation of Haiti, a powerful and deadly drama is unfolding. Mob killings of reporters and shootouts in broad daylight between mayors and congressmen have become common occurrence.
Now there are at least two places in Jamaica called [Mocho]. There's one in St. James near Garlands, but most persons agree that the Mocho from those infamous insults is the tiny town in Clarendon, between Thompson Town and Green Park. "Well Mocho is basically what you see here. There isn't much more. Things are quiet and we all know each other. We don't have anything to worry about, like crime. So whatever anybody want to say about Mocho, that is their problem. We are all quite alright," the perky woman grinned. We eventually stumbled on to a heated game of dominoes well in progress. It was like a festival of profanity as these self-proclaimed 'country people' enjoyed themselves in the best way they know how. One man got a bit excited and threw his hands into the air and ordained himself the domino king of Mocho. But a whisper from a female bartender confirmed that it was just the alcohol talking.
Another established Caribbean tradition runs counter to the claim that racism there is unusual and of recent origin. This is the tendency to account for a person's character by identifying the racial identity of that individual's parents. West Indians, quite spontaneously, account for each other's personality traits with statements such as "Well, after all, his father was white," or "His father was quite dark you know. In Guyana and Trinidad, one hears frequently that East Indians are by nature "cheap". Elsewhere, Syrians and Jews are, reportedly, successful merchants because of their "clannishness". The Caribs of Dominica are described as Creoles as "lazy drunkards", and the Caribs accuse Creoles of being "mean" and "immoral". Throughout the islands, Creoles who are dark are said to be less motivated for success, and those who are lighter are accused of being snobbish and too sober for their own good. Since independence, racial discrimination has been systemically condemned, and with a good deal of success. But racism (at least in the form of the belief that "once we know a person's racial background, we then know much about that persons' abilities and character traits,") is very much ingrained in the thinking of many West Indians. This style of racism has met with no effective challenge comparable to the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. In the absence of racial segregation or the North American type of racial polarization, and with what scholars call the Caribbean "myth of racial harmony," most leaders throughout the region seldom address this insidious racism.
Friday, Oct. 29 was Kweyol Day, a celebration of island identity and culture. While the official language of the Commonwealth of Dominica is English, 80 percent of the population speak Kweyol, a legacy of early French settlement. Kweyol language and folk culture, after being sidelined, dismissed or denigrated during the British colonial period, has played an important role in forging the identity of independent Dominica since 1978. People's irritation with a late start was quickly dissolved. After the Stars, the Vodou rhythms of Haiti's seminal roots music band Boukman Eksperyans reverberated through Festival City. Named after the Vodou priest who presided over the ceremony that ignited Haiti's slave rebellion, Boukman Eksperyans has been at the forefront of taking the Vodou beat into the arena of world music. Tabou Combo, the most famous and long-lived Haitian Konpa band, seemed reluctant to leave the stage, but from 5 a.m., Festival City was overrun by WCK, [Dominica]'s marathon bouyon band, with whom I was still chipping at breakfast time. Not even a large pot of extra-strong Dominican coffee could revive me, and I retired battered and rambling in Kweyol, to recover in Trinidad.
"[Bush]'s proposal soared like a rocket and ended like a squid," [Colin Moore] said. "It's not an immigration reform but a temporary status to immigrants coming in, but what about those living here already?" he asked. Moore wanted to know what would happen to immigrants in the fifth year after applying for permanent residency, when in fact it takes 10 years for legal permanent status to be effected. "It's not an amnesty, but most thought it was," [Joan Foy] said. "However, it's better than nothing and it opens the issue for discussion where there was none. There has been no discussion on immigration since 1996 with the Antiterrorism and Death Penalty Act when many were caught by surprise and residents who were affected faced deportation.
"I don't know, I really hope that I am there though. I will be working hard and hopefully I can improve my times and start to run some really fast times again," [Asafa Powell] said. "But if I keep doing that, then I will be there (2016 Olympic Games)." "I would love to be in Brazil," said Powell Thursday, August 23 during an interactive online question and answer session with his fans through his sponsor LIME. A very light-hearted Powell, while joking about his age, says he will be working hard to give himself a chance of making the trip to Rio and he is hopeful that he will still be active by the time the next instalment of the Olympic Games comes around.
The Weekly Gleaner understands that Scotland-based winger Chris Humphrey has been called up by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for their three-week camp in Brazil, ahead of this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States. "Even though I also qualify for Scotland, Jamaica was the first to pursue me and I am looking forward to linking up with the squad," Humphrey added, before pointing out that he is, however, focused on his upcoming clash with Celtic in the Scottish Cup final. Humphrey moved to Walsall at the age of five, and was at Walsall's Centre of Excellence, until later joining West Bromwich Albion.
"One of the initiatives that the JFF has embarked on is getting exposure for our Premier League coaches. We got in touch with our Brazilian friends and so an arrangement was made where all 12 Premier League coaches for next season will be sent to Brazil between June 29 and July 12," JFF president, Captain Horace Burrell announced on Thursday night. May 19, at the 2010-11 Digicel Premier League awards ceremony, at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston.
(Special from The North Star News) - The Caribbean Community Secretariat, an organization representing 15 Caribbean countries in a common market, soon will present a plan to Britain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Spain concerning reparations for the Transatlantic slave trade. The Caribbean countries that are members of CARICOM are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Baha mas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean was the scene of a number of slave revolts. They included work slowdowns, sabotage of plantation production and sometimes suicide. Some slaves escaped and joined maroons, or communities of escaped slaves.
Lauderdale Lakes City Commissioner Hazelle Rogers has been named the new president of the Broward League of Cities. She was nominated by her peers to head the organization, comprising representatives from all of Broward's municipalities. "We try to identify issues affecting municipal government in Broward. I wanted to be a part of the planning that will shape what Broward, and my city, will be in 15 years," Rogers told The Broward Times. "We are living in a global world now. Broward needs to create partnerships with Caribbean countries. I want to organize trade missions and impress upon people how important the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are to us, as far as trade is concerned," said Rogers, a native of Jamaica.
A notice published by the Jamaica Stock Exchange in its daily stock market report on Tuesday, February 8, advised "on December 17, 2004, AIC Barbados Limited transferred 6,274,263 shares in National Commercial Bank Jamaica Ltd. to Mr. [Aubyn Hill]." The disclosure by the JSE contradicts previous reports published elsewhere in the print media which suggested that the former NCB executive had collected a settlement amount of between US$750,000 and US$1 million. It is clear that, excluding NCB's board and Mr. Hill, no one knows for sure what were the exact terms of the settlement at the negotiating table.
"It must be relevant because most of the Jamaican population is of African stock, and we have never been able to forge that link between the motherland and the Caribbean," he told IPS. "It's very important to decide on our next step (to develop) a South-South relationship because we've always been looking to the North." Pan-Africanism is in one sense a united movement of countries on the African continent, but in the wider sense, encompasses a collective consciousness of all peoples of African descent. "[Marcus Garvey], as the father of Pan-Africanism, always tried to forge that link - that's why he started the (shipping line) Black Star liner," said Mutabaruka. "Politicians, people don't see the necessity to deal with Africa because they say Africa is not a place of development." "There wasn't a single nation or country with people of African descent and Africans which did not celebrate Nelson Mandela becoming president (in South Africa), because there was such a strong sense of identification with that," [Zweledinga Pallo Jordan] notes. "(But) it wasn't just identification, it was based on the fact that everyone in the entire African community across the Atlantic had participated in one way or another, some in big ways, some in small ways, but everyone had made a contribution, that's why people felt it was their victory."
My companion and I chose the same things, so I can leave 'the person' out after this sentence. Sorry mi dear. Next, I had a Scelta Di Pasta Farfalle Bella Casa, which basically means Bow Tie Pasta with wonderful things from the house. As I am not a lover of Bow Tie Pasta - not wanting to ruin my dinner by eating a man in full suit and, yes, bow tie -- I opted for my favourite, Fettuccine. A small bowl arrived, just perfect for the occasion. The sauce -- a tomato basil mixture with loads of delish mushrooms and artichokes enhanced with bella crema and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese -- was absolutely perfetto. I followed that with Agnello Alla Rosmarino, which is a Parmesan Crusted Lamb, marinated in Rosemary and Garlic Au Jus with Potato. The lamb was exactly as I ordered it - medium rare - and it was, to tell the truth, melt-in-your-mouth good. I have to tell you, it's as if the gods just didn't want me to divulge this little Italian secret. This morning, all settled in to begin the procedure it takes to write one of these Thursday reviews, I could not find the notebook I had so carefully written all my information in this last time. Hello. I was suicidal. Not again, thought I. The possibility of having to visit Hedo III yet again sent shivers throughout my body. But I persevered. Hours later all was found, buried on my desk which is unfortunately covered almost to the ceiling in notes, papers, CDs and heaven only knows what else.
August 14, 1991, will mark the Bicentennial of the "Bios-Caiman" ceremony which led to the general insurrection of the slaves of St. Dominique on the night of the 22nd and dawn of the 23 of August 1791. That gave us: the first triumphant anti-slavery movement. After 121⁄2 years of fierce fighting independence was obtained in Haiti on January 1, 1804. History perceived the ceremony of August 14, 1791, in a confused manner. They will also have space available for Vendors at the encouraging price of $25.00. Inquire now for spaces are limited. Planned Events 14th of August 1991: Conference at Toussaint Louverture Elementary School. Guests: Anthropologist, Ernest Mirville, Wolley Enriquez Ethnology, Claude Charles, Professor, Jean-Claude Exullien.
One of the things attracting tourists has taught us is to value the habit of preservation. We have to depend on devoted scholars and archeology diggers and always, tenacious individuals like Dr. Walter Roth. He was a medical man of German stock who moved to Guyana by way of Australia and was the moving spirit in the rise of Georgetown's museum of natural history. As a youth I made many trips to this museum and was fascinated by its presentation and displays; for instance the diorama of gold-digging operations in the far interior, the lighted fish tanks with fish such as the blood-thirsty pirai, a lifelike representation on the wall of the world's biggest freshwater fish, the arapaima, caught in Guyana. A huge live anaconda pans have all but vanished.
ATLANTA, Georgia: The Jamaican community in Atlanta, commenced a week long series of activities to celebrate Jamaica's 43rd year of independence with a Thanksgiving service at the Holy Cross Episcopal Church Hall on Sunday, July 31, 2005. Approximately three hundred Jamaicans and well wishers were in attendance. The sermon was delivered by Bishop Charles DuFour, Roman Catholic Bishop of Montego Bay. Jamaica's Honorary Consul to Atlanta, Vin Martin, read the Prime Minister's message. The first lesson was read by Allan Alberga, President of the Atlanta Jamaican Association and the second lesson was read by Tamara Cox. Union of Jamaican Organizations in Atlanta is comprised of Atlanta Jamaican Association, Atlanta Montego Bay Sister Cities, Benevolent Missions of Atlanta, Calabar High School Alumni Association, Clarendon College Alumni Association, Caribbean Sports and Social Club, Integrity Children's Fund, Kingston College Alumni Association, Queen's High School Alumni Association, St. Hugh's High School Alumni Association, Carilanta Players, Tropical Sports Club and United for Jamaica.
Many have blamed the Windies' decline on the MTV generation, who are more interested in American basketball than cricket. And cricketers, although still idolised in the Caribbean, would never earn the amounts of Michael Jordan or Shaquille O'Neal. In this sense, James placed cricket on the same level as Western literature. "We live in one world," he wrote in a 1969 essay, "and we have to find out what is taking place in the world. And I, a man of the Caribbean, have found that it is in the study of Western literature, Western philosophy and Western history that I have found out the things that I have found out, even about the underdeveloped countries." Throughout his life James viewed cricket as a means of helping unite a disparate set of islands, of establishing a Caribbean as opposed to an island mentality. He had little difficulty in understanding why Norman Tebbit should make cricket the basis of his loyalty test - or why most black people would fail it.
"My first thought of Miami was `this is a big city,'" the 17-year-old told The Miami Times. "It was such a beautiful place, but I experienced culture shock once I was here." "Education is more advanced in Haiti and you have to be disciplined," he said. "That played a great part in my success in high school." "I am getting a great opportunity I wouldn't have in Haiti," he said. "I plan to make the best of it."
Protesters gathered at the corner of 64th Street and 22nd Ave., carrying yellow placards reading "Stop Using Black Men as Target Practice," and "Free Haitian Refugees." "If we can't vote people in the positions to do the right thing then we have no other alternative than to protest," said [Lorraine Goddard], who held a sign that read "No Justice, No Transit Tax." "We demand that the police who have been guilty of killing our youth be prosecuted and put in jail," said Mel Reeves, an organizer with the coalition. "We also demand that they free the Haitian refugees who are being held in the Chrome detention center."
Colorful scenes of the island of Martinique flashed across the screen in the semi- darkness of the Schomburg Center last Wednesday evening at the kick-off of the first annual International Caribbean Diaspora (ICD) Film, Theatre & Literary Festival. On the screen, the Caribbean scenery transformed into the riveting images of the popular, Emmy Award-winning, Tony-nominated actor Keith David in some of the films in which he has appeared, such as "There's Something About Mary," "Pitch Black" and "Requiem for a Dream." At the Wednesday evening screening, of "A Dry White Season," David introduced [Euzhan Palcy], as the audience enthusiastically welcomed the esteemed, brilliant, beautiful and regal filmmaker, who had flown in from Paris after literally completing post-production on "Les Mariées de lisies Bourbon" ("The Brides of Bourbon Island") a French, three-hour period piece set in the 17th century. Palcy introduced "A Dry White Season," a political drama set in South Africa during the apartheid era. The film, which stars Marlon Brando, Donald Sutherland, Zakes Mokae and Susan Sarandon, is a story that focuses on the social movements of South Africa and the Soweto riots. The film was "heralded for putting the politics of apartheid into meaningful, human terms." The film, which was heartily received by the audience, is a classic. It is still as timely today as when it was first release in 1989.
[Alberto Figueiredo Machado], who is on a working visit to Jamaica, told The Gleaner ahead of Thursday's signing of three other agreements, that Jamaica's tourist product also stands to benefit significantly from the pending non-visa arrangement. He said that Brazil was one of the first countries to have recognised Jamaica's attainment of Independence in 1962, with his compatriots remaining great admirers of Jamaica's athletes and musicians, among other things. Jamaica's Foreign Affairs and îbreign Trade Minister A. J. Nicholson said attention was paid to the greater role of cooperation in the field of energy, with particular emphasis on the role of biofuels as a key instrument of sustainable development, as well as the strengthening of and support to Jamaica's Sickle Cell Programme.
During the convention, the Department of Tourism will sponsor a special Founders' Reception at the African-American Museum, where the 44 men and women who gathered to form NABJ at a historic meeting on Dec. 12, 1975, in Washington, D.C, will be honored.
The month's activities organized include a Global Reggae Conference hosted at the University of the West Indies' Mona Campus, featuring musician Gilberto Gil, now Brazil's minister of culture, and a Reggae Film Festival hosted by Jamaica's Ministry of Information and Culture.
In his farewell address as outgoing Caucus chair, U.S. Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve as chairman during the 108th Congress and praised [Melvin L. Watt]'s intellect, skill, and balanced approach to solving today's public policy challenges. The new officers of the CBC for the 109th Congress are: Watt, chair; U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, 1st vice chair; U.S. Rep. Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, 2nd vice chair; U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis, secretary; and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, whip. "We have to have dialogue, and we're trying to create opportunities for that dialogue to take place," said Watt, who admitted that it's hard sometimes for the CBC to take aggressive positions in the areas of trade because of differing views among its own constituents. "We have not been aggressive in the area of trade, advocating one trade policy over another, as we have on some of the more core issues."
A trade accord spearheaded by the NAACP worth $1.5 billion between the Cuban government and black farmers was heralded on Nov 17, 2002 by the Rev Al Sampson, who called the accord an "international window of opportunity" for African Americans. Sampson, who works with African American farmers, said this agreement gives black farmers an "international window" through Cuba into the Caribbean.
"It is a play about two people who love each other," explains Greta Mendez, the play's Trinidadian-born director. "The external elements of racism have affected their relationship. "As the battle is raging in Trinidad, [Elvira] and [Rohan] are raging. They are having their own coup and trying to work it out." "I call it the battlefield of heart and soul" "The divide-and-rule syndrome is still happening and the play is saying, `Let us look at that'." * Coups and Calypsos runs until February 28 at the Oval House, 52-54 Kennington Oval, London SE11 at 7.45 pm each night. Tickets from £5.50; box office: 0171-5827680.
"Once again, WLIB's commitment to New York's African American and Caribbean communities has been confirmed. We have devoted significant air time to voter registration drives, Public Service Announcements and other programs specifically organized to motivate our listeners to vote," said Janie Washington, station manager.
It's only after Jean-Bertrand was airborne - on a U.S government aircraft - and the genocide had just about run its course, that Mr. Global Panacea himself, George Bush, announced that he was sending marines "...to help bring order to Haiti." He's the same person who, early in the crisis stated that any Haitian refugees who attempted to enter the US would be returned to Haiti. Here in North America it's `tribalism' of another kind; the police call the players "gangs," their issues... "gang violence." [Ooops! I would be remiss if I didn't thank the Bush-Blair tandem, but especially President George Bush, on the first anniversary of that stupendous victory over Iraq - what with it's ominous repertoire of weapons of mass destruction and all. It brought an end to Saddam Hussein's decades-old reign of terror and, more importantly, the "liberation of the Iraqi people..."
Verila, on the other hand, is a woman who is in constant flight and change. She lives in Canada and has returned to her island birthplace, ultimately in search of happiness. Elizete professes her love for Verila early in the book. The excitement and overwhelming for desire Elizete has for Verila is palpable. She claims, "I abandon everything for Verila. I sink in Verila and let she flesh swallow me up. I devour her. She open me up like any morning. Limp, limp and rain light, soft to the marrow."
When Mr. [Jean Berard] died of pleurisy, "Toussaint discreetly supported his widow. He even postponed his own wedding until Madame Berard's death. Although themselves childless, [Pierre Toussaint] and Juliette (a slave whom Pierre freed) Toussaint went on to co-found one of New York City's first orphanages. During an epidemic of yellow fever, while thousands fled the city, the Toussaints stayed behind to nurse the sick. He and his wife donated funds for New York's first Catholic school for blacks." Did you also know that these Haitians send almost $1 billion back to their families in Haiti every year. This amount makes up about 15 percent of Haiti's GNP. This goes a long way to help the balance of payment and foreign currency. This amount is also close to double Haiti's total exports and almost double the international assistance Haiti receives.
It may also have helped English-speaking migrants from the Caribbean that Florida served as a broad entry point for Caribbean migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and other countries: Where an area has a strong tradition of immigration, prevailing social attitudes are not likely to be as parochial as those in traditionally closed communities. Again, this is not to minimize the difficulties that particular migrants have faced; it is to acknowledge the fairly obvious point that some communities are less impenetrable for outsiders than others. A recent study by the British Cabinet Office has found that Caribbean women constitute a significant success story at the professional level. Specifically, for the generation born between 1940 and 1959, as many as 45 percent of the black women from the Caribbean, or who are of Caribbean heritage, now hold professional or managerial jobs, as against 27.3 percent of the black men in the same category. For the generation born between 1960 and 1979, 38.1 percent of the black women with Caribbean roots are professionals or managers, in comparison with 28.6 percent of the black men. These figures warn us that gender is now a significant factor in determining the prospects of Caribbean migrants to Britain, and they highlight the need for a broader examination of the factors that determine success for those who, in Claude McKay's words, may find themselves "a long way from home."
Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Harlem in 1918. By 1924 there were over 700 branches in 38 states and over 200 branches throughout the world as far away as South Africa at a time when there was no e-mail, television, or even radio to advertise. Those who could not hear Garvey directly received his views through his newspaper called the Negro World, which boasted a circulation as high as 200,000 by 1924. In 1919, the UNIA and Negro World were blamed for the numerous violent colonial uprisings in Jamaica, Grenada, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago. British and French authorities deported all UNIA organizers and banned the Negro World from all their colonies, but seamen continued to smuggle the paper throughout the world.
As a little girl, [Annee] had become the favorite of a high voodoo priestess, who held considerable influence in King [Henry Christophe]'s court. Widowed and childless, she turned her attentions to Annee with trinkets and valuable gifts. Annee's parents encouraged the woman's interest because they felt her influence with the Kin could benefit them. It was this woman who taught Annee to believe in spirits, to regard the air as charged with the supernatural, over which she could gain control. She attended forbidden voodoo orgies, summoned by eerie drum beats in the dead of night. She saw the fear the people had of the high priestess and was carefully schooled by the latter in the ways of creating this fear...black magic and death. The priestess convinced Annee that she had the powers of a God. But the priestess died and Annee's parents also died leaving Annee very much alone in Haiti.
Why are Cubans and Chinese more at risk in their respective countries than Haitians from Haiti? When, last have you read about a revolution in Cuba where so many people lost their lives on a daily basis? This goes ditto for China. Apart from the conflict which took place in Tiamminen Square, a couple of years ago, there's been no other outward display of political persecution. In Cuba, there's always been a movement on from those in exile to recapture Cuba from Castro. For this reason anyone coming from Cuba has been welcomed in the U.S. with opened arms.
The Caribbean branch of the Toronto-based Global Afrikan Congress (GAC) this week welcomed British Prime Minister Tony Blair's comments on the horrors of slavery, saying he has done much more for the cause than "our own" Black-led governments in the region on the issue. Maxie Fox, a spokesman for the GAC formed in Barbados in 2002, said the GAC and other Afro organizations have been trying for years to persuade regional governments to "have a discourse" on slavery, its effects on Blacks and even reparations, but only Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo, a Hindu, has seen it fit to acknowledge correspondence.
Bermuda's Progressive Labor Party, supported by the island's black population, won a second term in general elections on Jul 24, 2003, but Jennifer Smith, who led the party to victory, has been ousted by a rebel Cabinet faction that claimed she was too autocratic and aloof.
None were brighter than the wildly popular Usain Bolt's world record sprint double, and the Jamaican's three gold medals overall. Bolt shattered his own 100 meters mark of 9.69 seconds, set at last year's Olympic Games in China, with a stunning 9.58 on the second night of the WCA. Tyson Gay of the United States finished "second in an American record 9.71, and Jamaica's Asaf a Powell third in 9.84. The 6' 5'' sprint star, who celebrated his 23rd birthday during the WCA, returned days later to the Olympic Stadium track to clock 19.19 in the 200 meters and break his other individual world mark set at the '08 Olympics. That result took [Bolt] more by surprise. In the women's 4x400 relay, Jamaica's team of Rosemarie White, Novlene Williams-Mills, Shereefa Lloyd and Shericka [Gordon Williams] finished second to the U.S. A silver was also earned by Cuba's Yarelis Barrios in the women's discus, while T&T's Renny Quow won bronze in the 400 meters. His country's team of Darrel Brown, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callander and Richard Thompson, captured silver in the 4x100.
From the United States' perspective, it is very, very important for the (President George W) Bush administration to understand the location and the reality of the Caribbean's small economies. You cannot ignore them or you will have problems. You have somebody like (Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez in the (Caribbean) region that is giving them (the U.S.) a headache. The (U.S.) better fortify the small countries or they will go over to whoever is helping them. People must survive and people must live. For the Caribbean in particular, it is a historical event. We are meeting as a Caribbean people. We seem to be sharing the same concerns every other CARICOMmember shares. From the U.S. standpoint, I really don't know because a lot of the feedback that we've had from our heads of state, we've heard this before... over the years and I'm not sure this is any different. The only thing that might be a little different now is the deportation of criminals to our shores and I don't believe that the U.S. does not know what the implication of that is. We are always seeking financial support from them, so to send us people who have been convicted for crimes that we don't have in the islands, somebody, somewhere, must know.
It may take a while to determine if the region's tour de force at the U.S. capital during the June 19-21 "Conference on the Caribbean - A 20/20 Vision" - which also attracted non-CARICOM member representatives such as Haiti's President Rene Preval, Belize's Prime Minister Said Musa and top representatives of institutions including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and the Organization of American States (OAS) - was merely an extravagant "talk shop" or, in fact, laid the groundwork to achieve tangible benefits from Caribbean-U.S. relations on thorny matters, including trade, security, economic development and immigration. What the Caribbean publicly said it hoped to accomplish at the three-day conference was to tell the U.S. of its new-found evolution and plans to bond more closely as a region in pursuit of prosperity. At the end of the conference a joint US.-Caribbean communiqué acknowledged the region's requests and expressed "unequivocal commitment to a secure and prosperous region and future benefits for all our citizens." "I don't believe it will just be a 'talk shop'," said Dr. Basil K. Bryan, Jamaica's consul general to New York. "I think thing will happen, but at a policy level I think it will take a little time for things to germinate. But we're all looking forward, positively, for something to happen out of this conference."
Among the big talking points of the current immigration debate in the United States is the type of labor that should be admitted into the country. Many believe the entry of "unskilled" laborers should be severely restricted. Jamaican-born Eleanor Brown, a Reginald Lewis Fellow at Harvard Law School, is not one of them. Shortly after addressing the "Conference on the Caribbean: A 20/20 Vision " last month, Brown explained to Caribbean Today's Managing Editor Gordon Williams why more of the Caribbean's labor force should allowed to go overseas.
Jamaica's other medal winners included Veronica Campbell and Michael Frater, who earned a silver in the women's and men's 100 meters, respectively. St. Kitts and Nevis's Kim Collins won a bronze in the men's event as well. The Bahamas finished second and Jamaica third in the men's 4x400 meters relay to earn silver and bronze, respectively. Jamaica's women won a silver medal in that event, while Trinidad and Tobago won its only medal of the meet, a silver in the 4x100 meters for men. Cuba's Osleidys Menendez set a new world record in the women's javelin on her way to the gold medal. Cuba also won gold in the 800 meters for women, and silver medals in the men's and women's triple jump, men's high jump and women's hammer throw.
Talk to Richard Lue and it becomes clear that not nearly enough Caribbean people are heading `home'. Neither are enough African Americans trying to discover the Caribbean, although their connection with the culture has long been established in the U.S. That's why Lue was appointed Air Jamaica's regional manager for special markets in the southern U.S. Another Air Jamaica representative has been given similar responsibilities for the northern states. "It wasn't neglect," said Lue. "It just wasn't accountability. We've always been there. The problem was internally. We feel we can get more out of that (Caribbean) market." "To me it's no big deal," he said. "The problems in Jamaica are serious, but Jamaica has never been an easy sell. But it is a challenge. It is because of 9/11 that we realized we had to diversify our markets and give importance to all the markets. The challenge is there, but we just have to deliver."
Congressional Black Caucus members, black leaders and ousted Haitian Pres Aristide praised the Clinton administration for allowing Haitian refugees to be processed with a hearing on US ships and third country refugee centers.
TransAfrica Executive Director Randall Robinson is prepared to starve himself to death in protest of the Clinton administration policy on Haiti, and he has the overwhelming support of the CBC.
Amid the flurry of designations by the media, law enforcement officials, and advocacy organizations--terms ranging from "migrants" to "asylum-seekers" to "economic refugees"--one thing was clear. The people aboard that boat had fled desperate conditions for safe harbor in the U.S. What awaited them when they touched land was then, and remains, a matter of great contention. When asked about the implications of the designation "migrant," Miami field office INS public relations officer Barbara Gonzalez said that in the context of INS policy, "There is really no such thing as a migrant." She said, "Many use the word," when the correct terminology for what they intend is "non-immigrant." How about the terms "alien" and "refugee?" Amnesty International notes that the term "alien" has been used in U.S. legislation to describe various types of non-citizens, including those Amnesty would call "asylum-seekers." Similarly, the INS describes an alien as any non-citizen or national of the U.S.
Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), emphasized the relevance of Haiti's historical past because Haiti was the land where the Negroes repelled the Whites and established an independent republic. In the same vein, writers of the Harlem Renaissance embraced Haiti's history and culture. Claude McKay's work, for example, is replete with tales of Haiti's heroic past. [Langston Hughes], perhaps the most central figure of the Harlem Renaissance movement, having read of "Toussaint L'Ouverture, Dessalines, King Christophe, proud Black names," made a pilgrimage to Haiti.
Just as dance forms originating from Saint-Domingue made their way into southern culture, religion also left its indelible marks. It is well documented that the Vodou religion in New Orleans began to blossom around 1800 with Sanite Dede, a free woman of color who arrived from Saint-Domingue. The Saint-Domingan Vodou priestess was replaced in 1820 by New Orleans's native Marie Laveau, who became legendary. Haitians were for the most part Catholic; their presence in the various U.S. cities where they settled gave rise to the establishment of a number of biracial congregations. In Baltimore, in 1829, four colored Saint-Domingan women--Elizabeth Lange, Marie Magdelene Baas, Marie Rose Boegue, and Marie Therese Duchemin--established the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the world's first Black religious community, and founded the School for Colored Girls.
Pierre Toussaint, considered the first American Black saint, is also of Saint-Domingan origin. He was born in 1778 of Haitian slaves in Saint-Domingue, and was owned by a well-educated French family, the Bérards, who brought him to New York with them in 1797 when they fled the slave uprising. While living with the family as a domestic slave, Toussaint learned to read and write and also learned how to be a hairstylist. It is said that he developed a devoted clientele among the city's social elite and was allowed to keep his earnings. Mrs. Bérard freed Toussaint before she died in 1807. Upon Mrs. Bérard's death, Toussaint married a woman from Haiti and, since they had no children of their own, they took in orphans, refugees, and other unfortunate people. In fact, he co-founded with Elizabeth Seton one of the first orphanages in New York City, and helped with fundraising for the city's first cathedral.
One Hundred Black Men, Inc. of New York City (OHBM) First Vice-President Fitzgerald Miller led a nine-member delegation of officers, members of the organization and the executive director to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completed construction of a classroom sponsored by OHBM at École Bon Samaritain on Sunday,...
The program, which is sponsored by the Haitian Heritage Museum, featured traditional lecture format, intermingled with question and answer sessions, and a line up of local artists - Caheej, Flo and Mecca aka "Grimo." Throughout the presentation, the performers and speakers itnteracted with the audience. The program was designed for that purpose, explained Evaline Pierre, CEO and founder of the Haitian Heritage Museum, to keep them paying attention. "I chose artists to teach the culture because art transcends all boundries. Anyone can identify a beautiful painting." Attention is important because one of the program goals is to teach Haitian culture, a culture that is not widely known about, and by extension increase tolerance for differences. "It's a starting point," said Serge Rodrique, cofounder of Haitian Heritage Museum, "[so] you can start to understand similarities."
The 39-member Congressional Black Caucus is on record as supporting Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the deposed Hatian president, but is split on whether the US should use force to reinstall him.
Seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus, along with a prominent Central American political leader, have nominated Haitian Pres Jean-Bertrand Aristide for the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize.
Jamaica’s multi Olympic and World Championships gold medallist Veronica Campbell Brown has been cleared to resume her track and field career OBSERVER ONLINE has learned.
It was not just technicalities but serious blunders by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) in the collection of the urine samples of Veronica Campbell Brown which forced the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to exonerate the athlete from any doping violations.
