Arts & Culture
In Oil Paint, a Forgotten Trinidad
July 12, 2011 | 2:15 pm | 0 Comment
Mariquita Johnson painted perhaps two of the oldest paintings in Trinidad, but little is known of her life. Johnson's "Around the Queen's Park Savannah" and "The Angels" were both painted in 1905 and are among the country's oldest paintings along with the watercolor works of Michel Jean Cazabon. The only extant remains of her family are those relating to the tomb of her more...
In the Diaspora, a Beacon for Reggae
June 28, 2011 | 8:00 am | 0 Comment
By Alexander Britell Every Saturday afternoon in Miami, the world of reggae finds a home at the WDNA 88.9 FM studio, where Jamaican native Howard Duperly operates his Reggae Ride program, a musical odyssey that takes listeners from the Mento music of the 1950s to the latest music of the present day. Duperly, who is also WDNA's sales and marketing director, has turned more...
Buju Banton Gets 10-Year Sentence
June 23, 2011 | 11:24 am | 0 Comment
Grammy-winning reggae star Buju Banton has been sentenced to 10 years in Federal prison for his cocaine conspiracy conviction. Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, had seen a wave of support for leniency, and his 10-year sentence fell below the 15-year mandatory minimum for the charge. "This is a sad day for Mr Myrie," said his attorney, David Markus. "This is a sad day more...
Arts & Culture , Jamaica , Law , News
Anxiety as Banton Sentencing Nears
June 20, 2011 | 2:00 pm | 0 Comment
Reggae star Buju Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is set to be sentenced on Thursday in Federal Court on his drug-related conviction from February, and anxiety is growing among those closest to him. "I just hope the judge doesn't give him a long time in prison," said Hopie Miller, a reggae promoter and friend of Banton. "I'm anxious. You know how it is with me more...
Rihanna to Promote Barbados Tourism
June 15, 2011 | 12:43 pm | 0 Comment
By the Caribbean Journal staff Singer Rihanna has signed a multi-year deal with the Barbados Tourism Authority to exclusively promote the country. The three-year partnership will begin on Aug. 5, when Rihanna performs a full-length concert of her "Loud" tour. "Barbados is a place like no other and one of the reasons for this is the spirit and national pride of our more...
Arts & Culture , Barbados , News , Travel
Director Chris Browne’s Quest to Bring Jamaican Film to the World
June 10, 2011 | 1:41 pm | 0 Comment
By Alexander Britell Despite a number of landmark films shot in Jamaica, from Dr. No, the first James Bond film (along with several other Bond films) to Legends of the Fall, the domestic Jamaican film industry is very much in its infancy. But Chris Browne, the director of Third World Cop, the highest-grossing Jamaican film in history, is trying to bring his country's more...
A Daughter of Calypso Returns Home
June 6, 2011 | 11:10 pm | 0 Comment
Keina Calliste By Lincoln Depradine Trinidadian Keina Calliste is the daughter of one of the Caribbean’s greatest calypsonians — but despite a family legacy in Grenada, she had never visited the island. “I like it,” she said. “It’s not that much different from Trinidad. We have a lot of similarities.” Calliste’s father was Leroy “Black more...
Arts & Culture , Grenada , News , Trinidad
Rihanna Discriminated Against for Caribbean Heritage, According to Lawsuit
June 3, 2011 | 11:50 am | 0 Comment
By Alexander Britell A former lawyer for Gucci who worked on singer Rihanna's contract with the design firm claims her superior discriminated against the Barbados-born singer because of her Caribbean heritage, according to the text of a complaint filed in federal court in New York City obtained by Caribbean Journal. According to the suit, the plaintiff, Josephine more...
Director Stevan Riley on his Film “Fire in Babylon” and the Power of Cricket
May 23, 2011 | 8:12 pm | 0 Comment
By Alexander Britell For almost fifteen years beginning in the 1970s, the West Indian cricket team was the best in the world, and perhaps the best side in any sport. In an era of prejudice and racial upheaval, the Windies turned heads and captivated the globe, especially the United Kingdom. Director Stevan Riley, who told the story of the legendary Oxford-Cambridge more...
Singer Spragga Benz Leads Campaign for Leniency in Buju Banton Case
May 20, 2011 | 10:27 pm | 0 Comment
By the Caribbean Journal staff Singer Spragga Benz is spearheading a campaign on Twitter to encourage fans to send letters supporting leniency for Buju Banton, who is awaiting a sentencing hearing on his conviction on three drug charges. Banton will go before Federal Judge James Moody of the Middle District of Florida on June 23. more...
