Search Result for: alexander britell

Above: the Takutu river bridge linking Guyana and Brazil (Photo: GINA) By Alexander Britell Guyana, which is one of three non-island members of CARICOM, has seen strong economic growth of late as it works to pull out from the downturn. In fact, the country was estimated to have a growth of 4.6 percent in 2011, […]

Above: the Chinese embassy in Kingston By Alexander Britell China’s involvement – and influence – in the Caribbean region has grown rapidly over the last several years – from the construction of new national sports stadiums to large-scale infrastructure projects. It’s even drawn other players into the region – most recently, South Korea. But just […]

By Alexander Britell (Photos: CJ) Since his first album, Lakou Trankil, in 2005, Haitian singer Belo has seen his star soar, finding a global following for his mix of  traditional Haitian, jazz and reggae styles. Belo, whose real name is Jean Belony Murat, is not only versatile musically — he also studied accounting for four […]

By Alexander Britell Just off Nassau’s East Street North, in a place known more for tax than talent, a new generation of Bahamian artists is getting its chance to be seen. The once-bare walls and open spaces of the Bahamas’ new, five-story Public Treasury building are now covered in paint, photography, batik and sculpture. “The […]

By Alexander Britell From Dominica to Jamaica, the Caribbean’s green energy movement has made significant strides over the last several years. But for those in the British Virgin Islands, going green can be a bit more difficult. Despite growing support in the country for cleaner forms of power, a longstanding energy law makes it effectively […]

By Alexander Britell Simply put, Nassau’s Graycliff is one of the elite restaurants in the Caribbean, and a unique culinary experience — indeed, it was the first five-star restaurant in the region. At its helm is Executive Chef and Grand Bahama native Elijah Bowe, who has worked across the Bahamas and combines high-level, classic acumen […]

Above: Gordon “Butch” Stewart (Photo: CJ) By Alexander Britell Gordon “Butch” Stewart is one of Jamaica’s leading businessmen and a pioneer in the hospitality industry. Stewart is the chairman or owner of more than a dozen companies, including Sandals, Beaches and the Jamaica Observer newspaper. One of Jamaica’s influential voices, Stewart does not hold back […]

Above: the Viceroy Anguilla By Alexander Britell While Anguilla saw a wave of luxury resort development during the economic boom in the middle of the decade, like the rest of the Caribbean it was hurt by the economic downturn. Some positive signs exist, however, including the early success of the Viceroy hotel in Anguilla, the […]

Above: Cayo Espanto, Ambergris Caye, Belize By Alexander Britell One of three non-island members of CARICOM, Belize is among the gateways to South America for the Caribbean. While the country has suffered from the downturn like the rest of the region, there are some strong signs — from an improving services sector to some stability […]

Above: the new Bay Street Straw and Craft Market (Photo: CJ) By Alexander Britell After Nassau’s historic Bay Street market was destroyed by a fire in Sep. 2001, it was a devastating blow for thousands of Bahamian vendors and their families. Now, the Bahamas is readying a refurbished market, replete with modern amenities and its […]

By Alexander Britell University of Miami Professor Guerda Nicolas’ new book, Social Networks and the Mental Health of Haitian Immigrants, takes a look at the mental and psychological issues Haitians face in entering new communities in the United States – and the kinds of community- and family-based systems which they use to cope. Nicolas, who […]

Above: Antigua PM Baldwin Spencer and South Korea FM Kim Sung Hwan (UN Photos: Eskinder Debebe and JC McIlwaine) By Alexander Britell China has been extending its influence and investment in the Caribbean region over the last several years, highlighted by several billion dollars in loans to the region announced last month. Now it seems […]

Above: one of the firm’s designs for housing in Jacmel By Alexander Britell The team at Vienna-based architecture firm trans_city_architecture is doing its part in redesigning and reconstructing the city of Jacmel, Haiti. Together, Mark Gilbert, Christian Aulinger and Georg Kogler have developed a comprehensive plan to reconstruct the city, based on several novel ideas […]

Above: Employees at an atelier in Port-au-Prince (Photo: CBHF) By Alexander Britell Soon after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush, at the behest of President Barack Obama, founded a fund aimed at bringing Haiti out of the crisis, largely through economic growth. More than a year and […]

Above: Lynden Pindling III (Photo: Rhodes College Athletics) By Alexander Britell It seems the Bahamas’ Pindling family is accustomed to charting new territory. Sir Lynden Pindling was the first Prime Minister of the Bahamas, and largely regarded as a national hero and one of the country’s founding fathers — indeed, Nassau’s international airport bears his […]

By Alexander Britell It’s not easy to innovate in any musical genre –- but Grammy-winning drummer Dion Parson, a native of St Thomas, is doing just that – bringing together the worlds of the Caribbean and jazz and creating what is a truly unique sound. Parson, who is working on his latest album with his […]

By Alexander Britell In 2008, world-renowned Chef Eric Ripert spearheaded the opening of the Blue restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. Ripert, whose Le Bernardin in New York City holds the highest-possible three Michelin stars as one of the world’s greatest restaurants, took home a AAA Five Diamond Award for Blue, the first Caribbean restaurant […]

Above: Isadore Sharp (Photo: Four Seasons) By Alexander Britell In 1961, Isadore Sharp was a neophyte in the hospitality industry who had just opened his first property in Toronto. Fifty years later, the company he founded and built, Four Seasons, is at the top of the global luxury hotel industry, with hotels across the world, […]

By Alexander Britell Dr Michael Witter is an economist and senior lecturer at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the University of the West Indies Mona. He is also one of the Caribbean’s experts on the political economy of the region, covering fields from sustainable development to the so-called “informal […]

By Alexander Britell Above: Dr Keith Nurse A new film set to premiere in Toronto Wednesday looks at the concept of “diasporic tourism” or the way the Caribbean diaspora travels back to its home countries. The film, “Forward Home,” is the brainchild of executive producer Dr Keith Nurse, whose research on diasporic tourism over the […]

Above: Spanish Town By Alexander Britell While the Jamaican government released a report last week showing a dramatic drop in violence, including murders, the country still faces a tall order in controlling the problem — evidenced by a rash of beheadings that terrified the nation. Rosemarie Greene is an unfortunate student of Jamaican crime — […]

By Alexander Britell Colm Delves has been Digicel Group CEO since 2005, after joining the company as Group Chief Financial Officer in 2004. Delves has overseen a fourfold increase in the number of markets the company reaches, helping to bring the telecom giant to 32 markets and 11 million customers globally. Caribbean Journal talked to […]

By Alexander Britell Senator Don Meredith is one of the leading figures of the Caribbean diaspora. A native of Jamaica, Meredith is an ordained minister, and was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2010. Meredith, who immigrated to Canada in the 1980s, has made it a mission to solve community issues, and since 2002 has […]

By Alexander Britell Three months after new President Michel Martelly took office in Haiti, the country is still without a prime minister, and accordingly, without a government. Haiti’s political situation has drawn the attention of a number of world organizations (and US politicians) who have called for an end to the stalemate. Questions over the […]

By Alexander Britell Jamaican strongman Christopher Coke’s motion to exclude wiretap evidence taken against him in Jamaica has been denied in US Federal Court. Coke is alleged to have controlled the Tivoli Gardens area in Kingston since the early 1990s and controlled the deadly Shower Posse criminal organization. Coke, whose US request for extradition sent […]

Above: a sugar mill in the 17th century (Photo: www.matthewparker.co.uk) By Alexander Britell The Caribbean was built largely on the success of its sugar crop — and the story of the success and decline of “white gold,” and the wide-ranging impact it had not just on the West Indies, but America, as well, is the […]