On February 6, music fans around the world will celebrate what would have been the 70th birthday of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Although he was felled by cancer more than three decades ago, his legacy highlights pop culture’s impact on national identities and even on economies, says Jamaican radio host and culture critic Dermot Hussey, co-author of Bob Marley: Reggae King of … [Read more...] about Reggaenomics: Bob Marley’s legacy on Jamaica’s creative economy
Arts, Culture & Creativity
Welcome to Belize’s Cayo District
(with contributions from Sybille Nuenninghoff and Jacqueline Dragone) While Belize inhabits just a small corner of Central America, it boasts a diverse natural landscape and a rich culture with roots firmly planted in both the Caribbean as well as the intriguing history of the Mayan world. The Cayo District, located in western Belize, in particular, hosts a myriad of natural … [Read more...] about Welcome to Belize’s Cayo District
What do you mean by “Caribbean” anyway?
Ironically, while thoroughly entertaining myself elbow-deep in Guyanese pepper-pot, I received a work request over the weekend to address the issue of Caribbean identity. I also became aware of a heated on-going debate on our blog as to how we should define and boundary the concept of “the Caribbean” – past colonial affiliations; imaginary lines in the deep blue sea; economic … [Read more...] about What do you mean by “Caribbean” anyway?
Part II: Miami’s Little Haiti offers big ideas on poverty reduction through the arts
When then 21 year-old Jude Papaloko Thegenus arrived in Miami in 1986 to further his art studies, practically no one in the city thought of aesthetics and culture as a professional priority, especially for recent arrivals. “The focus was on immigration, fighting for rights. It was about Haitians coming on boats and needing a place to stay, food, work, and immigration … [Read more...] about Part II: Miami’s Little Haiti offers big ideas on poverty reduction through the arts
Miami’s Little Haiti offers big ideas on poverty reduction through the arts
For five decades, tens of thousands of Haitians fleeing hardship in their homeland rebuilt their lives about four miles north of downtown Miami, Florida, in a neighborhood widely known as Little Haiti. It was the first stop on the road to the American dream and one of the most efficient places for collecting donations and remittances to send back home. Even during power … [Read more...] about Miami’s Little Haiti offers big ideas on poverty reduction through the arts