I’m ashamed to say I did miserably on the BlogAfrica 2005 quiz. Hope you can do better on this last day of 2005.

My Global Voices entry for this week is an interview with Guyanese blogger Guyana-Gyal, whose blog posts take the form of short narratives written in Creolese, the local language of Guyana. Check it out here.

I’m also now posting shorter items in the daily roundups section of the Global Voices site, so if you come across anything you think should be highlighted, please drop me a line at caribbeanfreeradio at gmail dot com.

This is C*POP and me back in November 2003. Note our fresh faces, our easygoing demeanors, and all the other things which belie the fact that the photo was taken at 1am. Oso said we “look like the epitome of modernity. . . . All you’re missing is the Prius parked outside.” (For the record: to date, there are no Priuses in Trinidad, nor do I expect to see any time soon in this oil- and gas-rich nation of ours). The photo was taken for a newspaper article on siblings who work together.

This afternoon we were photographed again, for the second issue of a magazine called Generation Lion. The first issue was supposed to have highlighted “young Trinbagonian heroes”. I learned today, however, that one of the other people being featured in our issue is Billy Ocean (who, for the record, was born in Fyzabad in southern Trinidad, a number of years before either C*POP or I saw the light of day). Yes, he of “Caribbean Queen”, “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” and other songs which today we deny ever having known the lyrics to.

When last has anybody heard anything from - or about - Billy Ocean? Should C*POP and I feel flattered at the idea of Billy’s company - or should we feel deeply depressed? And if we’re having misgivings, can you imagine how poor Billy must be feeling to be included in the same magazine as the likes of us?

UPDATE: To access CFR’s ajchat page, please click here or look for the link in the sidebar.

BC: I mean no disrespect but I feel I have a duty to my readers to ask: if you were living as a man today, would you use condoms?

JC: [With big smile] You already know the answer. And everyone will come to understand what’s right, no matter what their starting position. It takes longer to turn an oil tanker around than a windsurfer but no one knowingly sails into disaster forever.

In today’s Trinidad Express, “Doubting” BC Pires interviews Jesus Christ, on the occasion of the latter’s birthday.

When the Christmas season rolls around, English-speaking Trinidad starts singing in Spanish. Episode #39 explains - briefly - the whys and wherefores of the musical form known as parang and offers a sampling of parang tunes by Los Parranderos de UWI.

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Links:
“The Sound of Christmas” - 1997 Article on parang by yours truly (PDF format (1.8 MB) - first published in Caribbean Beat) | Buy Los Parranderos de UWI’s Mi Parranda at Rhyner’s Caribbean Music Online Store

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Happy Holidays!

Are you a writer who has never been published within the United States? Are you a good writer who’s never been published?

If so, you may wish to take a look at Indigo Leaf Magazine, a new online venture started by Karen Walrond (who blogs at Chookooloonks). Artists are also welcome to submit their work.

Technorati Tags: publishing, online+magazine, indigo+leaf+magazine

Just when I thought life in this place couldn’t get any weirder, Nicholas posts the following at the Caribbean Beat Blog:

This email arrived yesterday–I’ve left out the writer’s name, but otherwise it’s verbatim:

I from South Africa and I would like to attend the next Trinidad & Tabago carnival.

I am very interested in “wining”. Can you please explain to me how it is done. Or perhaps send me a video clipping, or refer me to a website address, which has video clippings of “wining”

Hmm–video footage would certainly give a better idea than a written description. . . .

Wining, for those who don’t know, is one of several ways - some would say the only way - of dancing to calypso and soca music, and, according to this case study - deliciously entitled “Fractured Tibia & Fibula Due To Erotic Dancing: A Trinidad Experience” - it can be injurious to your health.

But wait - there’s more: one of the authors of the article is Dr. Vijay Narinesingh, the Trinidadian surgeon who was freed of the charge of murdering his wife in a preliminary inquiry last March (have looked for a good link to this story but can’t find one). Prominently displayed on the web site is a photograph of Dr. Narinesingh demonstrating the movements the subject was probably making when the injury occurred, captioned “Figure 2: “Wining” with downward swaying movements of his legs towards the ground”.

Rare are the moments when I regret having abandoned the idea of a career in medicine, but this was certainly one of them.

Technorati Tags: bone injuries, caribbean, carnival, dancing, vijay narinesingh, caribbeanbeat, trinidad & tobago, wining

Checked in this morning at Caribbean Free Photo and realised I had not posted anything since World AIDS Day! This is beyond disgraceful, of course, so I rifled through my stash of photos and came up with the above. You’ll have to visit the blog itself to discover why my posting this image probably means I’ll be receiving a lump of coal in my Christmas stocking.

In a far healthier state is the Caribbean Beat Blog, where Nicholas, JT and myself have been posting Caribbean-related tidbits and musings as we find them.

And one of these days I’ll get around to posting a second entry at Caribbean Free Video.

Dominique Le Gendre at home in London

Dominique Le Gendre with Royal Opera House accompanist Chris Willis

CFR gets classical in episode #38, as I visit with Trinidad-born composer Dominique Le Gendre at her home in London. I chat with Dominique about her early musical influences, about Caribbeanness and the classical tradition, her experiences as a Associate Artist at the Royal Opera House and her chamber opera “Bird of Night”, which is set to debut at the Royal Opera House in October 2006.

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Links:
The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays - audio version of the Bard’s complete works, scored by Dominique | Royal Opera House

Please consider supporting us by buying a CFR t-shirt, and if you plan on doing any of your holiday shopping at Amazon.com, do support CFR by initating your purchases by clicking on any of the Amazon.com links on the site.

We’re always tickled as well when you check out Caribbean Free Photo, our photoblog, Caribbean Free Video, our vidcast, or put yourself on our Frappr map.

Technorati Tags: caribbean, classical music, derek walcott, music, opera, dominique le gendre, royal opera house, trinidad + tobago

Here’s Paul Theroux, writing about Africa in the New York Times:

“After centuries of wishing themselves onto other countries, the Irish found that education, rational government, people staying put, and simple diligence could turn Ireland from an economic basket case into a prosperous nation.”

Substitute “Caribbean people” for “the Irish”, “the Caribbean” for “Ireland”, and “may find” for “found” - and see what you get.

I’m back in Iere, land of the Hummingbird. Had a smooth journey across the Atlantic, but then was slammed by local inefficiencies as soon as I landed in Tobago, where I learned that my flight to Trinidad would be delayed indefinitely. Turns out that Tobago Express was shuttling back and forth between the two islands with a single aircraft. Finally sweet-talked my way on to a flight, but then had to wait at the Trinidad aiport for a friend to collect me. Didn’t get home till 8pm (having awoken that morning at 1:30am Trinidad time), and pretty much made a beeline for my bed.

Still, it’s good to be back in the warmth, to sleep in under my own sheets, to drink coffee brewed by my own hand — nothing against the London baristas, but they just don’t do it like I do.

As you can probably tell by the dead silence on CFR these past few days, I’m still in London. It’s been a hectic one: my Travelcard is almost fried from too many passes through those electronic turnstiles in the Underground.

Today is also my birthday. From London I got blue skies (this morning, at least) and fractionally higher temperatures than yesterday, and from my dear friends a flood of e-cards (there are bells ringing and frogs ribbitting in the background as I write this!) and e-mails.

I spent the morning in Brixton interviewing the Trinidadian composer Dominique Le Gendre (okay, she’s also a friend) for CFR, and then was treated to my third birthday lunch (thank you Oso and Leon for numbers one and two!) at Harrod’s by my friend (and former high school classmate) Satya Jeremie Crystal. And tonight I’m off again to have dinner with Satya and family.

Tomorrow I head back to Trinidad to re-connect with reality and attempt to process the tremendous experience that was the Global Voices summit.

Just reminding you that the Global Voices Summit ‘05 is being webcast via this link.

There’s also an internet relay chat (IRC) for those who wish to participate in the discussion - instructions at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/?page_id=78.

technorati tags: global voices, globalvoices, global voices london summit ‘5

During lunch I was interviewed by Brendan Greeley from OpenSource Radio (one of my favourite podcasts)! Tom Steinberg is now presenting a fascinating web site called PledgeBank.

I’ll be uploading photos periodically to my Flickr account, as I’m sure a few of my colleagues must be as well - a search for the tag “globalvoices” or “global voices” should smoke out the latter.

Technorati Tags: global voices

Just gave my bit of official “input” - apologies to the journalistic community for calling you lazy. Lisa Goldman from Israel talking now.
We’re in a beautiful room here at Reuters. The wi-fi was a bit spotty at first but has settled down. Naturally, lots of folks around me are typing madly.

Technorati Tags: global voices 2005 summit

Got in to London yesterday morning but due to jet lag and social obligations (not to mention overpriced wi-fi at the hotel), did not manage to get online. The Global Voices meeting is now starting up here at Reuters, so will try and post some more a bit later.

technorati tags: global voices

Please note that the link to the webcast of the Global Voices 2005 Summit has been changed to http://canstream.co.uk/globalvoices.mp3. The link can be opened in iTunes, or in most mp3 players that support streaming.

This link and all other details about the conference can also be found here.

Technorati Tags: blogging, global voices, global voices 2005 summit, webcast

In addition to adding CFR #36 to the Soundseeingtours.com site, Katja Trijber sent me this nice little loop she made with the CFR logo. Check out some of Katja’s other creations at i-katch.com