Mahogany CoConut Blog

One Caribbean Nation. by William Skinner I don’t think that it can be seriously argued that a Bajan(Barbados) Tuk Band performing in any other country, will automatically turn them into Bajans. That being said, the truth remains that it is ironic that we seldom see the promotion of authentic African culture on our island . We tend to restrict it to dancing and so on and this often degenerated into wukking up and almost pornographic vulgarity, that really may be our culture but has nothing to do with Africa. In other words while other cultures within our community tend to produce elements of their culture, we often display that we are not that knowledgeable about our African culture. This then, in my humble opinion, means that in order to counter this obvious ignorance of our authentic culture, we ought to teach our children from very early( primary schools) about their African heritage. Quite frankly, regardless of what is said, in a country with a population that is 95% African, we ...

One Caribbean Nation. We need a task force on food security. Here's why. Dr. Chelston Brathwaite By Chelston Brathwaite In June 2022, I brought to the Senate a Private Member's Resolution to discuss the issue of food security in Barbados. The objective of my efforts was to bring to the attention of the Senate and indeed to the attention of Barbados society, the precarious situation of food security in this nation. The bill was grounded in the fact that we only produce about 20 per cent of our food and was presented in the context of the proposal by the CARICOM Heads of State to reduce the food import bill of the Caribbean by 25 per cent by 2025. With that date being months away from today, in my view, the goal is unlikely to be met. The economists of the world have predicted increases in the cost of food in 2024 due to global shipping challenges and volatile climatic conditions. They have indicated that due to the war in Gaza and climatic challenges in the Panama Canal, ships w...

One Caribbean Nation As we celebrate International Womens’ Day, we are cognizant of the role our Caribbean women have played in the cultural social and economic growth of our region and evolving Caribbean civilization. They , like our men , have risen from the depths and decadence of slavery , to the highest political and corporate ladders in the region. They have given birth, to millions and have made and continue to make significant contributions to those in the Diaspora. In many cases, where they were not the biological mothers, they nurtured, cared and developed those , who were deprived of parenthood , and socio-economic hope. They are in our classrooms, directing young and fragile minds , how to navigate a world that we in the region , must forever avoid being dragged into conflicts of the so-called super powers. They are pursuing all the opportunities of our tertiary educational institutions, including the University of the West Undies, often in higher numbers than our men. I...

One Caribbean Nation. We aware that our culture is being infiltrated and seriously penetrated by our exposure, both physically and mentally to foreign norms We will continue to remind regional leaders that our culture is our major strength and while we are appreciative of their efforts to support our cultural practitioners , we believe that a more concentrated effort is needed , in our schools and communities. As a region, we have the distinction of creating the only musical instrument of the twentieth century, in the form of the steel pan (drum) of Trinidad and Tobago. We have also brought the calypso and reggae music , to the globe.  Every day we blend our culture with economic activity in all areas. Our foods , are magical and each island has its share of culinary delights that incorporate all our cultures .  We have made the cardinal error of being embarrassingly slow in linking our culture with the tourism industry , which is the economic mainstay of many island economi...

One Caribbean Nation. SPRING  MICHAEL HEADLEY LETTER FROM BROOKLYN                                                                        by Michael Headley After a relatively mild winter, Spring was ushered in on March 20.  And the signs of Spring can be seen at Canarsie Park, on Seaview Ave, in Brooklyn, New York and local gardens on the blocks.  The monotonous chirping of the Sparrows and the cheerful whistles of the American Robins can be heard in the park, as the birds fly from tree to tree.  Colonies of Gulls and flocks of Geese can be seen overhead, before landing, to forage for food.  Doves can also be heard cooing in the distance.  As if not to be outdone, the early Spring blooms of Crocuses, Tulips and Daffodils are quickly emerging and showing thei...

One Caribbean Nation. My Education Reform Synopsis Stewart Russell   http://stewlyn.blogspot.com/2023/03/my-education-reform-synopsis.html     Stewart Russell was a teacher for forty years and ended his career as a Peripatetic Officer, responsible for Mathematics. He continues to take a very deep interest in educational matters in Barbados and the wider Caribbean. He writes on current affairs through his blog : Unworthy of God's Love." using the poetic/poetry style : stewlyn.blogspot.com A devout Christian , Stewart and his wife Lynette , are the proud parents of two children. Kindly use the links above to read his article. 

One Caribbean Nation. by Michael Headley Letter From Brooklyn On the March 05 Brass Tacks program, the government missed an opportunity to communicate, directly, and in real-time, with the public by not having a representative participate in the discussion on the safety and security of the now mandatory Trident ID card.    Moderator David Ellis had even offered a Zoom feed, for their convenience - to join the conversation any time. The topic, Trident ID, how safe are we? was very apropos and the panelists fielded calls and tried to shed light on some of the unanswered questions.  On the panel, along with David Ellis, were Technology and Cybersecurity expert Niel Harper and Democratic Labour Party (DLP) President Dr. Ronnie Yearwood.   A query, pertaining to the medical records, cyber-attack, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) hospital was raised.  And the input, from QEH Executive Chairman, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland, who called into the program, was we...