Global Voices » Turks & Caicos Isl.

Caribbean: the meaning of identity

Nicholas Laughlin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:59:53 +0000

Creative Commess hosts a blog symposium “about Caribbean people, about West Indian people, about our contemporary experiences … ranging through race & identity to culture, mental health to constructs of beauty and more,” with contributions from seven Caribbean bloggers.

Barbados, Turks & Caicos: Corruption Charges

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:09:48 +0000

As the brother of Brother of a former Turks and Caicos Finance Minister is arrested on allegations of fraud and money laundering, Barbados Free Press says: “In Barbados when elected or appointed public officials or their family members are found to be engaged in corrupt activities, the politicians will trade some insults in the press or in Parliament but no one is charged. Ever.”

Latin America, Caribbean: Increase in Food Prices

Silvia Viñas — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:53:26 +0000

Bloggings by Boz writes: “The FAO reports that February 2011 was a yet a new high on food prices. This has led to several warnings from organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean including ECLAC [Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean] and the IICA [Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture] that commodity markets are volatile and several countries are very vulnerable to price swings and food insecurity issues.”

Turks & Caicos, Barbados: Disappearing Blog

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:20:17 +0000

The tcipost blog “disappeared overnight without notice”; Barbados Free Press comes to the rescue.

Turks & Caicos: The Courage to Protest

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:44:40 +0000

The tcipost wonders if protests in the Bahamas might serve to “wake the people of Turks and Caicos up”.

Turks & Caicos: Now Is The Time

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:15:24 +0000

The tcipost is calling on “every Turks and Caicos Islander with access to the Internet [to] please use all the social networks at our disposal to demand our right to self determination and bring awareness to our plight.”

Turks & Caicos: Using Social Media for Democracy

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:39:59 +0000

The tcipost wants fellow islanders to “remember that the people of Egypt this month used the internet to strengthen their voices and share information”, suggesting that they can use the same tools to have their voices heard when it comes to the new constitution “that will dilute our vote as Turks and Caicos citizens.”

Turks & Caicos: Self-Governance Limbo

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:22:44 +0000

“An election to return self governance for the Turks and Caicos Islands has been postponed…extending London’s direct rule over the Caribbean dependency”: Repeating Islands re-posts the details.

Bahamas, Turks & Caicos: Political Future?

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:36:50 +0000

“The Turks & Caicos Islands…are politically and financially destitute, and no-one knows when or how they will be able to climb out of the hole”: Bahama Pundit's Larry Smith wonders what's in store for their neighbour.

Anguilla, Turks & Caicos: Taking Responsibility

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:50:27 +0000

Corruption-free Anguilla comments on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's refusal “to accept responsibility for the decline of good government in the Turks and Caicos Islands”, saying: “The inevitable result, I fear, will be the British Government’s international embarrassment.”

Turks & Caicos: Hail To The Chief

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:50:43 +0000

The Turks and Caicos Islands has a new Chief Executive, whose appointment is “part of the much criticized British takeover of the T&C government following a corruption scandal.” Repeating Islands has the details.

Turks & Caicos: Reactions

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:04:05 +0000

Repeating Islands features commentary “of international reaction to the British takeover of Turks and Caicos following the corruption scandal surrounding former Premier Michael Misick.”

Bahamas, Turks & Caicos: Federation?

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:27:22 +0000

News breaks that the Bahamian Prime Minister may be considering forming a federation between the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, prompting blogger Sidney Sweeting to comment: “Please note that our PM is responding to a suggestion made by the ex-Premier of Turks and Caicos who was forced to resign because of allegations of corruption, resulting in Britain suspending their constitution for two years.”

Bahamas, T.C.I., U.S.A.: Google & Democracy

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:51:21 +0000

As Google states that it may very well hand over journalists' IP addresses in connection with the exposure of alleged corruption in the Turks and Caicos, Bahamian blogger Nicolette Bethel comments: “Google’s action threatens the ability — indeed the possibility — for true democracy ever to exist in these, our little nations (and by extension those nations that really really need the anonymity of the internet to fight the physical oppression that they face).”

Democracy Video Challenge Winner Showcase

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:57:05 +0000

What is Democracy? That is the question more than 900 participants set out to answer through their videos, in response to the Democracy Video Challenge set up by the US Department of State and many other partners, open for participants from all over the world. Through their YouTube channel, people sent in their videos which completed the phrase Democracy is... through animated images, live action shorts or documentaries no more than 3 minutes long. After a selection process, 18 finalists were chosen and the general public voted on the winning 6, one of each geographical region: Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Central Asia, East Asia/Pacific.

Economist Hernando de Soto appears in the following video congratulating the winners and thanking all of those who participated:

The winners are:

From Brazil, Anna Carolina dos Santos Israel, a film student who shows us that democracy is all about consensus, even between different parts of the same body:

From the United Arab Emirates, Rodin Hamidi is a photographer who shows us how getting democracy can be a process requiring lots of insistence, since the efforts may not be appreciated by those who need it most:

From Nepal, Tsering Choden is a magazine and radio personality who portrays democracy as a communion among people with different concerns and needs:

From Poland, Lukasz Szozda, an illustrator who shows us through an animation how Democracy embraces more than just one concept:

From the Philippines, Melissa Angela Verzosa Peñafiel, a film-maker, brings us a different perspective on Democracy with a poetic flair: maybe democracy as a word is being overused, and its meaning is getting lost.

And finally, from Zambia we have film-maker Chansa Tembo, who succinctly describes democracy as mixture that is much better than the individual ingredients.

We wish all the winners the best of luck and hope to keep up with them as they travel to the USA this coming October.