“[…] The reality of Trinidad and Tobago does not allow women and girls to enter into public spaces without experiencing some form of fear and discomfort. “Socialisation of our men and boys must be acknowledged as a significant contributor to violence against women and girls, which must be addressed with …
Read More »Daly Bread: Tied up in Tobago; PNM and PDP should try one more time with 12 seats
On the date corresponding to today in last year’s Carnival calendar, I was tied up in Tobago with pan business, enjoying the morning after our attendance at the medium band 2020 Panorama finals which was held in Tobago. Now all of Tobago is tied up. There is the deadlock in …
Read More »Noble: The ‘throw-away’ woman challenge—where our injustice, violence, and sexism intersect
‘When a country is in the grip of a collective passion, it becomes unanimous…the partisan spirit makes people blind, makes them deaf to justice. It dims perception of goodness, merely enables it to mistake this or that means for an absolute good. ‘One must, therefore, endeavour strenuously to protect one’s …
Read More »Vaneisa: ‘Out of yesterday’s rejection, onward to a new perfection’; A praise song for Carnival
I had begun writing about something entirely different when I suddenly felt I didn’t want to anymore, not this week anyway. It was too utterly oppressive and my mood had been altered by two sightings. One was photographs of the murals that Jackie Hinkson put up yesterday on Fisher Avenue …
Read More »Cox: ‘Society must own up to huge deficiencies in the socialisation of our males’
The following statement on the death of Andrea Bharatt was submitted by the minister of social development and family services, Senator Donna Cox: On behalf of the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, I would like to extend condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Andrea Bharatt and …
Read More »Dear editor: ‘As a mother, I’m paralysed with fear; as a woman, I’m filled with tremendous anxiety’
“[…] As a woman, I am filled with tremendous anxiety. I am fiercely independent, but I feel that independence disappearing—as I constantly have to adjust my movements to try and ensure my safety…” The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to Wired868 by an anonymous contributor, under the pen …
Read More »TTPS: Body of 23-year-old kidnap victim, Andrea Bharatt, found
The following press statement on kidnap victim Andrea Bharatt was released by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS): The search for kidnapped victim, Andrea Bharatt, ended this afternoon after her body was found down a precipice along the Heights of Aripo. According to reports, around 12.20pm today, a motorist …
Read More »Demming: What is our comprehensive Covid-19 immunisation plan?
I may be late to the party, but MX Prime has nailed it with his recent release Torture. He has demonstrated how our music has told our stories and records key moments in our history. When the history is written, this will be the defining story of early 21st century …
Read More »NJAC suggests ‘council of elders’ to solve THA impasse that ‘can have serious repercussions’ for T&T
“[…] NJAC shares the concern of the wider society, particularly the people of Tobago, about the present situation in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). “It is NJAC’s view that such a situation inevitably creates an environment of political instability that can have serious repercussions, not only for Tobago, …
Read More »Dear Editor: Right to ‘soot’? Normalising street harassment is harmful to women
“[…] The first stage is normalisation. Some things normalise harmful mindsets—sexist attitudes, unwanted (non-sexual) touch, the idea that boys will be boys. The second stage is degradation—catcalling, victim-blaming, flashing/exposing. This is where sooting and other types of street harassment belong. The final stage is assault—groping, molestation, rape, and murder …” …
Read More »Daly Bread: ‘The silence of the panyards’; needing Boy Boy to rescue our ‘desolate Carnival Land’
No pelau is cooking for a semi-final Panorama Sunday, in which we should be revelling today. No coolers and food baskets readied for the Savannah. The magic drums are silent. My soul’s feeling like it get planasse! The silence in the panyards sent me back to a brilliant Phase …
Read More »Vaneisa: The intimidating, disorienting rattles of change and loss
As time goes by, I find myself increasingly preoccupied with revisiting childhood experiences. It comes from my belief that all that we are, all that we have become, is rooted in those gnarly years. It makes me think of mangroves and their intricate intertwining of robust and reedy roots, rising …
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