Both of the semi-final matches in this T20 World Cup were demolitions. The match between Afghanistan and South Africa was actually painful to watch. Even if you supported the SA team, from a sporting perspective, it is unpleasant to look at that kind of devastation—like schoolchildren being trounced by adults. …
Read More »Vaneisa: Why resurgent West Indies should still be mindful of USA Cricket’s rise
We lost the first 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Super Eight match against England in a clinical encounter that brought a harsh dose of reality. A match report here is not relevant. Suffice it to say that while the batters are more willing to take singles, there are still far …
Read More »Vaneisa: Feeling the feeling—why I’m optimistic about West Indies
The rains have come. The poui blossoms have gone. Burnt browns have given way to verdant green. What is the colour of the rainy season? This time round it is maroon. The mercurial maroon that has been bringing us to the edge—as it has so often done—and now rewarding us …
Read More »Vaneisa: The People in Print—the problem with T&T’s media
One of the panel discussions at the recent Bocas Lit Fest focused on the fate of newspaper columnists in today’s environment. Themed “They Don’t Write Them Like They Used to: A Discussion on the Present and Future of the Newspaper Column,” it ended up with a rather bleak prognosis. Among …
Read More »Vaneisa: Green till you blue; T&T must choose sustainable development
It has been about 30 years since Vicki-Ann Assevero put down her bucket in the land of her father’s birth. She didn’t come back because of some ancestral pull to Victor’s homeland—it was because she had met and fallen in love with another Trinidadian, the then-minister of finance, Wendell Mottley, …
Read More »Vaneisa: Inside the Labyrinth; how art can help save lives in T&T
On 16 May, the Central Bank Museum launched an exhibition of the late Glen Roopchand’s art. Roopchand, whose work is perhaps most publicly visible in his rendition of Carlisle Chang’s The Inherent Nobility of Man, which is on display at the Piarco International Airport, died in July 2022. The collection …
Read More »Vaneisa: Clutter of the mind—why I’m not a hoarder
Life has a way of setting you adrift; sometimes on a rough sea, sometimes with such gentle currents that you barely notice how far you have travelled. Knowing that during my period of research and writing, I had sunk even deeper into my naturally reclusive state, I felt that the …
Read More »Vaneisa: Combatting the cruel human invention of war
On Thursday, the Express reported on a surprising conflict at the St Augustine campus of The University of the West Indies. It seems the Institute of International Relations had arranged a virtual seminar, Unravelling the complexities of peace in the Middle East: An Israeli perspective, to be delivered by the …
Read More »Vaneisa: Questions of legality and integrity still haunt West Indies cricket
A few days ago at Lord’s, Sir Viv Richards and Sir Curtly Ambrose had a conversation with Machel Hewitt of talkSPORT radio in their capacity as ambassadors of the Antiguan Tourism Authority. Naturally, the talk turned to the state of West Indies cricket, and what they thought could be done …
Read More »Vaneisa: The solitary silence of words, and launching Son of Grace
Writing is a solitary experience. It’s you and your thoughts—all the chatter is internal. I do not quiver at the notion of solitude; I’m quite happy to be ensconced within my brain. When I finished with the book I had been working on for five or six years, Son of …
Read More »Vaneisa: Following Frank; the story of the Son of Grace
Over the years that I spent researching and writing the biography of Sir Frank Worrell, I often referred to him—sharing snippets and soliciting information—through this column. The book, Son of Grace, was published six months ago, and I found myself curiously unable to mention its existence, feeling awkward to say …
Read More »Vaneisa: Perhaps we should replace, not reform, our Constitution
I suggested that people might not be offering their views on constitutional reform because they do not know what is contained in the country’s Constitution. I may be familiar with its nitty-gritty, but I can’t say I have a total grasp of what it covers. And that’s a point I …
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