Repeating Islands

I am from the caribbean, and have always been driven by our nations- all of our nations cultural mix. However the troubling issue that always remains fresh in my minds is – how often we let our mix serve as dividing wall between oursleves. The colour of our skin has always been a problem we seemly tend to ingnore. With this notion in mind I am penning my first book.

Hi, I’m an author, and am quite excited to find such a vibrant online Caribbean literary community! My book, Legend of the Swan Children, was published by Macmillan Caribbean, as part of its new Island Fiction Series for teens and tweens. It hit the stores in the Caribbean and the U.K. in February 2009, and online stores a month or two before that. I’m really curious to know whether the marketing to-date has been very effective, and would like to ask how many of you good literary folks are actually aware of the launching of this new series? Looking forward to hearing from you!

We have a question. We have to make an affiche for school because we’re going to have a benefit show for Haïti. We we’re wondering if we could use a picture of yours : http://repeatingislands.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/haiti5.jpg

Thanks anyway !

is LAGUERRE is a name given to slaves in Puerto Rico at the old time of slavory

hello

my new websites

http://ddalaber.wordpress.com/

have fun

The Adopt Haiti Project in partnership with the Richmond Red Cross are hosting an Adopt Haiti Family and Friends Day Cookout Sunday September 26th with special guest, Miss Haiti Universe Sarodj Bertin. The event is sponsored by Foothold World Wide, Bon Secours, Virginia State University, and the Crown Plaza Hotel.

What a wonderful blog!! Thank you for creating this!

I would like to bring to your notice this new book, while not your typical Caribbean story but based in West Africa, the origins of most Caribbean people,
http://www.deltafires.com/

Fuelling the Delta Fires
Based on the real life situation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, Fuelling the Delta Fires is a 134,000-word expose and action adventure novel revealing why there is turmoil in the world’s sixth largest crude oil exporter.

Chief Tom-George is a corrupt local politician and the governor of Western Ijaw State. Under Nigeria’s military dictatorship, Chief Tom-George served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister and made tidy sums of money from a combination of kickbacks and outright crude embezzlement.

With the transition to democracy and elections looming, Chief Tom-George decides that he wants to be governor of his state and decides to go about building up a support base. To “spread his message” across the state, the Ijaw chief buys the services of Mene Bene, the leader of the largest youth militant group the Niger Delta Liberation Movement (NDLM).

In exchange for cash, Bene ensures that Chief Tom-George’s opponents are harassed, that his political rivals are beaten up and threatens communities that refuse to back his man’s National Umbrella Party. However, once he was sworn in as governor, Chief Tom-George no longer needed Bene and the NDLM, so they had a problem.

To compound the crisis, the NDLM was getting more militant as with its main source of revenue now cut off, it resorts to kidnapping as a means of raising funds to sustain its operations. What started off as a little bit of mischief, soon grew into a multi-million dollar industry as NDLM found out that oil companies were willing to pay handsome sums for the return of the expatriate workers.

Although the Nigerian Army scored several successes in clashes with the militants and eventually arrested Bene, the problem did not stop. All that happened was that the NDLM fractured into local groups, with each controlling its own “territory.” Before long, a class of millionaire kidnappers has emerged.

Meanwhile, the poor people of the Niger Delta, never see one penny of all the ransom money that changes hands. Their creeks remain polluted, their villages stay inaccessible and social amenities like electricity and pipe-borne water remained dreams.

Chief Tom-George and other Ijaw “elders” milk the crisis in the Niger Delta to the fullest. They get the federal government to increase derivation from oil earnings to 13% from 3% for the Delta’s nine oil-producing states, dramatically increased the quota of appointments they get in the federal government and always have first refusal when the head of a security agency or a government parastatal is up for grabs.

This dramatic book and potential blockbuster, also gives a real live account of the experience of Alan Ward, a kidnapped British oil worker. Alan is held on the isolated and desolate delta island of Epeleama, which was originally built by the Portuguese but is now uninhabited.

Unlike any other book before, Fuelling the Delta Fires also takes the reader through the travails of Mene Bene, the NDLM leader. It profiles the man, looks at his persona, his childhood and orientation that led to him taking up arms against the government and oil companies. The book also looks at the conflicts of interest he wrestles with as his split loyalty to his political masters, money and his people often pulls him in different directions.

Fuelling the Delta Fires ends with Chief Tom-George’s ambitions to run for the presidency of Nigeria in tatters. He is the front runner until at the last minute, the rug is pulled from under his feet when a litany of his corrupt deals are read out to him a day before the ruling party selects its presidential candidate. Faced with the threat of standing down or being indicted, he does the former and watches on helplessly as the prize slips from his grasp.

Sign me up.

Are you on Twitter? If so, can you kindly forward the Twitter username to my email? I am interested in topics about arts in the Caribbean.

Thanks!
Dejiridoo

Adorei esse blog,há algum tempo venho procurando algo que destacasse as culturas caribenha e princilpalmente a do Haiti.Necessito conhecer a cultura desse povo.obrigado!

Hello,

Just wanted to drop some love again! Thank you so much for this blog. I love every post; especially the ones about the Bahamas

KMD

Would you be so kind to post the following on your blog? Follow the links. If you need further information, please do let me know

1. Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Fiesta (www.2seasonsguesthouse.com/blog) – a day of literary fare, Saturday May 28, 2011. Part of the Treasure Beach Bread Basket Festival (www.treasurebeach.net/BreadBasketFestival)

2. Hanging out with Mervyn Morris (http://2seasonsguesthouse.com/blog/?p=35) – spend a weekend (July 30-31)in the company of one of Jamaica’s foremost poets. Have your work critiqued by him, learn from his experience. Maximum 16 persons. 6 rooms still available.

3. Hanging out with Cecil Cooper (http://2seasonsguesthouse.com/blog/?p=132) – spend a weekend (April 30-May 1)in the company of one of Jamaica’s foremost artists. Have your work critiqued by him, learn from his experience. Maximum 16 persons. 6 rooms still available.

Christine Marrett
Proprietor
Two Seasons Guest House
Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth
Jamaica
Tel: 876-571-0818
http://www.2seasonsguesthouse.com
“Where the welcome is warm and the runnings cool”
Registered with the Jamaica Tourist Board
Member, Jamaica Association of Villas and Apartments

This blog is what my heart yearned for as I love art but sadly am not very educated in The Arts. What I do ask for, to get to the point, is a poster of the ad for Aime Cesaire Lam/Picasso showing. It would so special if I could give it to my Cuban husband as a gift after having it framed. He is now 69 years old and has not returned to Cuba since 1961. I hope this is possible. Please advise.

Bon Tardi Repeating Islands, I’ve written a critique about the film project Tula the Revolt.
Could you contact me to check if I can submit it?

Sincerly,

Jermain Ostiana

Well this is very interesting indeed.Would love to read a little more of this. Great post. Thanks for the heads-up…This blog was very informative and knowledgeable.

After reading this, i feel enlighten and uplifted. Thanks

Surprisingly! It is like you some how was reading my mind everthing i wanted to say was said and everythign i was thinking was written.

Just discovered this site. I will bring it to the attention other. Thanks to the creator of this site matters Caribbean have the opportunity for greater exposure. My thanks to the creators and authors