As Barbados prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence, Ashley Foster-Estwick, 25, a Correspondent from Barbados, looks at the water crisis that affects residents, government and the agricultural sector. As the festivities move into full swing, attracting thousands to our shores and boosting patriotic sentiments, there is another side to the Barbadian sentiment. It’s the …

“Water conservation is critical to agriculture” Read More »

Rome is a cliche, but in a good way, writes Shastri Sookdeo, 27, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad now living in Amsterdam. He has praise for the city’s food, architecture and sense of life. Rome is a cliché. Usually that isn’t a good thing, but when the cliché is that a city is cool, full …

“Rome deserves cliche status – in the positive” Read More »

Recent appointments to the national Senate raise questions about commitment to gender equality, writes Alicia Wallace, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Nassau, Bahamas.  On December 11, 2016, Hon. Loretta Butler-Turner became the first woman to serve as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament in The Bahamas. This followed a petition by seven Free National Movement (FNM) …

“Senate postings highlight gender issues” Read More »

An increase in the crime rate is an opportunity to look at society and at ways to reduce crime through prevention and intervention, writes Lyn-Marie Blackman, 30, a Commonwealth Correspondent alumni from Barbados. For the past several months in Barbados there has been an upsurge in criminal activity, primarily perpetrated by young men. As an individual who …

“Society has a responsibility in the crime rate” Read More »

American politics under President Trump has ushered in an era where facts can become alternative facts, not fiction, writes Ashley Foster-Estwick, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Barbados. She questions the impact on anti-vaccine activists when misinformation is accessible in a millisecond on the web. It is reassuring to let persons conduct independent investigation on the risks and …

“Vaccinations, alternative treatment and facts” Read More »

The vote for Brexit continues to have repercussions for Britain and beyond. Ariana Joseph, 16, a Correspondent from Antigua and Barbuda now studying in Canada, looks at how Brexit could affect the English-speaking Caribbean. In 2016 a new word entered the English lexicon. The term Brexit was coined to commemorate the anticipated withdrawal of the …

“Implications surrounding Brexit” Read More »

Small crowds for international cricket in Trinidad are not about lack of interest in the game, writes Shastri Sookdeo, 28, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad now living in Amsterdam, but are evidence of ongoing issues with local management of the sport. The crowds for the 1st and 2nd One Day Internationals (ODI) featuring India and …

“Why there is apathy for West Indies Cricket” Read More »

The search for leadership is a constant of the political world. Staphon Simon, 22, a Correspondent from St. Lucia, examines some of the qualities and challenges that factor in that search. The concept of the ideal politician has been argued vehemently by the ancient, post classical and modern-era western philosophers and, by extension, contemporary Afro-Caribbean intellectuals. …

“Searching for the ideal politician” Read More »

The ferocity of September’s hurricanes points to a trend of storms that quickly grow to devastating hurricanes, writes Ariana Joseph, 17, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Antigua and Barbuda now studying in Canada. She argues the impact of climate change can no longer be denied. We knew Irma was a monster days before she started to …

“Atlantic hurricane season brings reality check” Read More »

Standardised testing is a common academic measure, but Aura Whittier, 17, a Correspondent from San Juan, Trinidad, argues the powerful tool discriminates based on factors that students cannot control. There my friend was, sobbing uncontrollably in my arms. He burst into tears in front of his mother as soon as he received his results; again …

“Tests are standardised, but students are not” Read More »