bigdrumnation

Reading Time 8 minsJuly 26, 2025 Cartoon by Gary Larson Some people like knock-knock jokes. My younger daughter’s mother likes elephant jokes and other people like cat videos. I like duck jokes, although I don’t know many, perhaps because I don’t play cricket. In fact, I only know one duck joke, which has to do with a ten-inch pianist, a genie hard of hearing and a million ducks – too long and convoluted to tell here. Also too corny. However, I think I can say that Gary Larson shares my taste for duck humour. One of his cartoons that I still recall… Read More »DUCK! WAYS OF TROPICAL BEING — Kim Johnson

Reading Time 9 minsFebruary 21, 2023 Should members of a privileged enslaving family assume the moral authority to arbitrate restorative justice and the reparations cost remitted to the sons and daughters of enslaved Grenadians? The African American scholar John Henrik Clarke warned that one should be careful of the practice of begging at the doors of the very people who made you beggars in the first place. The logical extension is that one should be aware of one’s worth and accept nothing less. I reflected on this maxim as the news emerged recently that the aristocratic British Trevelyan family acknowledged… Read More »How Britons Underdeveloped Grenada — Martin P. Felix

Reading Time

Reading Time

Reading Time 3 minsMarch 2, 2025 On February 18, 2025, Grenada lost a remarkable man, one whose legacy transcends politics, business, and public life. Lyden Ramdhanny, a former cabinet minister, businessman, and philanthropist, passed away, leaving an indelible mark on his country, his family, and all who had the privilege of knowing him. His life was defined by his love for Grenada, his unwavering commitment to justice, and his compassion for the people around him. Born on April 6, 1952, in the parish of St. Andrew,  Lyden was shaped by the revolutionary period that marked a defining chapter in Grenada’s… Read More »Remembering Lyden Ramdhanny — Caldwell Taylor [Edited by Martin Felix and Nzinga Taylor]

Reading Time 4 mins The members of The National Union of Freedom Fighters (NUFF) and their sincere efforts seized a historical moment to address the inconsistencies of this deathbed Independence. It was all hollow and meaningless. Williams Independence was ladened with neo colonial institutions and a modus operandi that was often worst than what preceded Independence.  The Colonial institutions especially the police had to maintain that law and order of the Colonial era by any means necessary.  Andrea’s portrayal about Mr Randy Burroughs and his embracing the dramatic games of a US movie crime fighter tells it all. This carried an… Read More »Andrea’s Continuing Journey — Rex Lassalle

Reading Time 2 minsToday is the 51st Anniversary of Bloody Monday lest we forget. 51 years ago, today, a peaceful gathering of demonstrators—workers, farmers, businesspeople, women, youth and students—was viciously attacked outside Otway House on the Carenage. Rupert Bishop, the father of Maurice Bishop, was gunned down in cold blood while protecting women and high school girls. After a peaceful demonstration in St George’s, the crowd had gathered outside Otway House to listen to speeches before heading back to their usual business. Everything changed on that day. The precursor and main spark to Bloody Monday, was Bloody Sunday, November 18,… Read More »Bloody Monday—January 21, 1974—A Day in our History — Bernard Bourne

Reading Time 1 minsDecember 15, 2024 Caribbean literary tradition features a fusion of African, European, and indigenous folkloric influences, much like Greek mythology’s absorption of other cultural influences. The formal Caribbean education system is a common experience that privileges Western literary traditions over our local culture, including Caribbean folklore. Our schools hardly teach Caribbean mythology; few writers incorporate it into their stories or characters. Although Greek and other Western myths share striking similarities with our indigenous Caribbean myths, more attempts are needed to draw parallels or demonstrate the shared human experiences and storytelling motifs across European and Caribbean civilizations and… Read More »[Intro] Retelling of the Greek Myth of Eros and Psyche: parts I and II

Reading Time 12 mins[INTRODUCTION] PART  I of II November 24, 2024   In the night of the forest, under the pouring rain, Mama Agouti and her offspring huddle together in a hollow of the trunk of the pomerac tree as the light flashes and the angry sky bellows. Do not fret; she tells her shivering children; no harm can befall us as Papa Bois watches over us. He protects all creatures of the forests and swamp lands, and he will make the storm pass and the twinkles of the night blanket come out again like always. But the sky is so angry,… Read More »A CARIBBEAN Retelling of the Greek Myth of Eros and Psyche [pt. 1 of 2] — Amy Baksh

Reading Time 14 mins[INTRODUCTION] [PART I OF II] December 15, 2024 PART II OF II  When she awoke, the sun was high in the sky, and its rays shot through the trees like javelins of warmth. She scrambled to her feet, bleary-eyed, for the herd of quenks was nowhere to be seen. In a panic, she ran across to the area where they had been, and as her feet hit the grass, they landed suddenly on something solid, and she fell to the forest floor. She cried out and cradled her leg, and through the plants, she saw a metallic… Read More »Retelling of the Greek Myth of Eros and Psyche [pt. 2 of 2] — Amy Baksh