bigdrumnation

Reading Time 1 minsFebruary 28, 2021 ODE TO THE MANGROVE BY ALDWIN ALBINO It borders the land and borders the sea, Living organisms among it feel free. The Magnificent mangrove or “Mang” as we call it, Forever enhancing all that surrounds it. When a dark cloud releases its content quite heavily, Moistening the earth and filling the mang’s pools thoroughly, Tadpoles, Cascadura, Guabins, and other small fish, are happy, that they live in a place that abounds with plenty. Many more creatures seek out this place, All seem to go there willingly, and always in haste. Why do they treasure… Read More »ODE TO THE MANGROVE — ALDWIN ALBINO [Reprint]

Reading Time 4 minsTuesday, February 23, 2021 Open Letter To The Biden/Harris Administration Reset the US’s Latin American/Caribbean Policy Now! The Vice President And President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 February 23, 2021 Dear Mr. President Biden and Madam Vice President, As a group concerned about preserving sovereignty and ensuring that Latin America and the Caribbean remain a Zone of Peace, we write calling on you to revoke all of your predecessor’s damaging policies toward the region. We commend you and your Administration on the first slew of executive orders such as the partial moratorium on deportations,… Read More »Reset US’s Latin American/Caribbean Policy Now!

Reading Time 3 minsTuesday February 23, 2021 So much of this letter, (“Reset USA’s Latin America/Caribbean Policy Now!”), speaks truth to power and needs to be included in the new role for the US to follow in our evolving world. Many of the structures in place that Trump decimated were already antiquated, having been built when the US was the singular dominant nation in the world: manufacturing and industrial supplier of the world, military giant with a near monopoly of nuclear power, stable and functioning democratic government, creative institutions of medicine, education and culture, etc. The US is no longer the… Read More »America: Adjusting A Faulty Foreign Policy? — Ken Murray

Reading Time 1 minsTuesday February 23, 2021 “You will not be able to stay home, brother You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out You will not be able to lose yourself on skag And skip out for beer during commercials, because The revolution will not be televised.” “ The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” –Gil Scott-Heron The Biden Reset will not be televised There will be no NEW role for the US in our evolving world Our post World War II dominance was not built on exceptionalism but because we profited from war and… Read More »The Reset Is A Lie! — Gerard Thomas

Reading Time 1 minsHappy Carnival Tuesday (Aruba/Carriacou/Dominica/Haiti/T&T… Style)!!! The videos are stunning especially in this time of Covid-19. One highlights masqueraders welcoming Jouvert in Miami. Another captures a parade of moko-jumbie-mobilized poui trees moving like ants through the streets of, what looks like, Woodbrock, T&T. And, there are others of revellers immersing self in the Carnival Trinity of Pan, Kaiso, and Mas, in villages and cities where Caribbean massives reside. Expressing amazement at revelers’ ingenuity and audacity in celebrating in the face of Carnival’s absence, the sender thundered, perhaps more as question than assertion: ”Trinis can’t do without mas!” Only the “Eh”… Read More »BDN Introduction — Covid-No-Carnival Tabanca Issue*

Reading Time 7 minsMy J’ouvert Vibes/STEVE CLARKE Upon realizing that I would be unable to travel to T&T for the expressed purposes of ‘Carnivalia’ 2021 due to the COVID-19 lock-down, I chose to reflect on the salve of a memorable carnival encounter of years gone by, in an effort to soothe the pain of my gut-wrenching cultural tabanca. Have you ever heard a tune and you took to it from its first note of music? And, as its lyrics progressed, they seemed to be telling your story, word-for-word? Well folks, that 2012 Farmer Nappy [FN] groovy soca masterpiece “Chippin”, succinctly captured one of my… Read More »A Carnival Occurrence (Part II of IV)-Steve Clarke

Reading Time 4 minsFebruary 16, 2021 In the thought-provoking chapbook, “Corona Poems,” Mervyn Taylor ponders the emotional conditions of Covid-19 in Trinidad; New York; Louisiana; Arizona; Cape Town, South Africa; and even Napoli, Italy, where impromptu celebrations of health care workers took flight.  The collection addresses the adversities faced by all during the ever-changing effects of Covid-19. Even though the collection’s tone is somewhat melancholic, the poet, in the end, opts for hope and resilience amid overwhelming grief and sadness. Within the last twelve months, we dealt with; a war scare, a global pandemic, a stock market crash, racial injustice, and an attack on the… Read More »A Meditation During These Unprecedented Times-Malik Brizan-Reed

Reading Time 11 minsOn hearing of the transitioning of Uncle Winston last December, I began reflecting on the great fortune I had of meeting him in Carriacou and playing parang in his band for four seasons. His presence factored in my celebrating him in “The Parang Diaries” within these pages in “Deep Connection Between People, Land, and Sea”(BDN, December, 2019). Now, I situate him in a wider context with this tribute which jumps off from some tangential Caribbean sightings that have been in my field of vision lately. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ When I stumbled… Read More »Reflections on Uncle Winston: Parang Band Leader, Mas and Carnival Man–Jeff Mc Nish

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Reading Time 2 mins  “Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole.” –Derek Walcott, Nobel Lecture, 1992 “Inspired by our gods… We will survive to see a brighter day… Nothing conquers the will of [wo]man.” –“Survival”, Mighty Sparrow  It is customary for people around the world to wish each other ‘Happy New Year’ at the turn of the calendar. Sometimes, we even make resolutions. But, why does the notion of happiness appeal to our humanity? Writing, in The Art of Happiness, 22 years ago, when… Read More »BDN Editorial — Broken Vase: Reassembling in 2021…