In Saint Lucia, during the 51st meeting of CARICOM heads of government, Dr. Hyginus “Gene ” Leon, executive director of DBRP/The Nature Bank, presented an ambitious idea during a side event on reparations: using restorative justice to rethink Caribbean development. Here, the term does not refer solely to financial compensation. It aims to acknowledge the consequences of slavery and colonization, to redress the harm caused, and to transform the mechanisms that continue to perpetuate them.
Four Measures of Development
Development is often measured in terms of growth, investment, and infrastructure. This perspective is incomplete. An economy can build roads, ports, or hotels while at the same time undermining its natural resources, its population, or its institutions. This discussion is based on four forms of wealth. Productive capital includes infrastructure, businesses, and financial resources. Natural capital encompasses soil, forests, water, reefs, and the climate. Human capital encompasses health, education, skills, and dignity. Finally, societal capital relates to institutions, social cohesion, and trust.
Progress requires that these four forms of wealth advance together. When one form of capital develops at the expense of the others, growth becomes fragile. A region can achieve strong economic performance while simultaneously depleting the very foundations that make that prosperity possible.
A Five-Century-Old Economic Error
Restorative justice takes on a broader dimension here. It stems from a historical observation: for centuries, the economic system has assigned a price to produced goods while reducing people and nature to mere resources. The British Emancipation Act of 1833 illustrates this logic. More than 800,000 enslaved people were freed. Yet the 20 million pounds allocated compensated the slaveowners, while the freed people received no compensation. The financial value of property was recognized; the value of human life remained absent from the balance sheet.
This extractive model has not entirely disappeared. Cocoa produced in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire fuels a global industry, while producers and the regions of origin retain only a small share of the value created. Incomes remain low, forests are shrinking, and the bulk of the profits are concentrated elsewhere.
Reparations, Climate, and Inequality: A Common Root
Reparations for slavery, climate-related losses and damages, and the fight against inequality are often addressed separately. Yet these issues stem from the same mistake: counting only part of the actual wealth. In the Caribbean, this contradiction is evident. A mangrove forest may be destroyed to make a project profitable in the short term. Its ability to protect coastlines, limit storm damage, or support fisheries is not always factored into the initial calculations. When disaster strikes, the region must finance reconstruction, often through debt. The value of nature is ignored at the outset, and then its absence becomes a collective burden.
Restorative justice thus links memory, the economy, and the environment. It raises a concrete question: How can we redress a historical injustice without reproducing the same imbalances in current decisions?
Rescue, Rebuild, and Transform
Restorative justice is structured around three stages: relief, reconstruction, and repositioning. The first addresses immediate emergencies. The second restores what has been lost. The third transforms the rules so that the harm is not repeated. This final stage is crucial. Rebuilding a house on the same fault line is tantamount to setting the stage for its next collapse. Similarly, compensation scattered across isolated projects may produce temporary results without addressing the root causes of vulnerability.
Restorative justice could therefore fund additional investments: education, health care, ecosystem protection, resilient infrastructure, strong institutions, and economies capable of retaining more value within the Caribbean region. The goal would be to compensate for a loss while making its recurrence less likely.
Three Possible Changes for CARICOM
Restorative justice offers three avenues for the region. First, every major public or financial decision could assess what it creates and what it destroys in terms of the four forms of wealth. Second, reparations could be organized as a coherent portfolio of reconstruction and transformation. Finally, human and environmental costs could be incorporated into the evaluation of projects, loans, and investments.
Restorative justice would thus shift the focus of the debate. For the Caribbean, making amends for the past could become a way to protect the future, by finally treating people, nature, institutions, and infrastructure as equally valuable.
In this context, restorative justice refers to an approach aimed at acknowledging and addressing the lasting consequences of slavery and colonization. It is not limited to the payment of financial compensation; it also seeks to invest in communities, institutions, the environment, and the economy to ensure that the same inequalities do not continue to be perpetuated.
The four forms of capital are productive capital, which includes infrastructure and businesses; natural capital, such as forests, reefs, and water; human capital, which encompasses health, education, and skills; and societal capital, based on institutions, trust, and social cohesion. Sustainable development requires advancing these four forms of capital together, without enriching one at the expense of the others.
It could help fund a coherent set of initiatives in education, health, ecosystem protection, climate resilience, and infrastructure. It also involves factoring human and environmental costs into financial decisions and assessing what each project creates or destroys. These guidelines were presented to CARICOM as proposals, not as decisions that have already been adopted.
On the future EC$5 bill, the face of Grenadian Olympic champion Kirani James will appear alongside that of former Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Robert Milton Cato. This pairing encapsulates the ambition of the new series: to bring to life, through everyday gestures, the stories of those who have left their mark on the Eastern Caribbean.
On July 9, 2026, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) unveiled the new designs for the five main denominations of the regional currency. For the first time, the 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 EC dollar bills will no longer feature the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Ten figures from member countries will take her place.
A common currency for eight territories
The EC dollar is the official currency of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These eight member states share a central bank and a currency, but each retains its own national history. The new design specifically seeks to bring these narratives together without blurring them. In the Eastern Caribbean, the banknote thus becomes more than just a means of payment; it becomes a symbol of regional recognition.
Five cuts for ten courses
The $100 bill will feature Saint Lucian economist Sir William Arthur Lewis and Sir John Compton. In 1979, Arthur Lewis received the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences for his pioneering work on development. The $50 bill will feature Sir K. Dwight Venner, governor of the ECCB from 1989 to 2015, and Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw. The $20 bill will feature Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. and Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, the first woman elected prime minister in the Caribbean region.
The $10 bill will feature William Henry Bramble and James Ronald Webster. Finally, the $5 bill will feature Robert Milton Cato and Kirani James. As the 2012 Olympic 400-meter champion in London, Kirani James earned Grenada its first-ever Olympic medal.
A decision that has been in the works since 2023
The decision to make this change was not reached in a matter of weeks. On July 21, 2023, the ECCB’s Monetary Council approved the replacement of the image of Elizabeth II. The Central Bank then held public consultations between July and December 2023. According to the ECCB, these discussions revealed strong support for national heroes and the region’s founding figures. The 2026 unveiling thus reflects not only an institutional decision but also the expectations expressed in the countries concerned.
What memory do the tickets choose?
The collection tells a certain story of the Eastern Caribbean . It primarily highlights political leaders, an economist, a pioneer of monetary integration, and an athlete. These figures evoke the region’s path to independence, the building of its institutions, and the determination to establish the region’s presence on the international stage. But the list also sparks debate. Among the ten figures selected, only one is a woman: Dame Eugenia Charles. The arts, literature, and music are not directly represented. This observation does not diminish the significance of the change, but it does show that a currency alone cannot encapsulate the full richness of a region.
By replacing the monarch’s portrait with those of local figures, the Eastern Caribbean is shifting the symbolic center of its currency. They are not merely changing images: they are choosing the faces that will henceforth accompany purchases, wages, and trade. A new question then begins to circulate along with these bills: what other women, artists, thinkers, or builders might one day become part of the shared narrative of the Eastern Caribbean?
📸 @ECCB
The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is replacing the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with those of ten prominent figures from the region. This new series aims to better represent the history, achievements, and shared identity of the eight member countries that use the EC dollar.
The five banknotes will feature, among others, economist Sir Arthur Lewis, former Prime Minister Dame Eugenia Charles, former ECCB Governor Sir K. Dwight Venner, and Grenadian Olympic champion Kirani James. Each banknote will feature two regional figures.
The EC dollar is used by eight members of the Eastern Caribbean Monetary Union: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour transformed a livestream tour into a global showcase for several Caribbean territories. In just a few weeks, beaches, markets, carnivals, popular neighborhoods, natural sites and street scenes were seen by millions of young Internet users. The result goes far beyond entertainment: it raises a central question for the Caribbean. How can viral exposure be transformed into lasting benefits for the territories visited?
A tour conceived as a global digital event
Announced as a tour of 15 Caribbean destinations, the IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour included Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the US Virgin Islands. From the outset, the project did not resemble a conventional tourism campaign. It was an ongoing, unpredictable live event, driven by a very young and responsive community.
The most telling figure comes from the analysis published after the tour: over the period studied, IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour generated some 1.4 million new subscribers, 12.6 million engagements and an estimated conversational reach of 305.9 million. In other words, the Caribbean wasn’t just watched. It was commented on, shared, replayed, discussed and turned into a global topic on social platforms.
Territories propelled before a young audience
The livestream results show the scale of the phenomenon. The Dominican Republic leads the way with around 7.04 million views. The Dominica, Guadeloupe, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Sint Maarten block follows with around 6.87 million views. Trinidad and Tobago reached around 4.97 million, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines around 4.95 million, and Grenada around 4.32 million. These figures should be read with caution, particularly for the Dominican Republic, where warnings of artificial traffic have been mentioned. But even with this caveat, the order of magnitude remains exceptional for territories often absent from the world’s major digital narratives.
In Trinidad and Tobago, the tour got off to a highly popular start. The visit to Port-of-Spain reportedly attracted around 3,000 people and disrupted traffic around Tragarete Road. But the real impact came from the content on show: tassa, steelpan, cricket, mas, stickfighting, Queen’s Park Oval, Peter Minshall’s presence. Trinidad and Tobago was not reduced to a tropical setting. The territory was presented through its sounds, its gestures, its crowds and its lively relationship with the street.
Saint Lucia, the most measurable example
Saint Lucia offers one of the most interesting cases for measuring tourism impact. The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority reported that the livestream had attracted over 4.4 million viewers. Its General Manager, Louis Lewis, also reported an estimated return on investment of 77 to 1. This means that, for every dollar invested, the destination estimates that it has obtained media value equivalent to $77.
The passage showed Reduit Beach, Pigeon Island, Castries Market, Derek Walcott Square, the Pitons and Sulphur Springs. This choice of locations is important. It combines postcard, heritage, downtown, nature and local experience. In the IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour review, Saint Lucia thus appears as a territory that has tried to transform buzz into a structured visibility strategy.
Antigua and Barbuda: from direct to tourist route
Antigua and Barbuda also capitalized on the exhibition. The May 3 tour attracted over 2.5 million viewers on YouTube alone, according to data reported by the tourist board. The program featured Dickenson Bay, Hellsgate, stingrays, drag racing, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Carnival, Burning Flames, the Nyabinghi community, Ffryes Beach, the Antigua Black Pineapple and Barbuda.
Here again, the highlight is not just the number of views. It’s the way in which the region has been able to tell many different stories about itself: beach, sport, music, heritage, gastronomy, spirituality and sister island. IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour has shown that a livestream can become a tourist itinerary, provided that local players know how to transform it into legible, bookable and well-relayed offers.
Jamaica, between cultural power and Generation Z
Jamaica enjoyed massive exposure. The livestream from Kingston exceeded 2.8 million views, with a peak of 194,805 live viewers, 696,349 chat messages and 34,692 new subscribers. These figures are a measure of the attention generated by IShowSpeed’s visit to an area with an already strong cultural image.
The Jamaican challenge was different. The destination didn’t need to prove that it existed culturally. Reggae, dancehall, patois, athletics, gastronomy and street culture are already recognized the world over. But IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour put this power in front of a very young audience, used to consuming the world live, without waiting for institutional campaigns.
A turning point for Caribbean tourism
The partnership with Expedia confirms that this tour is more than just a creative phenomenon. The platform has named IShowSpeed “Official Travel Partner” and launched a space where fans can follow his travels, consult content and book stays, flights or activities inspired by his travels. This is probably one of the most important lessons to be learned from the review: livestreams are becoming a tool for inspiration, and then potentially for tourism conversion.
For the Caribbean, the results are clear. IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour offered visibility that few traditional campaigns can achieve with Generation Z. But visibility isn’t enough. But visibility is not enough. Territories will now have to capture this attention, improve their official content, make their experiences accessible online, better reference the places seen in the videos and involve local players in this new image economy.
The balance sheet is therefore powerful, but incomplete. The views are there. The conversations are there. The crowds were there. The question now is whether this exposure will generate travel, bookings, revenue for local communities and a stronger place for the Caribbean in the global digital imagination. Only then will IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour go from being a viral phenomenon to a useful moment for the Caribbean territories.
The results of the IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour are first and foremost digital. The tour gave several Caribbean territories worldwide exposure to a very young audience, very active on YouTube and social networks. The figures available speak of millions of views, millions of engagements and a very high conversational reach. For the Caribbean, the main impact is therefore in terms of visibility: places, street scenes, natural sites, markets, beaches and local cultural expressions have circulated massively online. On the other hand, the real economic impact must still be measured with caution, as there is as yet no complete official record of tourist bookings or revenue generated.
Several territories took advantage of the IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour, each in their own way. Saint Lucia stands out as one of the most structured examples, with official communication around the media ROI and locations shown during the live tour. Antigua and Barbuda also turned the visit into a tourist itinerary, highlighting beaches, culture, sport, gastronomy and heritage. Jamaica benefited from strong exposure to Generation Z, while Trinidad and Tobago made its mark with street culture, steelpan, carnival and cricket. The impact varies according to each region’s ability to follow up the buzz with a clear tourism strategy.
Yes, but only if Caribbean territories turn this visibility into concrete action. A livestream can create envy, give a more spontaneous image of a territory and reach audiences difficult to reach with traditional campaigns. But for the impact to last, the places seen in the videos need to be well referenced, the experiences easy to book, tourist offices need to publish appropriate content and local players need to be involved in the spin-offs. So the IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour has opened a door: it’s now up to Caribbean destinations to convert this global attention into travel, revenue and visible benefits for local communities.
IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour opens a rare window on the Caribbean. The announcement was broadcast on April 20 on the American creator’s networks, with a live broadcast scheduled for April 25, 2026. The published list mentions fifteen destinations: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the US Virgin Islands. In the space of a few hours, this tour placed the region in an unusual position of global visibility.
IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour deserves attention for one simple reason: IShowSpeed gathers a gigantic audience. The Associated Press recalls that it surpassed 50 million subscribers on YouTube during its African tour in January 2026. At this scale, every move becomes a live event, picked up by other accounts and transformed into short sequences that circulate quickly. When an entire itinerary is devoted to the Caribbean, the territories, accents, landscapes and everyday customs enter the field of vision of an international audience.
The Caribbean as a whole
The first strength of the IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour lies in the overall picture it produces. The list combines independent states and territories, English-, French-, Spanish- and Dutch-speaking areas. This juxtaposition reminds us that the Caribbean is a multiple region, crossed by different languages and heritages, while retaining deep links.
This regional reading corresponds to a historical reality. Human, musical, commercial, religious and family circulations have existed for centuries from one island to another. Borders have shaped distinct administrations and statuses. They have never erased exchanges. In a single announcement, the Caribbean appears as a legible space for millions of people who often perceive it in a fragmented way.
Visibility through the codes of the present
The format counts almost as much as the list of destinations. IShowSpeed is all about live action, improvisation, immediate reaction and massive sharing. Its audience follows less a program than a presence. This way of filming changes the nature of the exhibition. The viewer watches streets, beaches, markets, journeys, encounters and crowd scenes as they happen.
For the Caribbean, this exhibition has a special significance. Many of the region’s territories suffer from uneven visibility in the major media circuits. The best-known benefit from a well-established image. Others remain absent from global narratives, or reduced to a few clichés. The IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour can therefore play a useful role: showing a diversity of places and atmospheres to a young public that is building its vision of the world through platforms.
An opportunity for cultural and media players
IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour is also of interest to artists, organizers, local media and creators based in the region. A tour of this scale can highlight a dancer, a musician, a culinary tradition, an urban setting, a popular event or a local personality. It can also create connections between territories that rarely communicate at this speed.
However, the added value of IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour will depend on how these moments are accompanied. A viral image attracts attention for a few hours. Serious editorial work extends this interest. It provides reference points, recalls history, clarifies political and cultural contexts, and helps us understand what we’re seeing. This is an opportunity for the Caribbean to tell the story of its plurality with greater mastery.
A visible symbolic impact
It would be premature to announce any quantified tourist effects or immediate economic spin-offs. However, one thing is clear: the Caribbean is gaining a global presence in one of today’s most popular formats.
This is where IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour really comes into its own. IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour brings together in a single movement territories that are often commented on separately. It reminds us that the region possesses a cultural, visual and social force capable of capturing attention on a grand scale. For audiences unfamiliar with the area, it can open a first door. For those who are already familiar with it, it confirms that the Caribbean remains a major hotbed of creation, circulation and energy in the contemporary world.
IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour is a tour announced by American creator IShowSpeed across several Caribbean territories. Beyond the announcement itself, this tour is attracting attention for its media scope and the visibility it can offer the region as a whole.
IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour is attracting a lot of interest because IShowSpeed is one of the most followed creators in the world. When he travels, his videos, live broadcasts and excerpts shared on the networks quickly reach an international audience, giving this tour a much wider reach than a series of stopovers.
IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour is important because it shows the Caribbean as a visible, vibrant and connected regional space. The tour links several territories in a single narrative and reminds us that the region possesses a cultural, linguistic and social richness capable of attracting attention on a large scale.
Yes, IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour can have a real cultural impact. This type of tour can highlight local landscapes, sounds, accents, lifestyles, artists and moods. It can also encourage a new way of looking at the Caribbean, particularly among a younger audience who follow world news via digital platforms.
It’s still too early to accurately measure the impact of the IShowSpeed Caribbean Tour on tourism. On the other hand, this tour can already raise the profile of the Caribbean and feed the curiosity of a global audience. This media exposure can then benefit the territories if it is intelligently relayed by cultural, tourism and media players.
On Saturday March 28, at the Centre Aquatique Pierre Samot in Le Lamentin, the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 press conference was more than just an information meeting. Over the course of an hour and a half, organizers, athletes and partners presented much more than just the sporting program: from April 3 to 8, Martinique will host the 39th edition of the Caribbean’s leading junior aquatic event, ten years after the first edition was so memorable. Twenty-four nations. Three disciplines. A home territory that knows it.
A bid driven by collective memory
In 2024, at the Caribbean Aquatics Association Congress held in the Bahamas, two bids were put forward to host the 2026 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships: Saint Lucia and Martinique. The vote was clear-cut: some thirty votes for Martinique, ten for Saint Lucia.
Behind this result is a story. The 2016 edition, the first ever to be held on home soil, left its mark on the minds of all those who were there: coaches, delegation leaders, officials. In 2024, when it came time to vote, many still remembered that week.
"It was a beautiful edition, and one that will always be remembered."
The other factor was more concrete: Sainte-Lucie did not yet have its own pool. Martinique, on the other hand, can count on the Centre Aquatique Pierre Samot in Le Lamentin, with its ten-lane Olympic pool, 800-seat grandstand and 25-meter warm-up pool. One of the best facilities in the Caribbean.
The organization also emphasized its capacity to welcome delegations from outside the basin, with several accommodation solutions mobilized in the south of the island, supplemented by other structures if necessary. This logistical aspect, rarely secondary in this type of event, reinforced the credibility of Martinique’s bid.
Three disciplines, 24 nations, a demanding format
The CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 will bring together 24 countries: 21 English-speaking Caribbean nations, plus Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyana. The swimming races will take place over four days: heats in the morning, finals in the afternoon, from Saturday April 5 to Tuesday April 8. Artistic swimming gets underway on Monday during the lunch break, with solos followed by technical events. The duets and teams round off the program on Wednesday morning. On the same Wednesday, the open water event takes place over five kilometers in the Anses d’Arlets.
Competitors: Benjamins (11-12 years), Minimes (13-14 years), Cadets (15-17 years) do not enter as individuals. They are national selections, with the best swimmers from each territory. To enter the Martinique selection, swimmers must satisfy a time grid established over the previous two seasons, which only selects swimmers capable of reaching the finals.
In the minds of the organizers, selection is based on a simple logic: to score points, you have to enter the final, and to enter the final, you have to be among the top eight times in the morning heats. In other words, the swimmers selected are supposed to have a level that enables them to play a real role in the competition, and not just participate.
The Martinique delegation at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 has 61 swimmers: 36 in racing, 12 in open water, five of whom also race, and 18 in artistic swimming. The team is led by five captains: Jean-Naël Zozime and Maxime Auguste-Charlery for boys’ racing (15-17 age group), Cyrielle Manin and Sayanne Guivissa for girls’ racing, and Nohemy Marajo for artistic swimming.
Water as starting point and destination
When asked how he got started, Jean-Naël Zozime, captain of the boys’ selection, answers straightforwardly: “I was introduced to swimming so that I wouldn’t drown. Cyrielle Manin, captain of the girls’ selection, tells much the same story: she almost drowned as a child, and that’s what led her to learn to swim.
These two testimonies, heard just a few minutes apart, say something important about this territory. Two young Martiniquans, initially frightened by the sea, who are now representing their island against twenty-three Caribbean nations. This is more than just a sporting achievement.
"Swimming is a tough sport. You can't expect it to be easy, but with a lot of perseverance, anyone can do it."
Nohemy Marajo, artistic swimming captain, has been practicing for ten years a discipline that the public still knows little about. She explains it concretely: learning choreographies on dry land, rehearsing them in the water, controlling your breathing under the surface while your legs draw figures above. It’s a sport that’s as technically demanding as it is physically demanding, and has as much to do with ballet as it does with endurance.
"You have to know how to endure, how to save every last breath to finish the choreography."
The conference of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 also pointed out that artistic swimming is still a confidential discipline in the Caribbean, due to the infrastructure it requires and the level of preparation required. It requires three-dimensional work and very thorough technical preparation, as well as the support of outside professionals, particularly in dance and gymnastic preparation. For the supervisors, the challenge of CARIFTA is twofold: to support those who are already practising and to encourage new vocations.
What the coaching team observes in these youngsters is a constant: they train, take their exams, compete at weekends, and do it all over again. “Generally, swimmers perform well in their studies too, because they’ve worked on this rigor on a daily basis.” What you learn in the pool also applies elsewhere, and the organizers insist on this daily requirement: it’s not enough to qualify, you have to be able to show up on the day, in a sport where regularity and discipline count as much as talent.
Medals from the hands of the island
The way an event rewards its champions often says a lot about what it stands for. At the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026, the medals were made in Martinique from noble woods: pearwood for gold, mao bleu for silver, mao ghani for bronze. A craftsman from the Nord-Atlantique region produced them, Joseph Galliard signed the engravings, and a local seamstress made the pouches in the three colors of the Martinican flag.
The initiative was spearheaded by the event’s godmother, Coralie Balmy, a former top-level swimmer who had taken part in the CARIFTA four times in her career. An eco-responsible and identity-affirming initiative, hailed as a first on the Caribbean scale.
Every Caribbean athlete who reaches the podium at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 will leave with a piece of Martinique, a unique medal made by local craftsmen, unlike any other.
The conference also specified that trophies would accompany these awards, and that the medals had yet to receive their lanyards before the competition opened. Here too, the aim is clear: to make each award a sporting, local and symbolic object.
A week that mobilizes the whole territory
The CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 won’t just be played out in the pools. Between 1,500 and 1,800 people are arriving in Martinique: swimmers, staff and families spread out over several hotels in the south of the island. Every day, around 150 volunteers ensure the smooth running of the event: former swimmers, parents, locals who sometimes have no direct connection with swimming, but who wanted to get involved.
Among them, the officials play a decisive role: some 26 officials from the Caribbean will reinforce the Martinique officials, bringing the number of people around the pool to around fifty for each morning and afternoon meeting. In addition, there will be first-aid attendants, reception teams, people in charge of awards, delegation escorts and areas open to the public.
Welcoming delegations to the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 was also thought through in detail. They all had to arrive on April 2, at different times of the day, sometimes very early in the morning, sometimes late at night. In conjunction with the transport company and SAMAC, a precise plan was drawn up at the airport to ensure smooth exits, transfers to buses and settling into accommodation, with particular attention paid to meals depending on the time of arrival.
The opening ceremony of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026, on Friday April 3 at the Georges Gratiant stadium, is free and open to all: 2,800 seats to fill. The group “Nou Pa Sav” will accompany the parade of delegations. On Saturday, April 4, Les Hommes d’Argile will be on hand as the delegations arrive on site, offering a strong cultural backdrop intended as a symbolic first encounter with Martinican identity. Throughout the week, Martinican cultural groups will be on hand to ensure that visitors leave with a living image of the region, not just competition results.
The CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 ceremony is scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 p.m., and will be broadcast on a giant screen, as well as relayed by media partners and via YouTube for wider distribution in the Caribbean. The ambition is clear: to make Martinique the center of the Caribbean for the duration of the event.
In addition to sport, the organizers of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 also have an economic and cultural objective. Bringing in up to 1,800 people means filling accommodation, generating consumption, encouraging car rentals and putting the hotel and restaurant sectors to work. It’s also a way of showcasing Martinique’s culture, notably through the entertainment planned for the opening ceremony and the arrival of the delegations.
The open water event at Anses d’Arlets also serves as a reminder that the sea is a living, fragile environment that deserves protection. The association’s representative at the conference sums up its mission simply: “learn to swim to discover the seas and protect them.”
This educational dimension goes beyond drowning prevention. It also touches on the appropriation of water by the people of Martinique, the discovery of the discipline by the youngest and the broader desire to reinforce the region’s aquatic culture in the long term.
An assertive island
A phrase uttered at the end of the conference sums up the general mood: “We’re ready, and we’ll make the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 a collective success and a great source of pride for our region.”
What the delegations take away with them on the evening of April 8 is more than just a ranking. It’s an image of Martinique, a territory that knows how to welcome, organize and assert its identity. For six days, the whole Caribbean will be there. It’s up to Martinique to show what it can do.
But the organizers of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 also want to leave their mark after the event. The Ligue de Natation de Martinique ended the 2024-2025 season with some 2,540 members, around ten affiliated clubs and, generally speaking, 7 to 8 clubs involved in competition. With this in mind, the CARIFTAs are not intended as a parenthesis, but rather as a possible catalyst to encourage vocations, boost membership and establish swimming as a permanent fixture on the Martinique sports scene.
The organizers of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 have also chosen not to reproduce the large village of 2016. In 2026, the activities surrounding the competition are to be more focused, with one day in particular being highlighted, in order to concentrate energy and attendance rather than scattering the highlights.
The CARIFTA Aquatics Championships 2026 is the 39th edition of the Caribbean’s leading junior aquatic event, held in Martinique from April 3 to 8. Twenty-four nations are taking part in racing, artistic and open water swimming, in categories ranging from 11 to 17 years of age.
The swimming race and artistic swimming events take place at the Centre Aquatique Pierre Samot in Le Lamentin. The 5-kilometer open water event takes place in Anses d’Arlets on Wednesday April 8.
Tickets are available on cariftamartinique2026.com and on the Ligue de Natation de Martinique social networks. Prices: €10 in the morning, €20 in the afternoon for adults, 4-day pass at €125. The opening ceremony at the Georges Gratiant stadium is free of charge.
Twenty-four countries are taking part: 21 English-speaking Caribbean nations, plus Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyana.
The Martinique squad is led by five captains: Jean-Naël Zozime and Maxime Auguste-Charlery for boys’ racing, Cyrielle Manin and Sayanne Guivissa for girls’ racing, and Nohemy Marajo for artistic swimming.
From May 22 to 27, 2026 Grenada will host a new edition of the Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026. Over the years, this event has become one of the most unique on the island’s gastronomic and cultural calendar. The theme of this year’s event is an ambitious one: “Reimagining Caribbean Cocoa – From Roots to Renaissance”, an invitation to rethink cocoa from its historical roots and imagine new perspectives.
For six days, producers, chocolatiers, chefs, artisans, researchers, locals and visitors from all over the world come together to celebrate cocoa in all its forms: agriculture, gastronomy, well-being, creation and cultural transmission. More than just a gourmet festival, Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 offers a complete immersion in the world of Grenadian cocoa, from the plantations to the artisanal creations that have made the island’s chocolate world famous.
A story born of a passion for Grenadian cocoa
Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 is part of a story that began in 2014, when Grenada decided to put the spotlight on one of its most precious agricultural heritages: cocoa.
The festival was conceived to promote the “tree-to-bar “tree-to-bar”, an approach that involves mastering every stage of chocolate production, from growing the cocoa to making the bar. This vision was developed in Grenada by a number of entrepreneurs and craftsmen who were convinced that cocoa could become a true symbol of the island’s identity.
Among the key figures in this story are Mott Green founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company, whose commitment to sustainable, artisanal, solar-powered chocolate has had a profound impact on the development of the industry on the island. Since its inception, the festival has pursued a clear objective: to enable visitors and locals alike to understand the complete cocoa journey, from plantation to finished product, while promoting the farmers, artisans and communities who perpetuate this know-how.
A festival that grew with the cocoa industry
Over the years, the festival has gradually gained international recognition in the world of artisan chocolate and gastronomic tourism. Today, each edition attracts fine cocoa experts, chefs, culinary innovators and local producers, as well as visitors from the Caribbean, Europe and North America.
This development also reflects the transformation of Grenada’s cocoa sector. The island is now renowned for the quality of its cocoa and for the presence of several companies specializing in the production of artisanal chocolate. Against this backdrop, Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 is part of a wider dynamic: that of a region transforming its agricultural heritage into a cultural, economic and tourism driver.
The Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 program
The 2026 edition offers six days of varied activities. Each day is designed as a journey to explore cocoa from different angles. Each day is designed as a journey to explore cocoa from different angles.
May 22: festival opening and first chocolate experiences
The festival kicks off with a series of meetings and events dedicated to the cocoa industry. The first day brings together producers, specialists and enthusiasts for discussions and exchanges on the future of cocoa, while offering a number of experiments to help visitors understand the first stages of chocolate processing.
Participants can attend lectures dedicated to cocoa, discover an exhibition devoted to artisanal products, take part in a chocolate candy-making workshop or create their own chocolate bar. The day ends with a festive evening at a historic estate on the island, marking the official opening of the festival.
May 23: well-being, gastronomy and family activities
The second day focuses more on sensory experience and well-being. Cocoa is explored as a gastronomic ingredient, but also as an element associated with health, relaxation and creativity. A number of experiments are proposed around cocoa and superfoods, while a cocoa village hosts family activities and interactive workshops to discover the different flavors of chocolate.
Culinary demonstrations and tastings punctuate the day, which concludes with a gourmet dinner showcasing the products and culinary talents of Grenada.
May 24: immersion in nature and cocoa plantations
The third day invites participants to discover cocoa in its natural environment. A hike explores some of the island’s most emblematic landscapes, notably in the direction of a waterfall, while an artistic brunch offers an original encounter between gastronomy and creation. A culinary demonstration inspired by Rastafari culture also illustrates the links between cocoa, traditions and Caribbean cuisine. One of the highlights of the day is an immersive tour of a historic cocoa estate, where visitors can observe the various stages of cocoa production. The day ends with a festive chocolate party.
May 25: chocolate, perfumes and the Grenadian art of living
The fourth day of the festival highlights the Grenadian art of living. Participants can start the day with a yoga session accompanied by a cocoa butter massage, before setting off to discover some of the island’s secret beaches on a guided walk. A gastronomic tour then explores local flavors, while a cocoa and fragrance experience highlights the links between chocolate, spices and aromatherapy. A gastronomic tasting in a prestigious setting completes this day dedicated to the senses.
The day continues with a market of local artisans and artists, accompanied by musical entertainment celebrating Grenadian culture.
May 26: passing on chocolate-making know-how
The fifth day of the Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 emphasizes transmission and learning. Visitors can take part in experiments combining rum and chocolate, discover the island’s culinary specialities on a gastronomic tour, or learn how to make chocolate sweets alongside local artisans.
There are also workshops where you can plant a cocoa tree and make your own chocolate bar, giving you a hands-on experience of the work of cocoa growers and chocolatiers.
May 27: artistic creation and closing party
The final day of the festival celebrates creativity and conviviality. Participants can discover a natural spa inspired by cocoa, take part in an artistic workshop combining chocolate and spices, or create jewelry from cocoa beans. An introduction to the traditional process of making the cocoa balls used to prepare Grenadian tea also introduces participants to a culinary practice that is emblematic of the island. The festival concludes with a culinary and musical street party, marking the end of a six-day celebration of Grenadian cocoa.
A festival open to families
Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 is also designed as an event accessible to all ages. Children can take part in a number of specially adapted activities, including chocolate-making workshops, creative cocoa activities and fun activities that allow them to discover the world of chocolate in an interactive way. This family dimension contributes to making the festival a moment of intergenerational transmission of Grenadian cocoa heritage.
Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026: much more than a gourmet festival
The Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 Through plantations, workshops, culinary experiences and encounters, cocoa appears as a thread linking agriculture, crafts, tourism and cultural identity.
More than just a gastronomic celebration, the festival shows how Grenada is transforming its cocoa heritage into a living project, capable of bringing together producers, creators and visitors around the same passion. From May 22 to 27, 2026, Grenada thus confirms its role as a benchmark in the world of artisan chocolate and in the promotion of cocoa as a living heritage.
The Grenada Chocolate Fest 2026 takes place from May 22 to 27, 2026 on the island of Grenada. For six days, the festival features conferences, chocolate-making workshops, tastings, plantation tours and cultural events dedicated to cocoa.
The festival offers a wide range of experiences: chocolate-making workshops, gourmet tastings, visits to cocoa plantations, nature walks, wellness experiences, culinary tours and cultural events.
The festival showcases Grenada’s cocoa heritage, supports local producers and strengthens the island’s international reputation in the field of artisan chocolate and gastronomic tourism.
Caribbean hotel executive Janelle Hopkin was honored on the international stage at the 2026 edition of the prestigious ITB Berlin one of the world’s most important tourism industry events. On March 4, 2026, the President and CEO of the Spice Island Beach Resort received the PATWA Gold Award – Woman of the Year in Hospitality (Caribbean) at the PATWA World Tourism & Aviation Leaders’ Summit an annual summit that brings together tourism leaders, ministers and international experts.
This distinction recognizes its major role in the development and promotion of the Caribbean hotel industry worldwide. It is also part of an edition marked by several awards to Grenada, confirming the archipelago’s rise to prominence on the international tourism scene.
International recognition for Caribbean leadership
PATWA International Travel Awards organized by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association. Each year, the awards recognize the destinations, companies and personalities that are shaping the future of global tourism. Founded in 1999, this international organization of tourism journalists and experts is affiliated to UN Tourism (formerly the World Tourism Organization). The distinctions awarded by the jury are based on several criteria: leadership, innovation, contribution to sustainable development and overall impact on the industry.
For the 2026 edition, more than 550 nominations were reviewed before the selection of around 80 international winners. In this highly competitive environment, the awards won by our company are a testament to the high standards and credibility of these awards in the travel and hospitality sector. In this highly competitive context, the distinction obtained by Janelle Hopkin is a major recognition for the Caribbean and for the model of hospitality embodied by the Spice Island Beach Resort.
A woman at the helm of a symbol of Caribbean luxury
Located on the famous Grand Anse Beach the Spice Island Beach Resort is one of the region’s most renowned establishments. This independent hotel complex offers 64 elegant suites including 17 with private pool and 32 suites directly on the beach. The establishment stands out for its upscale positioning, combining Caribbean hospitality, personalized service and environmental commitment.
Founded by Sir Royston Hopkin. After the death of its founder, the management of the resort was entrusted to his daughter. After the death of its founder, the management of the resort was entrusted to his daughter. Janelle Hopkin who continues the legacy of this hotel institution. Under his leadership, the resort has retained the prestigious distinction AAA Five Diamond one of the most demanding certifications in the international hotel industry, while multiplying awards for service quality and environmental initiatives.
A vision focused on sustainable and responsible tourism
Beyond the resort’s commercial success, Janelle Hopkin’s recognition is also based on her commitment to responsible tourism.
For several years now, the manager has been promoting a hospitality model based on three pillars:
- – preserving the coastal environment
- – local community involvement
- – excellence in hotel service
In a context where island destinations are particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, this sustainable approach is becoming a strategic issue for the future of Caribbean tourism. This is in line with the global strategy of Grenada, which seeks to develop tourism based on cultural authenticity, the enhancement of its heritage and the active participation of its inhabitants.
Grenada raises its profile on the world tourism scene
Janelle Hopkin’s award is just one in a series of accolades Grenada has won at the PATWA International Travel Awards 2026.
Awards include:
- – Destination of the Year – Caribbean Experiences for Grenada
- – Tourism Minister of the Year – Sustainable Development for Adrian Thomas
- – Excellence in Destination Development for Stacey Liburd, Tourism Board Director
- – Best All-Inclusive Resort – Caribbean for Spice Island Beach Resort
These awards testify to the joint efforts of public and private players in Grenada’s tourism industry to boost the destination’s international competitiveness.
An inspiration for women in the tourism industry
In her acceptance speech, Janelle Hopkin underlined the symbolic significance of the award. In her view, this award is not just a recognition of an individual’s achievements: it highlights the leadership capacity of Caribbean women in the global tourism industry.
The hospitality sector, while highly feminized in its operational professions, is still largely dominated by men in management positions. Janelle Hopkin’s career path is helping to redefine leadership models in the international hotel industry. She also stressed the importance of training and supporting new generations of tourism professionals, a vital issue for island destinations whose economies are largely dependent on this industry.
Janelle Hopkin is President and General Manager of the Spice Island Beach Resort a luxury resort located in Grenada in the Caribbean. She took over the management of the family resort founded by her father, Sir Royston Hopkin a major figure in the island’s tourism development. Under his leadership, the establishment continues to distinguish itself for its upscale hospitality, personalized service and commitment to sustainable tourism.
In 2026, Janelle Hopkin received the PATWA Gold Award – Woman of the Year in Hospitality (Caribbean) at the PATWA World Tourism & Aviation Leaders’ Summit, held during ITB Berlin in Germany. This international distinction recognizes her leadership in the Caribbean hospitality industry, as well as her role in promoting a hospitality model based on service excellence, enhancement of local culture and sustainable tourism development.
The Spice Island Beach Resort is located on the famous Grand Anse Beach in Grenada, in the Lesser Antilles. This luxury beachfront hotel is renowned for its elegant suites, some with private pools, and for the quality of its welcome and service. One of the most renowned resorts in the Caribbean, it attracts travelers every year in search of an upscale hotel experience in an exceptional natural setting.
In Grenada, carnival is expressed first and foremost through the body, rhythm and density of the street. When silhouettes are covered in black oil, chains echo on the asphalt and the crowd moves in unison in the morning gloom, the Jab Jab is a must. More than a carnival character, he is a collective presence, a form of expression deeply rooted in the island’s social and cultural history.
In 2026, this emblematic figure will regain its centrality on the occasion of two major events: Carriacou Carnival (Kayak Mas) in February and Spicemas, Grenada’s national carnival in August. Understanding the Jab Jab allows us to read these events not as mere festivities, but as structuring moments of Grenadian identity.
The Jab Jab: a historical and symbolic construction
The term Jab derived from the word “diable” in French-influenced Creoles, should not be interpreted literally. In Grenada, it does not refer to a religious figure. It’s part of a colonial history marked by the stigmatization of black bodies, perceived as threatening, unruly or subversive.
His aesthetic is a reversal. Black, applied to the skin in the form of oil or paint, erases visible social distinctions. The horns and chains, far from being decorative, recall a history of domination, while at the same time subverting it. What was once an instrument of constraint becomes a sign of affirmation. The body, put forward without artifice, once again becomes a space for language.
J'ouvert: the moment when Jab Jab becomes fully incarnate In Grenada
In Grenada, it finds its most intense expression in the J’ouvert, the inaugural moment of carnival, which takes place at dawn. This choice of time is not insignificant. The transition from night to day marks a break, a threshold, a space where ordinary norms become blurred. The Grenadian J’ouvert is characterized by a dense collective progression, punctuated by percussion, chanting and the continuous movement of the crowd. It appears as a living mass, inseparable from the street and those who pass through it. It’s not an organized parade, but a collective dynamic in which experience takes precedence over staging.
It’s at this moment that Grenada’s Carnival asserts its Caribbean uniqueness: a festival rooted in the lived experience, before any visual or spectacular dimension.
A contemporary reading
It continues to speak in the present tense. It is neither frozen nor folklorized. It reflects a Grenadian way of conceiving carnival as a space of historical continuity.
Three dimensions still structure its scope today.
Collective memory.
Jab Jab assumes the heritage of the past without simplifying it. References to confinement, constraint and resistance are visible, audible and embodied.
Occupying public space.
The body becomes a political tool in the truest sense: it occupies the street, transforms the city and temporarily redefines the uses of urban space.
The strength of the collective.
In Jab Jab, the individual takes a back seat to the group. Energy comes not from an isolated performance, but from a shared movement, extended over time.
2026: Carriacou Carnival, another scale of Jab Jab
February 2026, Carriacou Carnival also known as Kayak Mas opens the archipelago’s carnival season. On this island to the north of Grenada, carnival retains a very community-based dimension, with local traditions playing a central role. It often takes a more restricted form, more closely linked to the island’s social dynamics. It coexists with other emblematic expressions, specific to Carriacou, which bear witness to the internal cultural diversity of the Grenadian state.
Kayak Mas thus offers a complementary reading of Jab Jab: less massive, but deeply rooted, revealing the plurality of carnival practices within the same territory.
Spicemas 2026: Jab Jab at the heart of the national carnival
August 2026, Spicemas is the highlight of the Grenadian cultural calendar. More extensive, more structured, this national carnival nevertheless remains true to its fundamentals. It retains a central place, notably during the J’ouvert on Carnival Monday.
It’s at Spicemas that Jab Jab reaches its peak. The concentration of participants, the physical intensity and continuity of movement give this moment an almost organic dimension. The contrast with the Tuesday parades, devoted to more elaborate costumes and staging, underlines the complementary nature of Grenadian carnivalesque registers.
Jab Jab as the main theme of Grenadian carnival
Through him, Grenada affirms a conception of carnival that goes beyond mere celebration. It’s a living culture, capable of linking the past to the present, the intimate to the collective, the local to the national.
In 2026, between Carriacou Carnival and Spicemas Jab Jab appears as a common thread. It crosses territories, links generations and structures the carnival calendar. Above all, it reminds us that, in the Caribbean, carnival is also a space for transmission, where history is told through the body and movement.
For those seeking to understand Grenada beyond the expected images, it offers an essential key to understanding the city. A demanding, dense, yet profoundly revealing key to Grenada’s cultural identity.
This carnival figure has its roots in the island’s colonial history. Its aesthetic, based on black, chains and the body in motion, refers to a collective memory transformed into cultural and festive expression.
During Grenada’s national carnival, it is mainly expressed during the J’ouvert, a central moment when the street becomes a space for collective gathering, marked by strong physical and symbolic intensity.
Carriacou Carnival has a more local, community-based approach, while Spicemas has a broader, national dimension. Both events, however, share a common cultural and historical backbone.
The Big Drum of Carriacou is not simply a musical expression. It is a ritual Afro-Caribbean community, deeply rooted in the history of the slave trade and the reconstruction of the identity of African populations deported to the Caribbean. On this small island in the Grenadines archipelago, drumming, singing and dancing form a common language that links the living to their ancestors. Unlike other territories, where certain practices have been transformed or folklorized, Carriacou has retained a direct and assertive relationship with its African heritage. The Big Drum remains an active social practice, integrated into the collective life and major community events.
Big Drum of Carriacou: an explicitly named African memory
One of the distinctive features is the notion of the “Nation Dance. The term “nation” here refers to the African groups of origin of the enslaved ancestors: Temne, Manding, Igbo, Kongo, Chamba, Cromanti, among others.
This explicit reference to African nations is rare in the English-speaking Caribbean. In Carriacou, it still gives structure :
- – songs,
- – drum rhythms,
- – dance steps,
- – and the ritual order of ceremonies.
Through him, the island commemorates not an abstract Africa, but a plural one. plural Africa transmitted through body, voice and rhythm.
Origins linked to slavery and cultural resistance
Big Drum of Carriacou took shape during the slave era, when music and dance became spaces for cultural spaces for cultural survival. Despite the prohibitions and violence of the colonial system, enslaved populations maintained fragments of African practices, which they recomposed in a new context.
After the abolition of slavery in the XIXᵉ century, these ceremonies did not disappear. They evolve into rituals of commemoration, homage to ancestors and social structuring. It then becomes a strong identity marker, transmitted from generation to generation.
The drum: voice, authority and sound memory
In the Big Drum of Carriacou, the drum is never a simple instrument. It is considered a living presence with symbolic authority. Large drums, made using traditional techniques, interact with secondary drums and sometimes idiophones.
Drummers play a central role:
- – they master the rhythms specific to each nation,
- – they guide the dancers,
- – they regulate ritual time.
The drum structures the ceremonial space and organizes the circulation between the sacred, the social and the collective emotion.
Responsorial songs and fragmented languages
The Big Drum of Carriacou songs are based on a call-and-response structure. A soloist leads the song, which is then taken up by the congregation. The lyrics combine :
- – creolized English,
- – fragments of African languages,
- – ritual formulas whose precise meaning has sometimes become blurred.
Even when words are no longer fully understood, their emotional emotional charge remains intact. Singing acts as a sound memory, capable of transmitting stories, values and community ties without a written medium.
Dance as a body archive
In the Big Drum of Carriacou, dance is a codified language. Each nation has its own specific movements:
- – hip work,
- – circular movements,
- – bust postures oriented towards the earth,
- – symbolic hand and arm gestures.
Dance expresses respect for ancestors, collective joy and contemporary social dynamics. In this way, bodies become veritable living archives. These are the living archives of an African memory recreated in the Caribbean.
Social functions and community cohesion
It plays an essential role in the island’s social life. It is involved in :
- – funerals and commemorations,
- – community celebrations,
- – major cultural gatherings.
It facilitates mourning, strengthens intergenerational ties and provides a space for informal transmission. In a context marked by emigration, the Big Drum also acts as a an anchor of identity for Carriacouans living abroad.
Between spirituality, ancestrality and syncretism
Big Drum of Carriacou is part of a vision of the world in which the ancestors remain present and active. The practice combines :
- – Christian influences,
- – African cosmologies,
- – healing practices and spiritual mediation.
The line between ritual and performance is deliberately blurred. For the participants, the Big Drum is not conceived as a show, but as a way of life. relational act between the living, the community and ancestors.
Intangible heritage and contemporary issues
Today, it is attracting growing interest, particularly in the context of cultural tourism. This visibility offers economic opportunities and increased recognition, but also raises major issues:
- – risk of folklorization,
- – standardization of practices,
- – loss of control by the holders of tradition.
The central issue remains the balance between ritual preservation and openness to the world so that the Big Drum retains its symbolic depth.
Big Drum of Carriacou in the Afro-Caribbean landscape
The Big Drum of Carriacou dialogues with other major Afro-Caribbean traditions: Kumina in Jamaica, orisha drums in Trinidad, bèlè in Martinique, gwo ka in Guadeloupe, vodou rituals in Haiti. Its uniqueness lies in the centrality of named African nations still active in the collective imagination.
The Big Drum of Carriacou embodies a Caribbean that has transformed the history of slavery into shared memory and cultural creativity. Preserving it means supporting tradition-bearers, documenting knowledge and recognizing the value of a practice that makes the drum a language of dignity, continuity and resistance.
This is an Afro-Caribbean ritual practiced on the island of Carriacou, part of Grenada. It combines drums, responsorial songs and codified dances to honor African ancestors and original “nations” (Temne, Igbo, Manding, Kongo, etc.). More than a performance, it is a living community practice, rooted in the memory of slavery and cultural resistance.
Its uniqueness lies in the explicit naming of African nations at the very heart of the ritual, still active in the songs, rhythms and dance steps. This continuity of memory, rare in the English-speaking Caribbean, makes Big Drum Carriacou a particularly identifiable and preserved intangible heritage, transmitted mainly through oral tradition.
Yes, Big Drum of Carriacou is played at community events (memorials, funerals, local celebrations) and cultural festivals. Access, however, requires respect. It’s a ritual with a spiritual dimension. Cultural tourism initiatives today favor supervised formats to avoid folklorization and ensure that local communities retain control over their practices.
The Rézo 2025 seminar, held in Grenada, brought together the directors of the Alliances Françaises of the English-speaking Caribbean, with the same ambition: to consolidate the links between the territories and reinforce the vitality of the French-speaking world in the region.
Having explored the institutional and strategic vision of this regional cooperation in the previous article, “The Alliances Françaises network at the heart of the Caribbean: cooperating, innovating, sharing”, Richès Karayib now turns the spotlight on those who are at its beating heart.
For several days, the participants shared their experiences, challenges and successes, revealing a common conviction: to bring culture and the French-speaking world closer to the people of the Caribbean via the Alliances Françaises.
An essential meeting for a fragmented network
Each Alliance Française operates on an island, often geographically isolated. This seminar, organized with the support of the Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle (SCAC) of the French Embassy in Saint Lucia, was a breath of fresh air for the Alliance Française network. The directors emphasized that these meetings are an essential step: they enable them to exchange tools, compare local realities and together find concrete solutions to shared challenges. They all emphasized the strength of the collective, the richness of exchanges in an English-speaking environment and the complementarity of approaches between territories.
These moments offer both a human and a formative dimension: they re-energize, reinforce solidarity and remind us that, despite the diversity of contexts, the Alliances Françaises move forward with the same ambition – to make the French-speaking world live and shine in the Caribbean. From an institutional point of view, Christiane Bourgeois, Cooperation and Cultural Action Advisor, reminded us that this annual seminar is the only time when all the directors can get together to discuss successes, difficulties and common perspectives.
Nine territories, nine realities, but the same conviction: these times of exchange are essential to maintain the network’s momentum and strengthen cooperation in the Caribbean. Beyond these collective exchanges, it is in the field that the vitality of the Alliances Françaises network takes on its full meaning. Each Alliance Française acts in its own way, in line with the realities of its environment and the languages and cultures of its territory.
A deep-rooted network: ten Alliances, one commitment
Although their contexts differ, the Alliances Françaises of the English-speaking Caribbean share the same vocation: to teach, connect and bring the French-speaking world to life on a daily basis. They adapt to local realities with the same conviction: culture and language are levers for social cohesion, openness and the future.
Grenade – Ilona Forte-Gilbert: teaching differently, connecting differently
The Alliance Française de Grenade operates without permanent premises, a situation that Ilona Forte-Gilbert has turned into an asset.
Courses are now offered online, helping to maintain the French language’s presence and reach new audiences. The Alliance is also involved in schools through educational and cultural activities carried out in partnership with teachers. Out-of-home screenings and workshops keep us in touch with the community.
“Our priority is to remain present and useful, even without a building. Digital technology and partnerships enable us to keep the Alliance going.”
Saint Lucia – Aurélie Gbeffa: coordinating and federating
In Saint Lucia, Aurélie Gbeffa runs the local Alliance and is responsible for regional coordination of the ten Alliances Françaises in the Eastern Caribbean. She assists managers with communication, pooling, associative governance, digital transition and cultural revitalization.
It also pilots the Rézo project, an annual seminar supported by the SCAC, which has become a key event for cohesion and collective reflection. In Castries, the Alliance Française de Sainte-Lucie combines language courses, cultural activities and Creole language promotion through exhibitions and workshops.
“Our strength lies in moving forward together while valuing the cultural diversity of our islands.”
Barbados – Océane Gaillard: promoting French in an English-speaking environment
In Barbados, the Alliance Française acts as a linguistic and cultural bridge. Under the leadership of Océane Gaillard, it has consolidated its foothold in a predominantly English-speaking environment. Educational programs have been set up for schools and adults, and the Alliance has trained members of the Regional Security System in French and Haitian Creole.
On the cultural front, it has welcomed the Guianese troupe Ôtepé, and is developing a program open to different French-speaking expressions.
“We represent a plural Francophonie: France, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. Culture is our best lever for inspiring the desire to learn.”
Trinidad & Tobago – Anyka Batista: an open and inclusive francophonie
In Trinidad & Tobago, Anyka Batista defends an inclusive and creative Francophonie, which values local languages as much as French. Every October, Creole Heritage Month brings together screenings, conferences and concerts, reflecting a strong commitment to cultural diversity.
The Alliance Française also offers courses for children, teenagers and adults, as well as cultural evenings that encourage encounters between communities. Challenges related to visibility and funding persist, but are offset by a collaborative approach with local schools and institutions.
“We want the Francophonie to be seen as part of our culture, not something external.”
Jamaïque – Clovis Lemée: creating living spaces
In Jamaica, Clovis Lemée is revitalizing a historic Alliance Française, transforming it into a place for living and creating. The Language Exchanges, monthly multilingual evenings, bring together a varied public around cultural themes, while the French Library Sessions – mini-concerts filmed in the media library – turn language into a tool for encounters and artistic expression.
“Learning a language is about creating links. That’s what the Alliances Françaises are all about.”
This cultural dynamic is attracting a younger audience and helping to restore the French language to its rightful place in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Saint-Kitts & Nevis – Lucille Caulliez : education and ecology
The Alliance Française de Saint-Kitts & Nevis combines language learning with civic engagement. Her Naturally Learn French project, supported by a grant from the French Embassy to the Eastern Caribbean, Barbados and the OECS, offered six months of free tuition to twelve teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds, combining French language discovery, ecological workshops and cultural activities. Each month, participants explored local ecosystems, cultivated a garden, created with recycled materials or exchanged online with students from Guadeloupe – a concrete and lively way to learn the language while forging links in the Caribbean.
This project, which earned the Alliance the Green Alliance Award from the Global Environment Facility, illustrates the vitality of an open, sustainable and youth-oriented French-speaking community. She is also developing Francoscop, an audiovisual series produced by young people, dedicated to the French-speaking world.
Director Lucille Caulliez sums up the spirit of the program:
“We want to show that French is a tool for openness and creativity.”
Dominique – Cévinne M’Voula-Henderson: connecting languages and cultures
Established in 1965, the Alliance Française de la Dominique is active in the educational and cultural fields. The Creole & French Spelling Bees, bilingual spelling contests, encourage students to play with the two languages, understand their complementarity and take pride in them. Training workshops and cultural activities support the enhancement of Creole heritage while promoting the French language.
“The aim is to make French and Creole languages of pride and transmission.”
Guyana – Déborah First-Quao: rebuilding and training
In Georgetown, Déborah First-Quao, recently appointed to Guyana, is re-launching a long-standing but low-profile Alliance Française by focusing on training and educational partnerships. She has created a network of French teachers, developed bilingual workshops at the National Library and renewed ties with local institutions. Cultural and educational initiatives aim to put French back into everyday life, despite major logistical constraints.
“We want to restore French to its rightful place in schools, showing that it can be useful, lively and accessible.”
Suriname – Virginie Lemay: building institutional bridges
In Suriname, Virginie Lemay is strengthening links between the Alliance Française and local institutions. Language training is offered to the security forces, the Ministry of Education, businesses and the hotel industry. La Journée Française, organized with the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane, is a five-day event featuring exhibitions, professional meetings and concerts.
“French becomes a concrete tool for regional cooperation.
This cross-sectoral approach positions the Alliance Française as a key player in the dialogue between Suriname, Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean.
A shared vision: support, connect, promote
For Christiane Bourgeois, Regional Advisor for Cooperation and Cultural Action at the French Embassy in Saint Lucia, this seminar is an essential moment for consolidating the network’s ties. She points out that it’s “the only occasion of the year when we have the opportunity to meet the directors of the Alliances Françaises”, a privileged time to take stock, exchange practices and difficulties, and set up joint projects.
“The Alliances Françaises are an essential tool for embassies, especially in areas like the Caribbean, where there is no Institut Français. They are local organizations, rooted in the territory, with their own board of directors and their own strategy”. She also recalled the key role played by the Alliances in disseminating the French language and promoting dialogue between peoples, stressing that they promote the language, ensure its teaching and maintain the link between the cultural and the educational, between France and the countries of the region.
Aware of the economic fragility of the associative model, Christiane Bourgeois stresses the importance of the support provided by the Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle (SCAC) and the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Last but not least, it pays tribute to Granada, the seminar’s host, and its people:
“It’s an absolutely authentic island, with extremely friendly people. I encourage all French and Caribbean people to come to Grenada, a country that deserves to be known and appreciated.”
Where the French language comes alive
Over and above balance sheets and figures, these meetings are a reminder that the French-speaking world lives and breathes through the people who make it happen. On every island, the Alliances Françaises gather, transmit and inspire. Anchored in their reality, they build bridges between languages, cultures and generations – a living, inclusive and deeply Caribbean Francophonie.
The Alliances Françaises play a central role in French language teaching, cultural dissemination and dialogue between Caribbean territories. Anchored locally, they adapt their actions to the social, linguistic and cultural realities of each island.
The Rézo seminar is the only annual gathering of all the directors of the Alliances Françaises in the Caribbean. It enables them to share practices, strengthen regional cooperation and maintain a collective dynamic in a geographically dispersed network.
The Alliances Françaises develop tailor-made projects: online or face-to-face courses, actions in schools, ecological projects, cultural events, professional training or institutional cooperation. This adaptability is their strength in a predominantly English-speaking environment.
