Reading Time 2 minsOctober 14, 2024   ‘As a young man, I faced the world bravely and confidently because of my education on the street.’   Two points in the discourse on The Campus Yard Interview resonated deeply. Gibbons’ portrayal of the ‘lime’ as a form of theatre instantly transported me to a vibrant era in Success Village, Laventille, a time and space when our community thrived. Liming was a pastime and a catalyst for flourishing sports and cultural activities: the numerous football and cricket teams; the iconic steel bands like Highlanders and Savoys, the festive Carnival and Christmas bands;… Read More »A Reflection on Rawle Gibbons’ Caribbean Campus Yard Interview – Monty Guy

Reading Time 7 mins November 5, 2024 “The optics from Tim Walz is still an old white male… I think this country does not want to see old white males right at the forefront right now… The language of politics is dead.” — Charlemagne, The God*   Today might be the most significant election in my lifetime. I am an immigrant and a former high school Social Studies teacher. When I look in the mirror, I see that I am no longer retired but must enlist in an army of teachers, former students, and other people of conscience to save our… Read More »V. P. WALZ, FOMENTING STUDENT ACTIVISM/Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 1 mins October 14, 2024   As we commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S.A. today, The Big Drum Nation Collective is delighted to highlight Caribbean Yard Campus, an innovative educational enterprise designed to network traditional knowledge systems in the Caribbean. The great cultural diversity of the Caribbean has bequeathed its people’s ways of being, seeing, knowing, and doing, which are informed by places of origin, historical conditions of arrival in the Caribbean, and encounters with other cultures in this space.  This body of knowledge and lived experiences, know-how, wisdom, and values constitutes traditional and indigenous knowledge that continues to shape… Read More »Caribbean Yard Campus

Reading Time 4 mins September 16, 2024 Lately, I’ve contemplated national mottos, those of North and South America and the Caribbean. I thought that forging a collective identity was a significant component of nation-building in these parts. To my mind, all of these countries in the New World were populated by some combination of indigenous natives and immigrants from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and just about anywhere else. They were smashed together by European colonialism and its genocide, slavery, racial oppression, and immigration. As such, I expected all, or most, would have had a motto addressing the central… Read More »FORGING A COLLECTIVE IDENTITY: TOGETHER WE ASPIRE — KIM JOHNSON

Reading Time 1 minsJuly 27, 2024 “This is my land, that’s why I am fighting for it,” Abu Bakr “We are still depending on demonstrations, placards, and the ballot box to get people out of office,” Black Stalin Given the historical nature of Attack With Full Forec, Ancil Antoine’s reflections on 1990–of which he was a central actor–Anthony Pantaleon takes another look, suggesting that “the most important aspect of this book is… Yasin Abu Bakr’s miscalculation that because there was political and economic discontent in T & T, all societal actors, including the security forces, would embrace… his ragtag band… Read More »“ATTACK WITH FULL FORCE,” REVIEWED/BDN INTRODUCTION

Reading Time 2 minsJuly 27, 2024 ‘Curiously, the author did not consider Bernadette James’s death as the trigger that inspired the Jamaat to attempt to overthrow the Government of T & T.’ Ancil Antoine, the author of Attack With Force, was one of the military leaders involved in suppressing the insurrection undertaken by the Jamat Al Muslimeen, led by Imam Yasin Abubakr. Antoine aimed to document the T&T Regiment’s role in “detonating” the attempted Coup. He outlined the political and economic context and provided an excellent overview of the regiment’s history. However, it would have been more informative to discuss… Read More »‘ATTACK WITH FULL FORCE’, by Ancil Wayne Antoine/Anthony Pantaleon

Reading Time 1 minsJuly 24, 2024 Not since 1968 has the potential of dire problems in the Democratic Convention been more volatile. Though coronation is in the air, there’s still the potential for an upsurge. In getting to the heart of the issue, we present three viewpoints, Kanene Holder’s “Bigger Than Biden,” and Camonghne Felix’s “Uncommitted Voters are Not Apathetic: The Democratic Party is“, both written before Biden’s withdrawal from the ‘The Presidential Derby,’ and “Duff Mitchell’s “Peeping Below the Surface of Biden’s Decision,” written after Biden withdrew from the race. The heart of the matter is whether Biden–like the… Read More »introduction/BDN Editors

Reading Time 3 minsJuly 24, 2024* “If the Democrats were indeed about ‘democracy,’ they would have been honest, proactive, and transparent.” This is not about Biden. This is about the truth, common sense, fear, loyalty, and the future of America, but not for the reasons you think.  “Democracy is under threat”.  This is Biden forcing Democrats to do a public loyalty test to double down on why he should stay, against all common sense, fear, and logic. This is the Democrats holding the news cycle hostage instead of proactively managing the campaign and the future of the party.  Biden is… Read More »Bigger Than Biden/Kanene Holder

Reading Time 2 mins July 24, 2024 Mystic Prowler – Below The Surface ( Kaiso ) For the past eight years, the name Donald Trump has been a constant presence, for better or worse, impacting the globe and residing on everyone’s lips daily. This makes it all too easy for a slip of the tongue, like when Joe Biden said he selected Trump as Vice President because he knew SHE was qualified to be the President. Where are the experts who can analyze how easy it is to slip up with the name Trump, especially when there’s misguided pressure to… Read More »PEEPING BELOW THE SURFACE OF BIDEN’SDECISION/DUFF MITCHELL

Reading Time 2 minsJuly 26. 2024 “The [Butcher] family’s legacy is a national success story and a World Record, showcasing the power of talent, passion, and dedication.” As the world converges on Paris today for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Caribbean region is poised to make its mark on the global stage with the largest contingent of athletes from regional nations as they compete in an unprecedented diverse range of events. From the sprinting powerhouses of Jamaica, Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago to the emerging talents of BVI, Grenada, Dominica, and St Lucia, Caribbean athletes will display the region’s rich… Read More »The Butcher Family of Trinidad and Tobago: A Legacy of Sporting Excellenece/Compiled by Rick Butcher