Reading Time 1 minsJanuary 30, 2024 As Big Drum Nation joins the region in bidding farewell to the charismatic yet enigmatic 5th Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Basdeo Panday (1933-2024), we are reminded of [recall] his profound impact.  The Golden Fox was known for his dynamic leadership in workers’ advocacy, party politics, and national unity with a characteristic of unwavering determination, leaving deep footprints on the nation and the region. As such, we present three reflections on our recently transitioned firebrand:  in “Panday’s Legacy“, Duff Mitchell interviews Trinidad and Tobago fellow trade union leader and political… Read More »The Basdeo Panday Legacy/BDN Intro

Reading Time 10 minsJanuary 24, 2024 ‘[Panday] said I was the only man who tried to overthrow the government and the opposition and failed in both.’ On this day, a few days after the final rights ceremonies for Trinidad and Tobago’s beloved ex-Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, I got to talk with Mr. Rafique Shah. From the commencement of the interview, I knew it would be candid when I asked him, “What are your reflections on the sojourn of Basdeo Panday in the life of the people of Trinidad and Tobago?”. In a soft-spoken voice, Shah replied, “When I heard that… Read More »Reflections on the Basdeo Panday Legacy: Duff Mitchell’s Virtual Sit Down With Rafique Shah

Reading Time 6 minsJanuary 30, 2024   “The stand is like a wooden shelf after a storm…. All I can see is some broken bottles so far/ An indication the Carnival is over.”                                                                                                                          – Kitch, “The Carnival is Over”   When the speaker was summoned to the podium at the July 2008 UWI (Mona) Conference, I, in my naiveté, half expected to hear boos and catcalls, for he was a checkered career in politics. Yet, when he rose to speak before many grassroots Jamaicans and quite a few old-time radicals, there was peaceful silence throughout his presentation. Indeed, the… Read More »‘The Root of Our Trouble’: The Crisis of Leadership in Trinidad and Tobago? — Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 3 minsBASDEO PANDAY – IS THE ENIGMA ANSWERED? The first volume of speeches by Basdeo Panday is titled An Enigma Answered. The dictionaries tell us enigma means: – a person, thing or situation that is mysterious and difficult to understand synonym mystery, puzzle. Even after years he still remains an enigma to me. “1: something hard to understand or explain 2: an inscrutable or mysterious person”. In death as in life, Basdeo Panday, remains a person and personality not easily understood. From some of the comments I have heard and read since his passing, there are those who are… Read More »BASDEO PANDAY – IS THE ENIGMA ANSWERED? — Clyde Weatherhead

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Reading Time 1 minsDecember 22, 2023 Fueled by nationalist passion, the Guyana – Venezuela conflict is currently one of the gravest threats to peace in the Caribbean and Latin American region. In “Guyana and Venezuela Playing a Dangerous Zero-Sum Game,” Clyde Weatherhead unpacks the danger of brinkmanship, a game in which Guyana’s ‘gain’ is equivalent to Venezuela’s. So, the net change in wealth or benefit is a moot, only mutual destruction. In “The Caribbean: A Zone of Peace, not a Battlefield for Imperialist Ambitions,” Martin P. Felix explores how the region can avoid this trajectory and emerge as a symbol… Read More »The Caribbean: A Zone of Peace!

Reading Time 4 minsDecember 22, 2023 ‘The OAS and other military pacts are multilateral. The escalating presence of the US military, its Southern Command, military exercises, etc, is only the other side of the coin of Venezuela’s military build-up. Both engage in dangerous saber-rattling and push toward military conflict rather than a win-win negotiated resolution. The US must not be allowed to push this region into the kind of savage war that is going on in the Middle East right now.’ The goal of conflict resolution is to arrive at a resolution that is beneficial to all the parties. This… Read More »Guyana and Venezuela Playing a Dangerous Zero-Sum Game — Clyde Weatherhead

Reading Time 10 minsDecember 21, 2023 ‘Perhaps the most extensive injustice is that the indigenous people of the region, who have experienced genocide and have otherwise been historically marginalized, have not been considered in these decisions. Neither are the issues of exploitation and rape of the indigenous people of the Essequibo region, cross-border crime, migration issues, and the environmental threat to an area that is regarded as one of the best-preserved parts of the Amazon biome.’   In his infamous Star Wars speech on March 10, 1983, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan declared in no uncertain terms that his administration… Read More »The Caribbean: A Zone of Peace, Not a Battlefield for Imperial Ambitions — Martin P. Felix

Reading Time 2 minsOctober 28, 2023   Persophone DaCosta Winner Brooklyn’s 2022 Citywide Flag Award For Teaching Excellence.   “My body starts to move[in the pool]. Any stress, anxiety, sadness, or illness… dissipate. Flags … waving in the air, waistlines rotating… It is more than exercise, more than a workout. This is how I Self-Care and Care for My Community Of Sisters.” Join award-winning Batingua Arts Artistic Director Persephone DaCosta in an in-person Community Caribbean Fitness Session at Mierlyin Dance Studio, Valley Stream, NY, today at 9:30 a.m. and Virtually next week, November 4, 2023, at the same time. Last… Read More »Dancing & Drumming Through the Fall: The Healing and Empowering Powers of Afro-Caribbean Music With Persophone DaCosta/BDN EDITORS

Reading Time 5 mins August 31, 2023 “David is the only person in the Caribbean who has ever been imprisoned for writing a letter.”   What a mind, David’s capacity to overcome obstacles and keep his focus. I sense that he has been doing that since early childhood. For sure, this was very present in his accomplishments at Sandhurst. In that racist institution, he was awarded the stick for being the top Overseas Cadet of his intake. You can read Overseas to mean black, brown, and yellow skin color officer cadets. On his return to Trinidad, there was no acknowledgment… Read More »Lieutenant David Brizan, That Stoic, Elusive Warrior – Rex Lassalle