Contents 17
68
EMBARK
ARRIVE
80 Layover
17 Datebook
68 Offtrack
As one of the Caribbean’s most popular tourist destinations, Barbados is also a major hub for international flights to the region. Our guide to exploring the island when time is tight
Events around the Caribbean in March and April, from a river race in Belize to St Patrick’s Day in St Croix — plus a drum festival, kite-flying, and cricket
Pakaraima bound
Whether you experience it on stage or from the audience, Trinidad and Tobago’s national spoken word poetry slam is full of thrills
The spectacular Pakaraima Mountains, near Guyana’s border with Brazil and Venezuela, are a landscape of dramatic table-top mountains, rolling valleys, and remote villages. It’s not an easy part of the world for outsiders to visit. But the annual Pakaraima Mountain Safari attracts visitors hungry for adventure — like Neil Marks
26 The look
78 neighbourhood
24 Word of Mouth
Trinidadian swimwear designer Chandra Maharaj makes a seamlessly elegant transition to Carnival Monday wear
28 Bookshelf, playlist, and screenshots This month’s reading, listening, and film-watching picks, in our books, music, and film columns
Port Elizabeth, Bequia The capital of the second-largest of the Grenadine Islands is a haven for yachties — but also for artists and foodies
Bridgetown, Barbados
ENGAGE 82 inspire
Inner-city art For middle-class Jamaicans and tourists alike, downtown Kingston, with its deprived communities, can seem off-limits. So when a group of young artists began a public mural project in the Fleet Street area, it wasn’t just about beautifying the neighbourhood, writes Tanya Batson-Savage. It was really about opening opportunities for local residents
IMMERSE
34 Cookup
38 caribbean beat turns 25
From Jamaican goat to Trini doubles, curry is one of the definitive flavours of the Caribbean. There are hundreds of curry blends around the world — what are the Caribbean’s best, and how are they evolving? Franka Philip finds out
As Caribbean Beat marks its twenty-fifth anniversary, we look back at our coverage of Caribbean people, arts, and culture since 1992. Lots has changed — in the magazine, in our region, in the wider world — in the past quarter-century. What hasn’t changed is our mission to share the stories of the Caribbean’s best and brightest, from a Caribbean perspective, for a Caribbean audience. You can see it in the covers of the 144 issues we’ve published over the years — and the stories behind those images
A compendium of curry
8
No. 144 March/April 2017
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The beat goes on