On the 66th anniversary of the United States (US)-imposed embargo on Cuba, 11 former heads of government in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have written an open letter to nations around the world, urging them to support a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week. The letter urges all member states to vote… Continue reading Caribbean ex-PMs call for end to Cuba embargo
Celebrated Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison has added another prestigious international honour to an already distinguished literary career, winning the 2026 Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry for her ground-breaking new translation of the 14th-century classic, Dante’s Inferno.
Goodison, Jamaica’s first female Poet Laureate, serving from 2017 to 2020, receives the US$2,000 prize for a work that boldly transports Dante’s epic journey into a Caribbean landscape, drawing deeply on Jamaican language, culture, history and identity.
The annual Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry, presented in partnership with the Derek Walcott Estate and the Derek Walcott Festival in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, recognises a full-length book of poems by a living poet who is not a United States citizen, published during the previous calendar year.
Reconstructing the Archives of Slavery dispersed across Africa, Caribbean, Europe and the Americas Artificial Intelligence plays a pivotal role in transforming how societies preserve, reconnect, reinterpret and share their cultural memory. Reconstructing the shared, yet fragmented, dispersed historical records of slavery through critical AI processes has the power to restore lost memory and stolen, disconnected… Continue reading AI for Digital Heritage and Memory Resilience
ACCRA, Ghana — Former Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson has issued a blunt challenge to Africa, the Caribbean, and the worldwide African diaspora: stop leaning on goodwill and start organising power, or watch others keep capturing the value of African resources, labour and talent in a world where “right is replaced by might”. Addressing the… Continue reading Unite or watch others profit, Patterson tells Africa and Caribbean
Written by Omar Ryan, communication and outreach coordinator at the PJ Patterson Institute for Africa Caribbean Advocacy. Jamaica is a beautiful country, blessed not only with its flora, fauna, beaches, and rivers, but also with its people. Our creativity, courage, resilience, and ingenuity have enabled Jamaicans to make a significant impact on the global stage.… Continue reading Make Caribbean history and social studies compulsory in Jamaica’s schools
The following is an Open Letter To The Hon. C. Everald Warmington, Member of Parliament (MP) for Southwestern, St. Catherine. Original signed by Cikiah Thomas, Ambassador General, Global Afrikan Congress (GAC) Dear Honorable Mr. Warmington: The Global Afrikan Congress (GAC) writes to you publicly because of the statements you recently made in the House of… Continue reading History Cannot Be Rewritten In The Jamaican Parliament
By Professor Paulette A. Ramsay (Ph.D.), Research Fellow I was greatly shocked by the news of the death of the young Tooro King of Uganda, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. I do recall the fascinating report of his coronation as a three-year-old child in 1995. The images of this young child being crowned… Continue reading It Took the Death of a King: Reflections on King Oyo’s Legacy
On Wednesday, September 16, the P.J. Patterson Institute for Africa-Caribbean Advocacy (INAFRICARA), in collaboration with the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank and The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus Main Library, launched the KGOTLA African Art Exhibition at the UWI Main Library. The opening ceremony was held in the Multifunctional Room… Continue reading Kgotla! African Art and Artefact Exhibition launched at The UWI Main Library