Caribbean Beat - May/June 2016 Issue 139

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Inside this issue: • Events around the Caribbean in May and June, from a new music festival in Cuba to a seafood celebration in Belize • St Lucia Jazz brings artists and audiences close, and Jamaica’s Calabash Literary Festival inspires real ardour • Trinidad-based non-profit label Bene Caribe supports local charities through stylish looks • This month’s reading picks and listening selections • Every Trini cook has a recipe for corn soup. But Suzanne Bhagan learns that humble soup can cross cultural boundaries • Artists are always eager to experiment with new tools, so it’s no surprise that digital media offer them a creative playground. Nicole Smythe-Johnson explores • Omari Banks on becoming the first Anguillan to play cricket for the West Indies, knowing when it was time to make a new career in music, and the power of passion — as told to Nadja Thomas • Accidental Barbadian filmmaker Shakirah Bourne's “dream” project was the chance to adapt and direct Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a Bajan setting. Naila Folami Imoja tells the tale • Stretching 600 miles from north to south, Guyana is “the land of many waters” — but also of many landscapes. It celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Brendan de Caires, Vidyaratha Kissoon, and David Papannah take us exploring • Restless traveller Ishwar Persad is in love with Virgin Gorda — here’s why • At Tobago’s north-eastern tip, Charlotteville remains a rustic retreat, almost the epicentre of the island’s natural beauty • On her first visit to Cuba, Sharon Millar finds both the unexpected and a reassuringly familiar Caribbean vibe • When Barbuda’s coast began to suffer from decades of pollution and over fishing, the Blue Halo Initiative stepped in. Nazma Muller finds out more • The Guyanese writer Wilson Harris, celebrating his 95th birthday in 2016. James Ferguson explains how his novels bring together reality and dream • On arid Aruba, hardy cacti are traditionally used to make living fences.