Carib Scope

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  • Land Deal Linked to Swing Bridge Plan, Smart Strategy or Risk?

    Land Deal Linked to Swing Bridge Plan, Smart Strategy or Risk?

    Dated May 13, 2026, a series of major infrastructure projects across Belize are moving forward, led by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development & Housing (MIDH), with a high-value downtown land acquisition drawing both support and public scrutiny. The Belizean government has closed a deal to purchase the San Cas Bottom Dollar property, a coveted plot on Belize City’s North Front Street, for $5 million Belize dollars – a full $3 million below the original asking price of $8 million. MIDH Chief Engineer Evondale Moody frames the purchase not as a standalone real estate transaction, but as a core component of a long-term infrastructure strategy centered on the upcoming Swing Bridge replacement project.

    According to Moody, project planners discovered that critical Belize Water Services (BWS) water and sewer mains run directly through the easement between Prosser and the Bottom Dollar parking lot, which falls exactly along the planned alignment for the new bridge structure spanning Haulover Creek to connect to Regent Street West. Moving these major utilities, which run beneath the creek bed, would have cost taxpayers an estimated $3 million alone. After a month of negotiations with the property’s owners, MIDH recommended the government acquire the three-parcel site instead of covering the relocation costs.

    The proposal was further bolstered by existing allocated funding: the project’s grant agreement already sets aside $1 million to provide office space for the Japanese contractor hired to lead the bridge work. Once construction wraps, Moody explains, the property will first serve as on-site storage for the contractor during the bridge build, and the government will retain full control of the land for future public use after project completion. While the $5 million price tag has drawn surprise from some observers, MIDH officials argue the purchase eliminates massive utility relocation costs, streamlines project timelines, and leaves the government with a valuable public asset in the long run, making the investment a net gain for public funds.

    The land purchase is just one component of a broader wave of infrastructure modernization across Belize City, which is also displacing local businesses and vendors near the adjacent BelCan Bridge upgrade project. As pre-construction preparations accelerate, MIDH has partnered with the Belize City Council to clear the project alignment, issuing formal relocation notices to nearby vendors and car dealerships. Many auto businesses have already relocated, and the council has committed to moving remaining vendors – including the well-known local spot Tony’s Barbeque – within a 30-day timeline laid out by MIDH.

    Moody confirmed he has corresponded with Belize City’s mayor regarding two key vendor clusters: one near the taxi stand behind Save U, and another at a shed located on the southside of the bridge near BWS facilities. The mayor has responded in good faith, confirming relocation efforts are underway to meet the deadline. The new BelCan Bridge will be wider than the existing structure, requiring the city to reclaim the current riverfront stretch for expanded approaches and fully repave the connecting roads to integrate with the new crossing. Project designers have also confirmed the Save U entrance along Central American Boulevard will be retained in the final design to preserve public access to the corridor.

    Beyond the two bridge projects, MIDH has also issued a formal deadline for clearing unapproved structures along another key artery: the George Price Highway between Belize City and Hattieville. As part of the first lot upgrade of the highway, being carried out by contractor Cisco Construction, the ministry has ordered all private business signs and personal roadside memorials removed by June 12. Moody acknowledged the emotional significance of many roadside memorials, but noted the project requires a fully cleared right-of-way to accommodate the planned upgrades.

    Cisco Construction is currently working across three active segments of the highway: between Western Avenue and Faber’s Road, between mile four and five in the Old Belize area, and between mile eight and 10 near the local airboat operations. Moody explained that any signs or memorials remaining on the road reserve after the June 12 deadline will be removed by the contractor to keep the project on schedule.

    The coordinated rollout of these three interconnected projects marks one of the largest infrastructure pushes in Belize in recent years, with MIDH framing the moves as necessary investments to modernize the country’s busiest transportation corridors while minimizing long-term costs to taxpayers.

  • Gold Museum in Cotuí advances with US$1.3 million investment from Barrick Pueblo Viejo

    Gold Museum in Cotuí advances with US$1.3 million investment from Barrick Pueblo Viejo

    In the Dominican province of Sánchez Ramírez, a landmark cultural initiative is taking shape: the construction of the Cotuí Gold Museum, a joint project between mining giant Barrick Pueblo Viejo and the Dominican national government, is progressing steadily on schedule. Backed by a total investment of $1.3 million, the project was conceived to fill a long-standing gap in preserving the region’s deep-rooted mining heritage while creating a dynamic educational and cultural hub for both locals and visitors.

    Once completed, the museum will tell the comprehensive story of gold mining in Cotuí, spanning from early extraction practices to modern commercial operations. Exhibits will highlight the region’s extraordinary geological mineral wealth, trace the evolution of mining technology, and examine how mining activity has shaped the social structure and economic trajectory of the province for generations. The initiative aligns with a national strategy to strengthen local cultural identity and expand cultural tourism offerings across the country, and has received formal backing from three key government bodies: the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, the General Directorate of Mining, and the Ministry of Culture.

    Last week, a delegation of senior government officials and Barrick Pueblo Viejo executives conducted an on-site inspection of the construction progress. Both parties commended the construction team for adhering to high quality standards and keeping the project aligned with its original timeline. Project stakeholders project that the museum will become a magnet for cultural tourism, draw visitors from across the Dominican Republic and beyond, serve as a hands-on educational resource for local schools, and drive inclusive, long-term economic growth for the entire Sánchez Ramírez province. According to the current construction schedule, the museum is on track to be finished between mid-December and late December of this year, opening its doors to the public just before the holiday season.

  • WEATHER (6:00 AM, May 13, 2026):

    WEATHER (6:00 AM, May 13, 2026):

    Over the next full day, stable atmospheric conditions will remain the primary driver of regional weather, shaped by a persistent high-pressure system that anchors the overall pattern. As fragmented cloud masses drift with prevailing wind currents, the sky will range from partially overcast to fully cloudy, accompanied by scattered rain showers. Some of these showers may intensify into moderate or even heavy downpours, with the highest concentrations forecast for early morning hours and overnight. For residents living in zones prone to flash flooding, mudslides, and falling rock debris, local weather officials urge constant vigilance and proactive safety measures to avoid risk.

    Later this evening, the region will also see a thin, diffuse plume of dust carried from the Sahara Desert reach the island. While the concentration is not expected to be severe, individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions or heightened sensitivity to airborne particulates are advised to take appropriate protective steps, such as limiting prolonged outdoor exposure and keeping indoor air filtered.

    Looking at marine conditions, wave heights will stay relatively mild through most of the next 24 hours, ranging from small to moderate across surrounding waters. Off the eastern coastline, waves are projected to build to a maximum of 7 feet, while the western coast will see calmer swells averaging around 3 feet. However, overnight tonight, sea conditions will deteriorate slightly: eastern coast waves are expected to climb to nearly 8 feet, and western coast swells will rise to roughly 5 feet. Operators of small recreational and commercial vessels, as well as people planning to swim in open waters, are advised to maintain extra caution and avoid venturing too far from shore.

    In a separate update on broader Atlantic tropical activity, meteorologists are continuing to track a third tropical wave that is currently moving across the eastern portion of the tropical Atlantic. No immediate development has been projected for the system at this time, but monitoring remains ongoing to track any changes in its strength or trajectory.

  • Classic 1893 UK Grand Piano Donated to Government House Museum

    Classic 1893 UK Grand Piano Donated to Government House Museum

    A rare and exquisitely crafted 1893 mahogany grand piano, built by the world’s oldest continuously operating piano manufacturer, the UK-based Broadway Company (Broadwood), has found a new permanent home at Government House, following a formal donation from local patron Melanie Etherington to Her Excellency Lady Williams. The instrument joins the venue’s expanding curated display of Georgian-era furniture and historical artifacts, deepening the collection’s ability to tell the story of the period’s material culture.

    This donation carries far more historical weight than a typical artifact gift, as it connects to a centuries-old legacy of artistic collaboration between the Broadwood firm and some of the world’s most iconic composers. The company’s storied lineage of instrument making includes pivotal encounters with musical legends: a matching Broadwood concert grand, built around the same era as Frédéric Chopin’s 1848 tour of the British Isles, was personally commissioned for the composer’s historic performances across the country. Decades earlier, in 1818, company founder Thomas Broadwood personally gifted Ludwig van Beethoven a six-octave grand piano crafted from the same premium Spanish mahogany used for the 1893 instrument now entering Government House’s collection. Beethoven himself wrote in a letter to Broadwood that the instrument immediately sparked new creative inspiration, a testament to the deep, long-standing symbiosis between master piano builders and the composers who rely on their craft.

    Accepting the donation on behalf of Government House, Her Excellency Lady Williams expressed sincere gratitude for Etherington’s generosity and thoughtful contribution to preserving historical context. “We are extremely thankful to thoughtful donors like Ms. Etherington, who help us to build the narrative about what type of period furniture would have populated Government House centuries ago,” she said during the handover ceremony.

    Documentation provided by the donor confirms that the piano remains fully functional today, while retaining its original refined aesthetic that made it a standout luxury item when it was first sold. At the time of its original construction, the piano was purchased for £110 — a substantial sum equivalent to well over £10,000 in modern currency, a clear marker of its premium quality and high status when it was new.

    The donation comes as the Government House Museum, which recently held a soft opening to the public following extensive renovations, continues to build out its carefully assembled collection of period pieces in the beautifully restored historic building. This rare piano adds not just a piece of furniture, but a tangible link to global musical history that will be preserved and accessible for future visitors to experience.

  • Scholar-poet to headline Grenada Ifa Festival Symposium

    Scholar-poet to headline Grenada Ifa Festival Symposium

    As the countdown begins to the 2026 Grenada Ifa Festival, a leading Caribbean-born scholar and poet is amplifying a urgent, resonant call for people of African descent across the Caribbean and diaspora to reclaim their sacred ancestral heritage — one rooted in Indigenous African philosophies and spiritual practices that have survived centuries of colonial erasure.

    Liseli A. Fitzpatrick, PhD, a Trinidadian professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, will take the stage as a keynote presenter at the festival’s symposium, hosted by the Shrine of the Seven Wonders of Africa Inc. Scheduled for July 2026, the gathering is already projected to draw hundreds of participants from across the Caribbean region and around the globe, united around the symposium’s core theme: Ancestral Wealth, Inheritance, and Abundance.

    For Fitzpatrick, this theme is not just an academic topic — it is the backbone of her life’s work. In an interview ahead of the event, she framed ancestral wealth not in material terms, but as the collective capacity of African people to reconnect with, embody, and grow the sacred wisdom, legacy, and gifts left by their ancestors, forged through centuries of love, intellectual labor, and unthinkable sacrifice.

    Fitzpatrick described her upcoming trip to Grenada as more than a professional engagement: it is a spiritual homecoming and act of reverence. “I feel a strong sense of spiritual obligation and oneness,” she explained, noting that the island nation holds immense, multilayered ancestral power — some acknowledged, some still waiting to be uncovered, that carries both weight and blessing for the diaspora.

    Fitzpatrick’s scholarly and creative practice is deeply integrated, rooted in African cosmology, ancestral knowledge, and the shared experience of diasporic identity. She argues that the most precious inheritance passed down to modern people of African descent is not material, but the sacred philosophies and communal practices that center self-worth, collective care, and stewardship of the natural world and the continuity of life.

    When asked what barriers still block the Caribbean from fully reclaiming these foundational traditions, Fitzpatrick pointed to ongoing reliance on Western political frameworks and the unaddressed intergenerational trauma of chattel slavery and colonialism. “The West was fabricated on and thrives off the disempowerment and disenfranchisement of African peoples, starting with the desecration of our sacred cosmologies,” she said. Western institutional structures, she argues, were intentionally designed to obstruct African self-determination and collective spiritual power, leaving many disconnected from their heritage.

    Yet Fitzpatrick remains steadfast in her belief in the resilience of African spiritual identity. Speaking at the 2023 second convening of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, she asserted, “you can shackle the body, but you cannot shackle spirit. The African spirit is unconquerable and ubiquitous.”

    To move forward, Fitzpatrick advises regional heritage practitioners to build deeper collaborative networks focused on collective reclamation. She calls for new, emancipatory education initiatives rooted in sensory, community-centered learning that fosters healing and awareness tied to ancestral traditions. Echoing activist and writer Audre Lorde, Fitzpatrick emphasizes that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Western modes of thinking and education, she argues, cannot undo the harm Western colonial systems created — making a return to Indigenous epistemologies non-negotiable.

    Central to Fitzpatrick’s work is the blurring of lines between academia and art, which she says are inseparable. “Everything I do is intellectually and intuitively creative — born from the same source with the sole purpose of inspiring life,” she said. “As a Diasporic Trinidadian poet and professor of Africana Studies, there is a natural synergy between who I am and what I do. The two are inseparable.”

    Her work centers African cosmology, which she defines as the Indigenous framework African peoples on the continent and across the diaspora developed to make meaning of the world through lived sensory experience. Rooted in ecological balance and interconnectedness, cosmology ties the spiritual and physical realms inextricably together, she explains. “In every sense, I teach what I live and live what I teach, where art is intrinsic. African art is intellectual. Art articulates life. Black art is Black life.”

    Fitzpatrick also offers a sharp rebuke of Western definitions of wealth and success, which she calls exploitative, soulless, and rapacious, built on violent consumerism and extractive capitalism. In contrast, she notes, African cosmological perspectives frame abundance as wholeness, collective well-being, and alignment with the equitable natural order of life.

    Fitzpatrick’s forthcoming book, *Slavery and the Dis-Ori-entation of the African*, expands on this framework, exploring the deep spiritual and psychological disruption caused by chattel slavery through the lens of Yoruba philosophy. In Yoruba cosmology, *Ori* encompasses both the inner spiritual head (*ori inu*) and outer physical head (*ori ode*) — it is a person’s origin, compass, destiny, and core consciousness. Balance and goodness (*Iwa pele*) is only achieved when inner and outer Ori are aligned. When this alignment is broken by trauma, people lose their sense of purpose, direction, and self.

    Fitzpatrick coins the term “Dis-Ori-entation” to describe the widespread misalignment of spiritual and physical identity caused by the violence of slavery and its ongoing colonial legacies. Even so, she stresses that ancestral knowledge was never fully destroyed: “All was not lost or thrown overboard; our ancestors left us a rich inheritance — they found ways to preserve our sacred practices and persevere through their sheer ingenuities, Love, and indomitable spirits.”

    To heal this disconnection, Fitzpatrick advocates for what she calls “Re-Ori-entation”: a process of realignment rooted in ancestral knowledge and intentional self-reflection. Drawing on the Akan principle of Sankofa, which encourages communities to return to the past to retrieve wisdom for the future, she explains that this process requires both individual commitment and collective action, rooted in open-mindedness and radical vulnerability.

    Oral culture, language, storytelling, and poetry remain central to this work of reclamation, Fitzpatrick argues. When enslaved African people were forbidden from learning to read and write in the colonizer’s language, they turned to their traditional gift of orality, creating new languages, music, movement, and poetic forms that affirmed their humanity and preserved their heritage against all odds. Today, these practices remain critical tools for rebuilding collective consciousness and identity across the African diaspora.

    Moving beyond mere survival, Fitzpatrick calls for a full return to foundational ancestral values, rooted in love, wisdom, compassion, reverence, and harmony with nature. This, she says, is the only path to true collective abundance and alignment.

    For attendees of the 2026 symposium, Fitzpatrick has a clear message: our ancestors left a legacy of wisdom and sacred practice that we are entrusted to steward, not squander. As organizers prepare for the event, Fitzpatrick’s keynote is already expected to be a defining contribution to the festival’s mission of exploring African heritage, spiritual renewal, and collective empowerment across the diaspora.

  • Local and Caribbean Bishops Conclude Rome Pilgrimage and Annual Plenary Meeting

    Local and Caribbean Bishops Conclude Rome Pilgrimage and Annual Plenary Meeting

    Bishops from across the Caribbean region, members of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), have wrapped up a pivotal 14-day pilgrimage to Rome that merged a mandatory Vatican visit with the organization’s annual governing gathering. Held between April 27 and May 8, the multi-faceted trip brought regional church leaders together for three core objectives: formal meetings with top Holy See officials, collective spiritual renewal, and collaborative conversations about the future trajectory of the Catholic Church across the Caribbean.

    The first five days of the visit, the official Ad Limina Apostolorum, were dedicated to structured engagements with Vatican leadership. During this period, the AEC delegation held an audience with the Holy Father, alongside working sessions with leaders of more than a dozen key Vatican departments and administrative bodies. These discussions covered a wide range of critical church priorities, from clergy formation and educational policy to doctrinal guidance, family ministry, liturgical practice, global human development initiatives, and ecumenical efforts to advance Christian unity. The bishops also met with leadership of two high-priority Vatican bodies: the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, in addition to holding talks with the Vatican Secretariat of State.

    In an official statement released following the pilgrimage, the AEC highlighted the papal audience as the centerpiece of the entire trip. The conference described the encounter as “profoundly enriching, encouraging, and deeply pastoral,” noting that the meeting strengthened the hierarchical communion between the Caribbean bishops and the Successor of St. Peter. It also reaffirmed the bishops’ shared commitment to expanding evangelization work across every island and community in the Caribbean region.

    Beyond formal diplomatic and administrative meetings, the pilgrimage included extensive spiritual elements. The bishops celebrated Mass at each of Rome’s four historic Major Papal Basilicas, among them the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome and the official seat of the papacy, and the Basilica of St. Mary Major. At St. Mary Major, the group gathered in prayer at the tomb of the late Pope Francis, while at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul they participated in a formal ritual to renew their individual and collective vows to apostolic ministry.

    The second week of the pilgrimage shifted focus from Vatican engagements to internal formation and AEC business. Ahead of the Annual Plenary Meeting, bishops joined a specialized workshop on synodal leadership facilitated by Fr. David McCallum, SJ, a guided spiritual retreat directed by Sr. Julie Peters, SSM, and an additional group pilgrimage to the Italian town of Assisi, closely associated with St. Francis of Assisi. Following these formative activities, the bishops convened the official business sessions of the AEC’s annual plenary to conclude the trip.

  • Public invitation to UWI Dominica Open House and Public Lecture with with professor C. Justin Robinson

    Public invitation to UWI Dominica Open House and Public Lecture with with professor C. Justin Robinson

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  • LIVE: Ministry of National Security Press Conference 11th May 2026

    LIVE: Ministry of National Security Press Conference 11th May 2026

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  • LVV biedt agrariërs snellere resultaten bij bodemonderzoek

    LVV biedt agrariërs snellere resultaten bij bodemonderzoek

    Suriname’s agricultural sector is stepping into a new era of efficient, data-driven farming thanks to a new initiative rolled out by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (LVV), in partnership with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). At the heart of the program are portable soil nutrient tester kits that cut down wait times for soil analysis results from months to less than a single working day, bringing life-changing improvements to small-scale and commercial farmers across the country.

    Before the introduction of these portable kits, the process of soil nutrient testing was notoriously slow and cumbersome. Agricultural extension officers based in rural districts across the country, including Nickerie, Coronie, Wanica, and Saramacca, were required to collect soil samples from local farms and ship them all the way to the capital city of Paramaribo for laboratory analysis. According to LVV extension officers, this process could take anywhere from three to six months to complete. By the time the test results were returned, planting seasons had often already passed, farmers had already harvested their crops, or many had moved forward with plans to plant a new crop, rendering the delayed analysis useless for informed decision-making.

    The new portable tester kits eliminate this entire delay. Extension officers can now conduct full nutrient analysis on-site directly after collecting soil samples, sharing accurate, actionable results with farmers the same day. All test findings are officially documented in a personalized agricultural report that is given directly to the participating farmer, and the entire testing and advisory service is provided completely free of charge by LVV.

    Soekarina Ardjosentono, a senior researcher in the Ministry’s Department of Soil Research and Agrohydrology, explained that two key benefits set the new system apart from the old process: unmatched speed and the ability to deliver far more targeted, context-specific advice to farmers. To ensure widespread, consistent use of the new technology, the Ministry has rolled out sequential training programs for extension officers across all regions. Trainings for extension staff in the northern districts of Wanica, Saramacca, and Paramaribo have already been completed, with training for officers in the western districts of Nickerie and Coronie wrapping up just last week.

    William Waidoe, LVV’s Deputy Director for the Western Region, noted that the faster testing framework enables extension officers to guide farmers far earlier in the planning process, before farmers make costly investments in seeds, fertilizer, and new planting. With immediate access to clear data on their soil’s nutrient profile, farmers can make timely, informed decisions about the type and amount of fertilizer to apply at each growth stage of their crops, matching inputs to their soil’s exact needs.

    Netasha Badal, an LVV extension officer based in Nickerie, one of the country’s key agricultural regions, emphasized the practical, on-the-ground difference the kits have made. “Previously, we had no option but to send samples off to Paramaribo. By the time we got the results back, in many cases the farmer had already planted or even harvested their crop,” Badal explained. “Now, we can share results and give targeted advice on appropriate fertilizer in a fraction of the time.”

    Revillio Vriesde, an extension officer and acting district lead for LVV in Coronie, echoed this sentiment, calling the new system a major step forward for the region’s farming community. “Where farmers once waited three to six months for results, they can now get full data the same day we collect their sample,” Vriesde noted.

    The portable soil nutrient tester kits were donated to the Ministry by WUSC as part of the organization’s climate-smart agriculture programming in Suriname. Varsha Boejharat, WUSC’s Climate Smart Agriculture Officer, explained that the donation and accompanying training program were developed in direct response to feedback from local farmers who identified slow soil analysis as a major barrier to more productive, sustainable farming. Accurate, timely soil analysis is foundational to sustainable farming: it gives farmers clear insight into key nutrient levels, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, that determine crop health and yield. With this data in hand, farmers can not only select the right fertilizer regimen for each growing stage but also decide which crop varieties are best suited to their land, reducing unnecessary input costs and boosting overall productivity.

    The program represents a collaborative effort to bring modern, accessible agricultural technology to rural farmers in Suriname, with the goal of supporting more resilient, productive farming across the country.

  • Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services issues public guidance on Hantavirus prevention

    Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services issues public guidance on Hantavirus prevention

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