Carib Scope

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  • Bepalen onderwijsagenda is een Surinaams voorrecht

    Bepalen onderwijsagenda is een Surinaams voorrecht

    For decades, Suriname’s education system has grappled with the same persistent set of challenges: burned-out, underpaid teachers, unmotivated students, stagnant literacy and numeracy skills, and slow adaptation to the demands of modern society. When compared to how little core work has changed for professions like auto mechanics and technicians, it becomes clear that systemic transformation in education has lagged far behind where it needs to be. Even as the public widely recognizes that education is the single most future-defining investment a nation can make, there remains a widespread, long-held sense that Suriname is not unlocking the full potential of its young people.

    In an era marked by cultural pessimism, widespread distrust of governance, and a tendency to frame public frustration as unconstructive outrage, one core fact stands out: Suriname currently lacks a sufficient pool of qualified education experts to drive the urgently needed systemic overhaul the sector requires. As the nation prepares for a wave of new development in coming years, this transformation could not be more critical. Drawing on decades of firsthand experience in education reform in Suriname since returning to the country in 2000, the author argues that lifting the education system to new heights requires targeted, structured policy, a clear policy framework with actionable tools, institutional strengthening, sustainable financing, ongoing dialogue with frontline education workers, and most importantly, broad buy-in from teachers, parents, and other key stakeholders. Successful reform, he emphasizes, must follow a bottom-up approach rooted in local needs.

    Innovating education is a specialized craft, not a problem that can be solved with a quick fix or silver bullet. Even the most promising policy ideas can fail without careful, thoughtful implementation. Despite these challenges, the author remains optimistic about the future of Suriname’s education sector. Having seen both the tangible successes and unintended setbacks of reform efforts over more than two decades, he argues that moving forward with a clear, locally defined, Suriname-owned reform agenda is non-negotiable.

    A core priority of this agenda is raising public education investment to at least 20% of the national budget and 10% of the country’s gross domestic product. The author acknowledges that increased funding alone is not a panacea for all systemic ills, and recognizes the extraordinary economic pressures the current cabinet faces amid an ongoing national crisis, which has created widespread financial uncertainty. Even so, he argues that strategic investment in education and a knowledge-based economy is a foundational requirement for long-term economic recovery, making a structural increase in education and research spending unavoidable.

    Currently, per-student education spending in neighboring countries is growing far faster than in Suriname, even as the challenges facing Suriname’s education system continue to grow. To address this gap, reform leaders are developing evidence-based calculations for the structural and additional investment the sector will need for future growth. Only through sustained, broad-based investment can Suriname enable earlier education access, extend learning opportunities, remove unnecessary barriers to participation, keep teaching careers attractive, unlock the full potential of every student, and support world-class research and innovation. Clear direction and intentional future-focused policy choices are essential to achieving these goals.

    The 13-pillar roadmap laid out for Suriname’s publicly funded education and research sector aims to bring the system to regional top-tier status, with undisputed quality and up-to-date curricular content anchored by evidence-based policy that draws on ongoing research into the impact of implemented reforms. The core pillars of this plan are: 1. Universal access to education and equal opportunity for all students to maximize their unique talents through intentional talent management; 2. Investment in institutional strengthening for a National Curriculum Institute to lead curriculum development, testing, and assessment; 3. Reorienting education to motivate students to reach their potential, with a balanced focus on motivation, student well-being, and academic performance by strengthening mental skill development in curricula; 4. Ensuring students at all levels receive proper recognition for both practical and theoretical skills, aligned with labor market needs and national capacity building; 5. Normalizing lifelong learning, allowing adults to access retraining and upskilling opportunities through public education providers; 6. Making education careers attractive through competitive working conditions and dedicated opportunities for professional growth for education professionals; 7. Developing knowledge networks to position Suriname as an attractive partner for international and domestic research and innovation collaboration; 8. Expanding early childhood education and care for children aged 0–4, as a strong foundational base for lifelong learning; 9. Evaluating and updating learning outcomes with continuous learning pathways across primary, secondary, vocational, and special education; 10. Building a broad, strong culture of lifelong learning across all sectors of society; 11. Driving cultural change among education professionals to build a more collaborative sector with more attractive working conditions; 12. Developing a national science policy to support world-standard research and innovation; 13. Launching a national school renovation and construction program to bring all school facilities up to top functional condition.

    This opinion piece is written by Prof. dr. Henry R. Ori.

  • Girl dies after struck by jet ski at Pigeon Point

    Girl dies after struck by jet ski at Pigeon Point

    A senseless tragedy has cut short the life of a young primary school student at one of Tobago’s most popular coastal destinations, leaving a family shattered and prompting local authorities to promise sweeping safety reviews for public beach operations.

    Seven-year-old Angelica Sadie Jogie, a resident of Barrackpore and student at San Fernando TML Primary School, was swimming with her family inside the designated bathing perimeter at Pigeon Point Beach on Wednesday when an out-of-control jet ski smashed through the safety rope and struck the group. The incident happened mid-day as the family enjoyed a day out at the Heritage Park, a top tourist and local recreation spot.

    Darren Jogie, Angelica’s uncle, who was among the group caught in the collision, recalled the chaotic moments after impact in an interview with local media outlet *Express*. “We were bathing inside the roped-off area, not even far from the boundary, and this jet ski just came out of nowhere. It hit me, it hit my brother, and it hit my niece. Two of us were knocked unconscious instantly. Sadie took the full force of the crash — her entire face was mangled,” Jogie described. The uncle himself suffered visible head injuries in the collision.

    Bystanders and family members immediately pulled the injured child from the water and administered emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene to try to restart her pulse. She was rushed to Scarborough General Hospital for urgent medical intervention, but despite the best efforts of first responders and hospital care teams, the seven-year-old succumbed to her injuries during treatment.

    In the hours after the crash, Farley Augustine, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), addressed the tragedy during an emergency press briefing, confirming the details of the incident and outlining the ongoing response. Authorities confirmed that immediately after the collision, the jet ski operator fled the Pigeon Point area, leaving the injured group behind. Law enforcement has already seized the abandoned watercraft, and teams from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) are conducting a full manhunt to locate the operator.

    Augustine described the young girl’s death as a profoundly unfortunate incident, noting that conversations about improving safety management at Pigeon Point Heritage Park have been ongoing for years, with a stated goal of prioritizing visitor safety above all other concerns. “This collision happened in a zone explicitly cordoned off for swimmers. The jet ski breached the perimeter and hit a mother, father, and uncle, and we lost a little girl as a result,” Augustine said, extending official condolences to Angelica’s parents Arnold and Salisha Jogie and the entire extended family.

    The THA Chief Secretary added that parallel investigations are underway beyond the TTPS’s criminal probe. The local governing body is reviewing whether park staff and licensed jet ski operators adhered to mandatory safety protocols, and whether post-incident emergency response aligned with established operational standards. Augustine confirmed the Executive Council will move forward to implement stricter safety oversight for all activities at the park to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

    Shortly after the incident, THA Tourism Secretary Zorisha Hackett, Assistant Secretary Nikita Percy, and other senior local officials traveled to Scarborough General Hospital to meet with the grieving Jogie family and offer official sympathies and support on behalf of the Tobago House of Assembly. As of Thursday morning, the family remains in shock, struggling to process the sudden loss of the young girl, with no update on when the operator will be taken into custody.

  • 11 shells, two guns, self defence claimed

    11 shells, two guns, self defence claimed

    A fatal shooting has shaken the quiet community of Vistabella in San Fernando, Trinidad, claiming the life of a well-known local construction businessman and leaving investigators untangling the circumstances of a deadly confrontation between the victim and an unidentified woman early yesterday morning.

    Thirty-seven-year-old Steve Ghany, a married father of two with 11 years of marriage, was deeply embedded in his family’s multi-project construction business and was also a prominent figure in the local jet-ski community. According to initial police accounts, the conflict erupted shortly after 8:30 a.m. inside Ghany’s residential property, when a verbal argument between Ghany and the woman escalated rapidly into a physical altercation.

    After several minutes of back-and-forth struggle, law enforcement reports indicate Ghany retrieved a firearm and fired shots toward the woman, who emerged from that exchange unharmed. Investigators were later told by a Ghany family relative that the woman then seized a second weapon and returned fire, striking Ghany multiple times. He succumbed to his injuries at the scene before emergency responders could intervene.

    Crime scene processing teams recovered two functional firearms and 11 spent bullet casings from the property as key evidence. The woman involved was taken into custody at the home immediately after the shooting; she was transported to receive mandatory medical assessment before being moved to a holding facility at the Southern Division police station.

    Multiple law enforcement units, including Region Three Homicide Detectives, the Southern Division Task Force, and the San Fernando Criminal Investigations Department, have launched a full probe to map out the full sequence of events and identify what motive sparked the deadly confrontation. Attorney Prakash Ramadhar, who visited the Ghany residence to meet with family members and law enforcement shortly after the incident, declined to comment on the case when contacted by local outlet Express. “It is too early at this time to make a statement on behalf of the family,” Ramadhar said via phone.

    A Ghany family employee, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, described the chaotic moments after he arrived for work yesterday. The worker said he first heard a series of loud bangs around 9:15 a.m. but did not immediately recognize the sounds as gunfire. “I went to check the work we were supposed to do today on the house, when we heard a few noises like ‘Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!’ My son asked me if that noise was galvanise pounding. About five minutes later, a policeman came into the yard and asked me what was happening. I told him I didn’t know what was going on. It was a while after I realised that something had happened,” the employee recalled.

    The worker spoke warmly of Ghany, describing him as a fair, approachable employer who treated his staff like family. “Steve treated all of his workers very good, and he was understanding. He would call those fellas on the phone and talk to them normal. He said we were part of his family, and he trusted us, his workers,” the employee said.

    The shooting comes just months after a separate high-profile gun violence incident that rocked the Ghany family. In December 2024, Ghany’s stepmother Monica Ghany was killed in a targeted ambush, and his brother Matthew was wounded. The attack unfolded as Monica and Matthew left San Fernando General Hospital, driving along a major commuter route near the water taxi ferry terminal on their way back to the family’s San Fernando home. Gunmen in an oncoming vehicle pulled alongside and opened fire on the driver’s side of their Nissan Tiida, striking Monica multiple times in the upper body. She was pronounced dead at the scene, while Matthew survived a gunshot wound to his right hand. The attackers fled the area, and the killing remains an open, unsolved case. Monica Ghany’s husband — also named Steve Ghany — died just a few months after the ambush.

    Speaking to reporters yesterday at the formal handing-over ceremony for the new Penal Fire Station, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander offered public condolences to the Ghany family, noting he had met with Steve Ghany just over the weekend during a visit to a local rifle range. “I hope the good Lord bless his soul, and that the family will be able to live again after this incident,” Alexander said, confirming that investigators are still working to piece together all details of yesterday’s shooting.

  • NY serial killer pleads guilty to Trini’s murder

    NY serial killer pleads guilty to Trini’s murder

    In a stunning courtroom twist that closed a 31-year chapter of unsolved violence, convicted serial killer Rex Heuermann has pleaded guilty to the murder of eight women, including 28-year-old Trinidadian native Sandra Costilla, in a Suffolk County, New York court. The 62-year-old Manhattan architect, a married father of two who hid a brutal double life as a predatory killer for three decades, entered the guilty plea this week, reversing his earlier not guilty plea entered ahead of his scheduled September 2024 trial.

    Heuermann, who stood 6-foot-4, began his killing spree as early as 1993, when Costilla – a migrant who had moved to the U.S. from Trinidad and Tobago at age 17 and was living in Queens at the time – became his earliest known victim. On November 20, 1993, two hunters discovered her body on New York’s Long Island in the North Sea area. Court documents detail extensive, brutal injuries: multiple sharp-force wounds to her face, torso, breasts, left thigh, and vaginal region, with her body positioned in a degrading arrangement. Heuermann confirmed in court this week that he strangled Costilla to death, the same method he used to kill all eight of his confirmed victims. He pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder, which includes Costilla’s killing.

    For three decades, Costilla’s case remained unsolved, until advances in forensic DNA testing connected cold case evidence to Heuermann, who was first arrested in 2023 in connection with the long-running Gilgo Beach serial killings. During the initial 1993 investigation of Costilla’s death, forensic analysts from the Suffolk County Crime Lab recovered three hair strands from her body and clothing: one from her right arm, one from a striped shirt found near her body, and a third from a white shirt. DNA testing at the time confirmed one hair came from a male suspect, and the other two from female contributors. Decades later, the Gilgo Beach Homicide Task Force retested the evidence, and in February 2024, forensic results confirmed the male hair from Costilla’s striped shirt matched Heuermann’s DNA. One of the two female hairs was even traced to a woman who lived with Heuermann shortly before Costilla’s 1993 murder, cementing the connection between the killer and the decades-old crime.

    Courtroom observers reported Heuermann spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone about his crimes, confirming that he dismembered some victims and bound others by the head and legs. Investigators who seized 422 electronic devices from Heuermann’s home uncovered disturbing evidence that prefigured his crimes: a handwritten planning document that noted “SMALL IS GOOD” – a reference to the fact that all eight of his known victims, including Costilla, were petite women. Another entry in the planning document read: “HIT HARDER TOO MANY HIT TO TAKE DOWN. CONSIDER A HIT TO THE FACE OR NECK NEXT TIME FOR TAKE DOWN.”

    Investigators also found a massive, decades-spanning collection of violent, bondage, and torture pornography on his devices, dating back to 1994. The content includes graphic depictions of breast mutilation, sexualized violence against women, bondage, and whipping – imagery that aligns closely with the injuries found on Costilla and two other victims. Unlike many of Heuermann’s later victims, who were sex workers, investigators have found no evidence Costilla worked in the sex trade. Unlike his later crimes, which relied on disposable burner phones to contact victims, the 1993 killing of Costilla predates widespread consumer cell phone use and social media, leaving investigators still unclear on how Heuermann first encountered his earliest victim. Heuermann is scheduled to receive his formal sentence on June 17, 2024.

  • Authorities seize 151 packages of suspected synthetic Marijuana in Azua

    Authorities seize 151 packages of suspected synthetic Marijuana in Azua

    A major coordinated crackdown on illicit drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic has yielded a significant haul, as law enforcement and military agencies intercepted a large shipment of suspected synthetic marijuana in the southern province of Azua. The multi-agency operation brought together three key Dominican institutions: the Dominican Republic Army, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), and the Public Ministry, all working in tandem to disrupt smuggling networks operating in the region.

    The interception unfolded at a fixed security checkpoint located at kilometer 15 along a major transit route, where patrol officers pulled over a red Daihatsu commercial truck for a routine inspection. Initial observations suggested the vehicle was only transporting empty agricultural crates, but inconsistent information from the driver and suspicious behavior raised red flags for responding agents, prompting them to conduct a thorough secondary search.

    Upon dismantling the apparent layer of legitimate cargo, law enforcement personnel uncovered 151 individually packaged parcels of the controlled substance, concealed beneath a stack of plastic containers to avoid detection. Preliminary on-site testing and weighing put the total mass of the seized drugs at approximately 160 pounds, marking one of the larger synthetic drug seizures in the province in recent months.

    The operator of the truck, 36-year-old Henry Reyes Ferreras, was taken into custody immediately following the discovery. He is currently being held in detention and will formally face a series of drug trafficking charges under the Dominican Republic’s national drug control legislation.

    In a statement following the operation, authorities confirmed that the seized suspected narcotic substance will be sent to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences for full laboratory analysis to confirm its classification and purity. Investigations remain ongoing, with law enforcement working to trace the origin of the shipment and identify any additional co-conspirators connected to the alleged trafficking ring.

  • Acties universiteitspersoneel opgeschort na overleg met vicepresident

    Acties universiteitspersoneel opgeschort na overleg met vicepresident

    A standoff between Suriname’s academic scientific staff and national authorities has moved toward de-escalation, after the Vakvereniging Wetenschappelijk Personeel Universiteit (VWPU), the union representing scientific staff at Anton de Kom University, agreed to suspend its industrial actions following high-level negotiations led by Surinamese Vice President Gregory Rusland. The talks, held earlier this month, brought together leadership from the university’s governing board and union representatives to address long-running grievances over working conditions and staff support that had prompted the union to ramp up protest actions in recent weeks.

    The Anton de Kom University board was led by chair Virginia Assin-Oostburg and vice chair Patrick Peneux during the discussions, while the VWPU delegation included its president Roy Badal, secretary Sunita Bipat, and treasurer Sanjeevkoemar Bisessar. Over the course of the meeting, participants thoroughly mapped out the core bottlenecks that had pushed the union to escalate its actions, centering on gaps in basic provisions for the university’s scientific workforce.

    Vice President Rusland opened the discussion by framing the issue of basic staff provisions—including competitive salaries and fair overall employment terms—as an issue that cannot be addressed in isolation. He emphasized that these demands are inherently tied to broader ongoing negotiations between the Surinamese government and national labor unions over working conditions for all public sector employees, a group that includes education workers alongside employees across other state-run sectors.

    Despite this broader context, Rusland confirmed that the government remains open to adopting targeted, immediate improvements to the working conditions of the university’s academic researchers and instructors. Specific measures tabled during the talks include institutional support for academic staff to purchase new work computers, upgrades to campus data connectivity and internet infrastructure, increased transportation stipends for faculty supervising students during off-site internships, and a limited end-of-year bonus to recognize additional academic workload.

    Under the terms of the preliminary agreement reached during the meeting, Vice President Rusland has ordered the university’s governing board to flesh out the full details of these proposed measures, with a final progress report due no later than this coming Friday. Once finalized, the proposals will be forwarded to relevant government authorities for coordination and final approval. The vice president’s office also confirmed that President Jennifer Simons has already been consulted on the framework, to ensure a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to resolving the dispute.

    Following the conclusion of productive talks, Rusland requested that VWPU leadership scale back its ongoing protest actions, a proposal that the union’s governing body put to a vote with its membership. The union ultimately approved the request, moving forward with a full suspension of all active industrial actions.

    Multiple participants in the meeting described the negotiations as taking place in a constructive, solution-focused atmosphere. Vice President Rusland emphasized that all stakeholders must uphold their shared social responsibility to advance progress for the country’s higher education sector. He stressed that collaborative effort is the only path to meaningful improvements for scientific staff, part of the government’s broader long-term goal of incrementally strengthening public services and working conditions for all Surinamese residents.

    Negotiations between the government and labor unions over broader public sector basic provisions remain ongoing, with no slowdown in discussions planned. Going forward, the government has committed to rolling out additional targeted measures in consultation with worker representatives as economic conditions allow. Officials also noted that the administration has already implemented a series of relief measures for workers and the general public, enacted to buffer the population against the impact of global economic shifts that have spilled over to affect Suriname’s domestic economy. The government has reiterated its commitment to mitigating these external impacts as much as possible within the country’s available fiscal resources.

  • Dasac delivers emergency food aid to families affected by flooding in multiple provinces

    Dasac delivers emergency food aid to families affected by flooding in multiple provinces

    In the Dominican Republic, widespread severe flooding triggered by relentless recent heavy rainfall has left hundreds of families displaced and in urgent need of support, prompting rapid disaster response action from the country’s Directorate of Social Assistance and Community Food (Dasac). The government agency has mobilized specialized response brigades to deliver life-sustaining emergency supplies to hard-hit communities across at least four administrative regions, addressing immediate food insecurity in the wake of the natural disaster.

    Dasac Director Édgar Augusto Féliz Arbona personally took charge of on-the-ground response operations in two of the most affected areas: the northern and western municipalities of the national capital district, Santo Domingo. Response teams working under his leadership distributed thousands of prepared meals to vulnerable residents in low-lying, heavily impacted neighborhoods including La Arenita, El Aguacate, Los Platanitos, and Manganagua, where floodwaters have destroyed homes and cut off access to local grocery and food supply networks.

    Beyond the Santo Domingo metro area, additional mobile response brigades have been dispatched to extend support to affected households in two more provinces: San Cristóbal, located along the country’s southern coast, and Valverde, in the northwestern Cibao region. Local disaster management officials confirmed that the entire agency remains on heightened alert under direct orders from Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader, who prioritized rapid, people-centered response to the flooding disaster.

    To expand outreach and meet diverse community needs, Dasac has deployed a full network of response assets: fully mobile kitchen units that can prepare hot meals close to flood zones, fixed community soup kitchens for residents who have relocated to emergency shelters, and specialized damage assessment teams that survey impacted residential areas to document housing damage and identify unmet needs for long-term recovery support. To streamline communication with affected residents, the agency has also publicized a dedicated emergency hotline (829-222-9194) across all its official social media platforms, allowing community members to submit urgent requests for aid directly to response coordinators.

  • Walters urges fish festival overhaul over economic, safety concerns

    Walters urges fish festival overhaul over economic, safety concerns

    One of Barbados’ most beloved cultural gatherings, the Oistins Fish Festival, faces an existential threat without urgent, comprehensive reforms to its outdated management framework and public safety protocols, opposition Senator Ryan Walters has warned in an official statement shared with Barbados TODAY on Wednesday.

    Rooted in decades of local coastal tradition, the festival has long been a cornerstone of both Barbadian cultural identity and small-scale enterprise, drawing thousands of local and international visitors annually to sample fresh local seafood, enjoy live entertainment, and celebrate the island’s fishing heritage. But Walters argues that a growing gap between its long-standing cultural legacy and shifting modern economic and social realities has put the event’s future viability at risk, with two key issues driving the crisis: plummeting profits for participating micro-vendors and widespread public anxiety over violent crime that is keeping crowds away.

    Walters was quick to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of the festival’s existing management committee, which has worked for years to preserve the event’s core cultural identity. Even so, he highlighted widespread reports from on-the-ground small business owners of a steep, alarming decline in sales over recent events. The current management model, he argued, has not kept pace with modern event marketing strategies or the changing expectations of today’s festival-goers. The festival can no longer rely on its cultural heritage alone to draw crowds and sustain vendors, he insisted, noting that it must adapt to compete in an increasingly saturated regional and global entertainment market.

    “We cannot walk into planning for the 2026 festival using the same structure, the same level of investment, and the same outdated approach that we relied on a decade ago,” Walters said. “Patron expectations have shifted entirely. How events are marketed and promoted has been revolutionized by digital platforms and new audience engagement strategies. Competition for the time and attention of both local and international visitors is far more intense than it once was. That means the entire support structure behind the festival has to evolve with these changes.”

    Walters centered his call for reform on protecting the small entrepreneurs that form the backbone of the Oistins Fish Festival experience. For many of these micro-vendors, a slow weekend at the festival is far more than a minor disappointment: it delivers a major financial setback at a time when operating costs for small businesses across Barbados have skyrocketed. He challenged the current government to do more than simply provide a physical venue for vendors, calling for a new strategic framework that actively drives attendance to the event and guarantees vendors can earn a viable return on their investment.

    Right now, Walters argued, the current model boils down to selling vendor spots and hoping for strong turnout, which shifts almost all the risk onto small business owners already operating on razor-thin profit margins. For most vendors, festival income is not casual side money: even a daily loss of $100 to $200 over the major festival weekend can cause devastating financial strain, especially as the costs of inventory, transportation, and labor continue to climb across the island.

    A core component of Walters’ critique centered on the growing impact of recent violent crime trends on the festival’s appeal, noting that widespread public fear of violence has had a chilling effect on attendance. He tied the long-term success of Barbados’ heritage tourism sector directly to the government’s ability to maintain consistent public safety, explaining that anxiety over crime acts as a powerful deterrent for both local families and international tourists. The growing prevalence of gun violence in public spaces, he argued, creates an economic barrier that no amount of marketing can overcome without direct, decisive intervention from the government.

    “Another critical issue we cannot sweep under the rug is the growing public concern over crime across Barbados, particularly shootings in public gathering spaces,” Walters said. “This is not just a law enforcement issue—it directly hits public confidence and keeps people from participating. If attendees do not feel safe, they will simply stay home, no matter how well the event is marketed or promoted. The government has to treat this with the urgency it deserves and put stronger, visible safety measures in place to reverse this troubling trend.”

    Walters closed by noting that while public affection for the Oistins Fish Festival remains strong, the electric energy and large crowds that once defined the iconic event are missing compared to other major national gatherings across the island. He urged the government to abandon complacent status-quo planning to protect the livelihoods of small vendors and unlock the festival’s full economic potential.

    “Public safety is the absolute foundation of any successful national event,” he emphasized. “Without it, even the most well-planned festival will struggle to draw the crowds that vendors and local communities depend on. The core of the festival is strong. The public passion for it is there. Its cultural importance to Barbados is unquestioned. Now, we have to expand our vision to make the festival bigger, better, and economically viable for every single person involved.”

  • Used car dealer convicted of theft, money laundering

    Used car dealer convicted of theft, money laundering

    After a trial that laid out allegations of sustained financial exploitation, a Barbadian used car dealer has been found guilty of sustained theft and money laundering that drained more than $42,000 from a single customer over the course of two years. Dwayne Omar Clarke, a resident of Warrens Crescent in St Michael, was handed the unanimous conviction by a nine-member jury at the No. 5A Supreme Court, following a prosecution led by Barbados’ Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

    Court documents detail two distinct counts of theft and criminal proceeds possession, both linked to customer Joy-Ann Mapp. The first conviction stems from an $18,000 cheque issued by Republic Bank Limited and made payable to Clarke’s business, MD Auto Sales, taken between August 17, 2019, and July 6, 2021. Clarke was also found guilty of holding these funds, which he knew or reasonably should have known were obtained through criminal activity.

    The second guilty verdict comes from a second theft: a $24,500 Republic Bank cheque made payable directly to Clarke personally on February 4, 2020. Clarke wrongfully withheld this sum from Mapp, and held the funds as criminal proceeds between the date of the cheque and July 6, 2021, when the charges were brought.

    In an unusual procedural detail, Clarke chose to represent himself throughout the trial, rather than retaining private legal counsel or requesting a court-appointed attorney. The prosecution team was led by Principal State Counsel Romario Straker, supported by State Counsels Maya Kellman and Eleazar Williams.

    Following the jury’s guilty verdict on all counts, Justice Christopher Birch ordered Clarke be remanded to Dodds Prison to await his sentencing hearing. The case will resume on April 10, when the court will hand down official punishment for the convictions.

  • Simons, Demon en Mijnals geëerd met ‘Dya Dya Sranan Uma’-award

    Simons, Demon en Mijnals geëerd met ‘Dya Dya Sranan Uma’-award

    Three influential Surinamese women have received the prestigious “Dya Dya Sranan Uma” award from the Suriname Women’s Political Alliance Foundation (VPAS) in a ceremony held Tuesday, recognizing decades of dedicated contribution to national social development. The recipients span generations of female leadership: Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons, Mavis Demon, chair of the community organization Stichting Uma Opo Wroko De Fu Du, and young professional Chenelva Mijnals.

    Hosted at Grun Dyari, the award ceremony was originally scheduled to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8, but was rescheduled to April 8 due to personal circumstances affecting one of the honorees. The delayed event still centered its mission on celebrating the global recognition of women’s contributions, retaining the core spirit of International Women’s Day.

    VPAS chair Sjachnaz Pengel explained that the three women were selected for their extraordinary commitment, persistence, resilience, and long-standing impact on advancing Suriname’s society. Pengel emphasized that the recipients serve as critical role models for both women and young people across the country, demonstrating what can be achieved through purpose-driven work.

    In her keynote address following the award presentation, President Simons framed her participation as more than a formal appearance as head of state. “I am here not only as president, but first and foremost as a woman, a mother, and a Surinamese,” she stated. She went on to highlight the countless essential roles women play across Surinamese society, from high-profile public leadership to the unseen, foundational work that holds communities together.

    President Simons used the platform to call for greater cross-gender and intra-gender collaboration across all sectors of the nation. She argued that the largest barrier to gender equity in Suriname is not a lack of formal legislation, but deeply ingrained cultural mindsets that hold women back from reaching their potential. She closed her remarks by urging women and girls across the country to believe in their own capabilities and boldly pursue their personal and professional ambitions.

    Attendees and organizers alike reinforced a core theme throughout the event: sustainable national development cannot be achieved unless women and men work in partnership, with equal access to opportunities to contribute to national progress. For the VPAS, the annual award program serves two core goals: to formally recognize women who have already made an exceptional impact on Suriname, and to spread a broader national message that female leadership is not just valuable, but essential to the country’s ongoing growth and prosperity.