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  • Cheni Greene Wins Best Learning Experience Award at Caribbean Baking Awards

    Cheni Greene Wins Best Learning Experience Award at Caribbean Baking Awards

    The annual Caribbean Baking Awards, a prestigious event that celebrates excellence across the regional baking industry and highlights emerging talent in culinary arts, has named Cheni Greene as the 2024 recipient of its Best Learning Experience Award. The award recognizes Greene’s transformative journey through the Caribbean baking sector, where she turned a lifelong passion for traditional Caribbean baked goods into a structured, community-centered learning experience that has resonated with aspiring bakers across the region.

    Unlike technical awards that focus on final product quality, the Best Learning Experience Award honors individuals who have turned their personal baking journey into an educational resource for others. Greene, who launched her popular online and in-person workshop series three years ago, has centered her curriculum on preserving centuries-old Caribbean baking techniques, from making traditional jerk-spiced sourdough to classic coconut bread and festive black cake. What set her submission apart was her focus on inclusive learning: she offers sliding-scale tuition for low-income aspiring bakers and provides free digital recipe kits and tutorial videos to community centers across 12 Caribbean island nations.

    At the awards ceremony held in Kingston, Jamaica, judges praised Greene for creating a learning environment that prioritizes cultural preservation alongside skill development. “Cheni hasn’t just learned to bake incredible Caribbean food—she’s created a pathway for hundreds of young people to connect with their culinary heritage while building marketable skills,” said lead judge Maria Hernandez in her presentation of the award. Greene, in her acceptance speech, shared that she plans to use the award’s cash prize to expand her workshop program to include apprenticeships for youth in rural communities, where access to culinary training has long been limited.

    Industry analysts note that the award highlights a growing trend in the Caribbean food sector: increasing investment in educational initiatives that preserve culinary tradition while creating economic opportunities for small-scale producers. Greene’s win draws attention to the critical role that accessible, community-focused learning plays in sustaining the region’s unique baking heritage for future generations.

  • Emancipation: Freedom with responsibility

    Emancipation: Freedom with responsibility

    A leading Grenadian political scientist has sounded a urgent global alarm, warning that a quiet but dangerous breakdown of civil political discourse is putting democracy at grave risk around the world — a crisis that has already reached the shores of this small Caribbean island nation.

    Dr. Wendy C. Grenade identifies the widespread erosion of respectful disagreement as a core driver of this crisis, exacerbated by the rampant misuse of mainstream social platforms. Where political debate was once intended to test competing ideas and strengthen public policy, it has devolved into a dehumanizing digital conflict, where the sole goal is to destroy opponents rather than challenge their perspectives.

    Grenada, Dr. Grenade argues, has not escaped this global trend. Even as digital innovation has opened new pathways for connection between citizens, major platforms including Facebook, TikTok and WhatsApp have been repeatedly turned into weapons for coordinated political venom. Coordinated character assassination has replaced constructive civic dialogue, a shift that is far more damaging than casual observers acknowledge: it poses a direct threat to the fabric of Grenadian society itself.

    In a close-knit small island nation, political divisions are already capable of turning neighbors into adversaries, fracturing the social foundation that communities rely on to navigate shared challenges long after election events end. When digital spaces are poisoned by toxic political rhetoric, the ripple effect extends far beyond campaign season. Qualified, community-focused Grenadians are increasingly opting out of political participation entirely, unwilling to put their families at risk of becoming collateral damage in orchestrated digital smear campaigns. That retreat starves democracy of the talent and perspective it needs to thrive, Dr. Grenade emphasizes. History also offers a grim warning: when a society normalizes the destruction of personal dignity online, physical violence in public spaces rarely lags far behind.

    This year, as Grenada prepares to commemorate Emancipation, Dr. Grenade uses the occasion to frame the fight for respectful discourse as a continuation of the freedom struggle that the holiday honors. True freedom, she argues, is never just about ending physical enslavement or achieving economic independence — it is measured by how a community treats every one of its members. The ancestors who endured the Middle Passage and the brutality of plantation slavery did not break their physical chains only for their descendants to build new digital chains of slander, cyberbullying and intercommunal cruelty.

    “A truly liberated people must protect the dignity of others as fiercely as they guard their own rights,” Dr. Grenade writes. There is room for passionate critique of policy, fierce challenges to institutional failure, and robust debate over the direction of the country — but that debate must never cross the line into crushing another person’s spirit. True liberty can not exist when it threatens the safety and well-being of a neighbor, she stresses. Freedom was won to lift the entire community up, not to be turned into a weapon to destroy fellow Grenadians.

    With a general election approaching on the island, Dr. Grenade is urging all voters to stand firm in their support for their chosen political party — while equally fiercely defending their neighbor’s right to hold a different view. She calls on voters to prioritize debate over critical policy issues rather than expending energy on personal character attacks. When communities waste their collective collective energy trading insults online, they miss the chance to have the urgent conversations that shape Grenada’s future: how to transform the national economy, improve access to quality healthcare, expand educational opportunities for young people, protect the island’s fragile natural environment, and guarantee safety for all residents and visitors.

    To help balance the right to free expression with the responsibility to protect fellow community members, Dr. Grenade offers two simple, actionable steps all social media users can take ahead of the election:
    First, think twice before sharing any political content: verify the facts before hitting send, and refuse to spread sensational unsubstantiated rumors or voice notes. If a claim cannot be proven true, delete it instead of passing it along. Second, hold members of your own political camp accountable: if a supporter of your preferred party engages in malicious digital behavior, call them out and demand they stop. Wrong is wrong, no matter which side commits it.

    Dr. Grenade closes by tying this call for change back to the meaning of Emancipation. The true mark of emancipation is not just freedom from outside oppression — it is freedom to live with honor, to prioritize truth, and to extend grace to even those with whom we disagree most deeply. She expresses hope that this year’s Emancipation commemoration will be more than a remembrance of past progress: it will be a renewed national commitment to building a truly free people, where every person is able to retain their freedom and dignity, even in the heat of political competition. “Freedom must be exercised with responsibility,” she reminds readers.

    This commentary was contributed by Dr. Wendy C Grenade, and NOW Grenada notes that it is not responsible for the opinions and content shared by contributors. Readers are invited to click through to report any abusive content shared on its platform.

  • Agriculture camp aims to grow young farmers

    Agriculture camp aims to grow young farmers

    Barbados has marked the successful completion of its first-ever Hearts and Minds agricultural summer camp, a Ministry of Agriculture initiative that brought hands-on farming education to more than 20 primary and secondary school students, with organizers already planning to expand the program in 2025 to cultivate a new generation of agricultural leaders.

    Running for four weeks through July, the immersive camp introduced participating students to core pillars of modern agriculture: sustainable soil management, ethical animal husbandry, end-to-end food production, agribusiness fundamentals, and agriculture as a viable, rewarding long-term career. At the closing ceremony, Barbados Minister of Agriculture Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight emphasized that boosting domestic food output cannot deliver national food security on its own unless the population rebuilds a meaningful, personal connection to farming and food production.

    The program was designed from the ground up to help young people recognize the central role domestic agriculture plays in supporting their families and local communities, Dr. Munro-Knight explained. “Agriculture is for us. It is not grown exclusively to feed tourists or export markets – it is first to feed our own families, our own communities, the Barbadian people who rely on it every day,” she said.

    Dr. Munro-Knight urged Barbadians to preserve the longstanding tradition of backyard gardening, a practice she framed as critical to advancing the country’s food security goals. “There are foundational cultural practices that support our national development that we must hold onto, and the ability to feed ourselves is at the top of that list,” she noted. “Being able to step out into your backyard and harvest fresh spinach, pick peas from a vine, or pluck fruit from an overhanging tree – those small, everyday acts are far more important than many people realize.”

    These local food production skills become even more critical during global crises that disrupt international supply chains, she added, pointing to ongoing geopolitical conflicts that have strained global food distribution in recent years. “When war disrupts global trade and we can’t rely on imported food, these are the skills that will keep our people from going hungry,” Dr. Munro-Knight said. “They also protect the livelihoods of our existing farming community, because when we prioritize buying and growing local, we sustain the work they have invested in for generations.”

    Camp director David Davis said that after four weeks working alongside the participating students, he left the program with full confidence in Barbados’ agricultural future. “I spent the last month with these young people, and I saw brilliant, curious minds hard at work every single day,” Davis shared. “I was nervous about how the inaugural program would go before we started, but meeting these students put all my worries to rest. I know the future of agriculture in Barbados is in good hands.”

    Davis stressed that the country must prioritize youth engagement in agriculture to secure long-term food sovereignty, comparing the young participants to seeds that require intentional nurturing to grow. “We must put agriculture at the top of our national priority list, and all of us have a role to play in supporting these bright young people,” he said. “We planted the seed of interest in agriculture through this camp, and now we have to keep pushing, keep nurturing that interest so they can grow into the innovative agricultural leaders our country needs.”

    Assistant camp director Keisha Weekes echoed Davis’ optimism, praising participants for their relentless curiosity and wholehearted engagement with every program activity. “Over the past four weeks, we watched these young minds jump at every opportunity to learn,” Weekes said. “Their enthusiasm, curiosity, and eagerness to explore the four core pillars of our program have been truly inspiring. They asked thoughtful, incisive questions, threw themselves into every hands-on activity, and reminded all of us that when young people get the chance to explore agriculture, the future of the sector is bright.”

    Weekes added that the camp not only taught students tangible new skills but also helped them build a lasting appreciation for agriculture’s role in everyday Barbadian life. “It has been wonderful to watch confidence grow, friendships form, and knowledge expand over the course of this program,” she said. “I hope every student leaves here today not just with new practical skills, but with a deeper understanding of how vital agriculture is to every part of our nation.”

    Camp counsellor Tawana Russell outlined the program’s core curriculum, which was structured around four key pillars: soil health, livestock care, the seed-to-table supply chain, and agribusiness. “Together we walked through each of these four areas, and along the way we watched our campers grow more confident, collaborate effectively, and develop a genuine respect for the work of farming,” Russell said.

    By the end of the program, students left with a far more nuanced understanding of farming than they had when they arrived, Russell noted. “They learned that healthy soil is far more than just dirt, that raising livestock requires patience and consistent responsibility, and that food doesn’t just magically appear on supermarket shelves – it’s the product of hard work along the entire supply chain,” she explained. “Most importantly, they learned that agriculture is not just a traditional way of life – it is also a dynamic career, a viable business, and an essential foundation for our nation’s future.”

    For 16-year-old camper Jamira Waithe, the hands-on learning opportunities were the highlight of the entire program. “We got to see first-hand how chickens are raised and processed before they ever reach supermarket shelves,” Waithe shared. “We went on farm tours, we had so much fun learning together, and the best part was building our own grow boxes as a group. We got to prepare the soil and plant our own seedlings – that experience stuck with me. This is honestly the best camp I’ve ever attended.”

    Fellow camper Zion Griffith said the program completely reshaped his understanding of what agriculture entails. “Before I came to this camp, I thought agriculture was just planting crops and taking care of animals – that was it,” Griffith said. “I quickly learned it’s so much more than that. Agriculture is a vital part of all our lives because it gives us the food we eat every day, and it supports the livelihoods of so many people across our country.”

    Griffith added that he also gained valuable insight into sustainable farming and its role in protecting the environment. “I learned so many useful skills: we got to plant crops, care for growing plants, study different farming methods, and I really understood how important sustainable practices are to protecting our natural resources while growing food,” he said.

    With the success of the first cohort, organizers are already preparing to expand the program next year, hoping to reach more young people and build a pipeline of new talent to support Barbados’ goal of greater food sovereignty.

  • CARICOM Chair Says Economic Freedom Key to Completing Emancipation’s Unfinished Work

    CARICOM Chair Says Economic Freedom Key to Completing Emancipation’s Unfinished Work

    On July 31, 2026, ahead of Emancipation Day commemorations across the Caribbean region, the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, the Honourable Philip J Pierre, delivered an official message reflecting on the legacy of enslavement, celebrating Caribbean resilience, and outlining a collective path forward for the regional bloc.

    In his address to people across Saint Lucia and the entire CARICOM community, Pierre opened by paying tribute to the generations of enslaved women, men, and children who endured unthinkable cruelty yet never surrendered their inherent dignity, humanity, or hope for freedom. “Because they endured, because they resisted, because they believed, we stand here today as a free people,” Pierre emphasized, noting that Emancipation Day is far more than a ceremonial holiday—it is a sacred reminder of the region’s traumatic origins, the hard-won progress achieved to date, and the unfinished work that remains for current and future generations. Freedom was not granted to Caribbean ancestors, he reminded listeners; it was demanded, fought for, and paid for with immeasurable sacrifice, unwavering courage, and unbreakable faith.

    Pierre stressed that the formal abolition of chattel slavery did not bring an end to systemic injustice. Enslaved people entered into freedom stripped of land, wealth, compensation, and access to opportunity, while the nations and groups that profited from their forced labor retained the benefits of that exploitation. While history cannot be rewritten, Pierre argued that it must be fully understood, because confronting the past is the only foundation for fulfilling the intergenerational responsibility to build a more equitable future.

    The CARICOM chair went on to frame the Caribbean story as a unique narrative of extraordinary resilience forged from overlapping layers of trauma: the dispossession of Indigenous peoples, the centuries-long atrocity of African enslavement, the exploitation of indentured labor, and generations of colonial rule. Out of that pain, Caribbean people created enduring beauty, collective strength, and enduring hope, building sovereign nations, inclusive communities, and functional democracies, while contributing music, literature, and culture that have transformed and enriched the entire world. “We are Caribbean people. We are a proud people. We are a resilient people. And have every reason to believe in our future,” Pierre said.

    The work of true emancipation is far from complete, Pierre argued. Political independence alone is insufficient; the people of the Caribbean deserve economic freedom, equal access to opportunity, broad-based ownership of regional resources, and shared prosperity. He called for building regional economies that allow Caribbean people to create, not just consume, wealth, that offer meaningful opportunity for young people at home, that support local entrepreneurs, farmers, fishers, and manufacturers, and that reward hard work with dignity.

    Centering young people as the core of all regional efforts, Pierre emphasized that every Caribbean child deserves the chance to dream and every young person the chance to achieve their potential. He called for educational systems that prepare youth to innovate, lead, build businesses, master emerging technologies, and drive societal transformation, equipping them to strengthen national and regional communities while pursuing purpose-driven lives.

    Pierre also highlighted two critical pillars of genuine regional independence: food and energy security. “No nation is truly secure if it cannot feed itself,” he noted, explaining that supporting local cultivation, empowering small-scale farmers and fishers, and prioritizing Caribbean-made goods on local supermarket shelves moves the region closer to full sovereignty. For energy, he stressed that expanding access to affordable, reliable, clean energy is not just an environmental priority—it strengthens regional economies, creates new jobs, and reduces the cost of living for all Caribbean people, advancing the unfinished work of emancipation.

    Addressing the ongoing pursuit of reparations for slavery, Pierre clarified that the movement is not about assigning blame or seeking revenge, but about securing truth and justice for the widespread human suffering caused by the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery.

    “Every generation inherits more than freedom; it inherits a responsibility,” Pierre concluded. “Our responsibility is to honour the sacrifices of those who came before us by building a society that is more just, more united and more prosperous than the one they entrusted to us. The true measure of our freedom lies not only in what we remember, but in what we choose to build together.”

    Pierre closed by calling on all CARICOM citizens to continue the work begun by their ancestors, strengthen the regional bloc, and build a future worthy of the sacrifices made by prior generations. He reaffirmed his confidence in the people of the Caribbean to meet this intergenerational challenge.

    Founded in 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas (revised in 2001 to establish a single market and economy), CARICOM includes 15 full Member States and 8 Associate Members, home to roughly 16 million people, 60% of whom are under the age of 30. The bloc’s work is organized around four core pillars: economic integration, coordinated foreign policy, human and social development, and security cooperation, with a stated mission to build an integrated, inclusive, and resilient regional community that delivers shared prosperity, guaranteed human rights, and social justice for all citizens. Widely recognized as one of the most successful integration projects in the developing world, CARICOM positions the region as a unified, competitive actor on the global stage.

  • Soca monarch swaps stage for summer camp to inspire youngsters

    Soca monarch swaps stage for summer camp to inspire youngsters

    Fresh off claiming two of soca music’s most prestigious titles, decorated artist Mikey Mercer traded the bright lights of competition stages for a community summer camp classroom on Friday, leveraging his newfound fame to motivate young people to hold fast to their ambitions. Mercer, who just won both the 2026 Power Soca Monarch and Party Monarch crowns in the annual Crop Over festival, made a surprise appearance at the South Stars Community Summer Camp, hosted at Maxwell House on Maxwell Main Road in Christ Church. During his visit, he spoke to dozens of campers about the importance of self-belief, persistence through hardship, and unapologetically pursuing one’s goals.

    Mercer opened up about his own experiences facing criticism, noting that too many young people abandon their dreams after facing harsh pushback from others. “Sometimes children can be a little harsh…some people have told me that because of how their dreams were attacked by other people, they shied away from them,” he said. “I am fortunate to do what I love as a job, I think we have to plant that seed of going after your goals and dreams [in children].”

    Camp director Tiffany Beckles shared details about the six-week community program, which has drawn roughly 50 children across three age cohorts: 4 to 6 years old, 7 to 9 years old, and 10 to 15 years old. All activities are tailored to fit the developmental needs and personal interests of each group, blending educational workshops and recreational outings to keep young participants engaged throughout the summer break.

    So far, the camp’s schedule has included off-site trips to local landmarks and institutions, including the airport fire station, George Washington House, and 13 Acres. Campers have also gotten hands-on experience with STEM-focused activities, attending dedicated robotics and coding sessions. Friday’s packed lineup featured a music video filming project, a robotics demonstration, and Mercer’s talk, plus an additional visit from former Junior Monarch King K. Looking ahead, Beckles said participants are eagerly anticipating an upcoming field trip to the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary.

    Beckles added that Mercer’s visit was a standout highlight for campers, noting that so far, the on-site music video project and the fire station trip have emerged as the children’s favorite activities. With the camp scheduled to wrap up its 2026 session on August 21, organizers are putting the final touches on closing events to end the program on a celebratory note. “Our last lap, right now we have a sports day and a fun day for the last lap,” Beckles confirmed. (Photo credits for both Mercer and Beckles: Shamar Blunt)

  • New Owners Take Control of Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Ahead of CPL Season

    New Owners Take Control of Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Ahead of CPL Season

    A major ownership shift has hit the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) circuit, as the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons franchise has been purchased by a group of Pakistani investors headquartered in the United States. According to Sabina Webster, the Falcons’ head of operations, the acquisition covers Worldwide Sports Operations, the parent company that holds full ownership rights to the CPL franchise.

    Despite the change in leadership, Webster emphasized that day-to-day franchise operations will not face any disruptions as the team gears up for the 2026 CPL season. Instead of upheaval, she framed the transition as an opportunity for growth, noting that fans and stakeholders can expect only meaningful, positive change going forward. The new ownership group has made clear its deep commitment to advancing sports development, with a specific focus on growing cricket across the region.

    Webster added that the new owners have laid out two core early priorities: expanding the franchise’s existing community outreach programs and investing in the development of young domestic cricketers, with the goal of nurturing emerging talent that can climb the ranks to professional international cricket. Contrary to speculation about a potential rebrand, the Falcons will retain their current name, logo, and full organizational identity, with no changes planned to the franchise’s public image.

    Preparations for the upcoming season are already well underway. The franchise launched its official pre-season training camp on the island of Antigua on July 31, with all members of the squad housed at The Verandah Resort throughout the camp period. Webster explained that the in-person camp is designed to help players build on-field chemistry, work through tactical preparations, and get into peak physical condition ahead of the tournament’s opening matches.

    Off the field, work is progressing to upgrade and prepare the iconic Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the Falcons’ home ground, for upcoming matches during the season. Local industry leader Leon “Kuma” Rodney has been tapped to lead all venue preparation efforts to ensure the facility meets CPL tournament standards.

    The Falcons are scheduled to kick off their 2026 CPL campaign on August 7 at Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent, where they will face off against the CPL’s newest expansion side, the Jamaica Kingsmen. Two days after their opening match, on August 9, the team will return to the same venue to compete against the St. Lucia Kings.

    In a move that has drawn attention from regional cricket fans, the franchise announced back in May that it had secured the signature of star fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, an Antigua native and key member of the West Indies men’s national cricket team. Joseph, who previously represented the St. Lucia Kings during his CPL career, will bring veteran bowling experience to the Falcons’ 2026 squad.

  • Swimming record smashed at CAC Games

    Swimming record smashed at CAC Games

    As the 2025 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games entered another day of competition at their host venue in the Dominican Republic on Friday, Barbadian athletes delivered a mix of breakthrough achievement and hard-fought defeats across three different sports.

    The highlight of the day for the Caribbean nation came from its aquatics program, where a four-person mixed relay team etched their names into Barbadian sports history. Swimmers Amani Miller, Heidi Stoute, Danielle Treasure and Jake Chee-A-Tow took to the pool for the opening heat of the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay, delivering a coordinated, consistent performance that earned them a third-place finish in the heat. More importantly, the team clocked a final time of 3:44.42, smashing the previous national record of 3:38.16 that had stood for just three years, having first been set in August 2025.

    Across other competition venues, Barbadian athletes faced tougher outcomes on the day. In men’s Group A hockey action, the national side fell to a 3-0 shutout defeat at the hands of Mexico, a top-ranked regional opponent that controlled possession and scoring chances for most of the match.

    On the wrestling mat, two Barbadian competitors also navigated a mixed slate of matches in their weight classes. Eighty-six-kilogram wrestler Nathan Pond opened his day with a lopsided 10-0 loss to Mexico’s Kevin De Leon, but bounced back quickly to secure a 5-0 victory by forfeit over Ethan Ramos of Puerto Rico. Pond could not carry that momentum into his final match of the day, however, falling to home crowd favorite Christopher Foca of the Dominican Republic. In the 125kg division, Barbadian wrestler Emmerson Hurley also ended the day with a defeat, dropping a 4-0 decision to Mexico’s Leonard Guerrero.

    The CAC Games continue through the coming week, with Barbadian athletes set to compete in dozens of additional events across the region’s premier multi-sport competition.

  • Police probe alleged kidnapping of girl, 15

    Police probe alleged kidnapping of girl, 15

    Law enforcement officers from Trinidad and Tobago’s Western Division have opened a formal investigation into a brutal alleged kidnapping and sexual assault targeting a 15-year-old minor, an incident that unfolded in the coastal community of Cocorite.

    According to official police accounts, the teenage victim was en route to a neighborhood mini-mart close to her residence on the day of the attack when she opted to cut her journey short by taking an isolated path behind a local building. It was in this secluded spot that she came face-to-face with an unknown male attacker.

    The first suspect, described by the victim as wearing a black athletic jersey and black three-quarter length jeans, grabbed the teen before forcefully dragging her to a waiting black sedan parked nearby. He then shoved her into the vehicle’s rear passenger seat, where a second accomplice was already positioned. That second man, clad in a white sleeveless vest and full-length white trousers, pinned the victim’s head down as the car pulled away and traveled to an undisclosed location.

    Within minutes of departing the original abduction site, the driver pulled the vehicle onto a neglected, abandoned plot of land. The man in the white vest then dragged the teenager out of the car and into a nearby derelict house, where he forced her to the ground and raped her, according to the victim’s official statement.

    After carrying out the assault, the two attackers returned the minor to their vehicle and drove her back to Cocorite, dropping her off near the area’s well-known walkover. Before fleeing the scene, the pair threatened the victim, warning her that she “better not tell nobody about this” to avoid retaliation.

    Terrified but unharmed in any other physical sense, the teenager walked straight home and immediately disclosed the full details of the attack to her father. The pair wasted no time in traveling to the St James Police Station to file an official report with authorities.

    Following the filing of the report, a female acting corporal named Durham escorted the victim to the St James Medical Centre, where she underwent a full forensic medical examination to collect evidence for the ongoing investigation. As of the latest update, no arrests have been announced, and detectives are continuing to canvass the area for witnesses and review any available surveillance footage that could help identify and apprehend the two attackers.

  • Kadooment revellers urged to guard against extreme heat

    Kadooment revellers urged to guard against extreme heat

    As Barbados prepares for the popular annual Grand Kadooment celebration on Monday, a sharp uptick in heat-related medical emergencies has spurred a critical public safety warning from the top of the island nation’s leading medical body. Dr. Lynda Williams, president of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), is sounding the alarm amid ongoing record-high temperatures and prolonged dry conditions that have elevated health risks for both festival attendees and at-home vulnerable groups.

    Local doctors have already documented a clear increase in patients seeking care for heat-related conditions, a trend that aligns with long-term regional climate projections. Forecasters have repeatedly flagged that extreme heat will remain one of the most dangerous weather hazards throughout the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has previously emphasized that even with predictions of a less active hurricane season this year, Caribbean countries must brace for the overlapping threats of persistent extreme heat and dryness, which can strain public health systems just as severely as storm activity.

    In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Williams explained that human-caused climate change has steadily made the annual Crop Over festival, which culminates in Grand Kadooment, a more dangerous event for participants. “It seems that every year they are warning that climate change has resulted in hotter temperatures. We see more persons presenting with heat stroke,” she noted. Heat-related illnesses develop when the human body cannot regulate its internal temperature effectively enough to cool down, and symptoms can range from mild dizziness and shortness of breath to full loss of consciousness and life-threatening organ damage. Williams stressed that proactive prevention is far more effective than emergency treatment for these conditions.

    To reduce risk, Williams offered clear, actionable guidance for festival-goers. She advised attendees to hydrate well before arriving at the event and carry water with them at all times, adding that physical cooling measures such as misting the body with water, using a chilled neck towel, or carrying a personal fan can also help keep core temperatures down. She also warned that alcohol dramatically increases the risk of dehydration, especially for people spending multiple hours outdoors in high heat. “If you drink, don’t drink in excess. By the time you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Don’t drink only when you are feeling thirsty…drink as often as you can and continuously,” she said.

    For people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, Williams urged them to stick to their regular dietary and medication routines during the festivities, noting that many attendees end up relying on irregular, unhealthy festival food that can send blood sugar or blood pressure out of control. Heavily salted traditional festival foods are particularly dangerous, she added, because they worsen dehydration and raise the likelihood of serious heat-related complications.

    The health risks posed by the current heatwave are not limited to people out celebrating, however. Williams pointed out that local doctors are already treating a growing number of elderly patients who have developed heat-related illness while staying inside their homes. Many older adults do not drink enough water throughout the day, even when temperatures climb, and can experience sudden dizziness or collapse. Williams shared the example of a recent case where an elderly woman passed out at home due to severe dehydration, noting that isolated older adults who do not have regular check-ins from family or neighbors are at particularly high risk of developing kidney problems from untreated dehydration. She is calling on relatives, friends, and neighbors to make regular visits or check-ins with older people living alone during the current heat event to ensure they are staying cool, hydrated, and well-fed.

  • All enslaved in British colonies declared free: 1 August 1834

    All enslaved in British colonies declared free: 1 August 1834

    On 1 August 1834, a landmark moment in colonial history unfolded across British Caribbean territories, including Grenada, when the British government formally enacted the long-awaited emancipation of enslaved people. What was framed as a historic step toward freedom, however, came with a deeply compromised caveat: all formerly enslaved people were required to enter a forced apprenticeship system with their old enslavers before gaining full autonomy.

    This 1834 declaration followed decades of incremental anti-slavery action in Britain. After the British Empire abolished the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, growing public pressure pushed Parliament to pass the Slavery Abolition Act in July 1833, which set the 1834 emancipation date. The legislation came in response to sustained outcry against the inhumanity of chattel slavery, but it was heavily shaped by fierce pushback from wealthy colonial plantation owners, who argued that losing their unpaid labor force would destroy the regional economy. To win their acceptance of abolition, Parliament offered massive financial compensation to enslavers for their lost ‘property’, and established the transitional apprenticeship system to smooth the transition for landowners. In Grenada alone, this settlement saw plantation owners collect a total of £616,255 in public funds, while more than 23,600 enslaved people were nominally freed on paper. Notably, the idea of compensating enslaved people for centuries of forced labor and systemic abuse was never even raised by British lawmakers, who claimed freedom itself was sufficient reparation. This historic injustice remains at the center of modern demands for reparative justice across former British Caribbean colonies.

    Under the terms of the apprenticeship system, non-agricultural enslaved people were forced to serve their former owners for four years, while field laborers faced a six-year term. All formerly enslaved people over the age of six were required to work three-quarters of each week without pay, receiving only basic food rations in exchange. They were allowed to tend personal kitchen gardens or work for wages on their remaining free time, but children under six—though technically free immediately—were forced into similar exploitative conditions because their families depended on estate provisions for survival. Officials framed the system as a deliberate, benevolent transition: it would give plantation owners time to adapt to a free labor market, while teaching formerly enslaved people the norms of wage work to prepare them for full citizenship.

    In practice, the apprenticeship system fell far short of its promises and became a new form of exploitative control. Plantation owners leveraged existing laws that favored colonial elites to extract maximum unpaid labor with minimal recourse for apprentices, and even when appointed stipendiary magistrates were tasked with protecting apprentices’ rights, enslavers and managers regularly abused those rights without consequence. Apprentices organized protest wherever they could, but discriminatory legislation left most of their efforts futile and dangerous.

    By 1838, widespread public and political opposition to the failed system had built across the region, fueled by the approaching end of the four-year term for non-agricultural apprentices. In a historic move that signaled widespread recognition of the apprenticeship system’s failure, the Grenada Legislature voted in May 1838 to end forced apprenticeship for field workers two years ahead of schedule. On 1 August 1838, just four years after the formal 1834 emancipation declaration, all forced servitude across the British West Indies was abolished. More than 18,000 apprenticed people in Grenada gained full legal freedom, but their ongoing economic dependence on plantation wage labor left them trapped in systemic exploitation for another full century.

    Today, Emancipation Day is commemorated every 1 August with cultural celebrations across Grenada’s islands, marking the end of chattel slavery. Unlike many other Caribbean former British colonies, however, Grenada has no permanent public monument to honor emancipation and the struggle for freedom.