Exceptional Caribbean

Name: Exceptional Caribbean
Address: Santa Cruz, TT
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Exceptional Caribbean

A Platform to promote and celebrate Exceptional Caribbean People, Products, and Places. The Caribbean is an Exceptional Place to Live, Work and Play.

The Caribbean Has It All - hundreds of islands and a hotspot of biodiversity; highly-educated, talented and creative people; the fastest man in the world (Usain Bolt); internationally-famous actors and musicians (Bob Marley, Sydney Poitier, Rihanna); the only invented musical instrument of the 20th century (the Steel Pan); Nobel Prize winners; a vibrant and living culture; home of the greatest show on Earth (Carnival); modern sporting, meeting and medical facilities; a variety of business and investment opportunities; and of course, Sun, Sand and Sea. Fall in love with the Caribbean!

22/09/2026

𝐈𝐧 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟗, 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 🌊

It established the 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤, protecting an extraordinary underwater ecosystem that today is known to contain 𝟑𝟓𝟎+ 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝟔𝟎 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥.

But here's where the story gets even more fascinating.

Scientists exploring Bonaire's deeper waters have encountered marine life previously unknown to science. A deep-reef expedition recorded 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟓 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬, including fish, shrimp and sponges.

And one discovery happened almost by accident.

During a night dive, underwater photographer 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 photographed a lobster. When she later examined the image, she noticed a tiny, unfamiliar creature hiding in the background.

It turned out to be 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐛.

Nearly half a century after Bonaire began protecting its underwater world, we're still discovering what lives there.

𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞? 🇧🇶

🎥
Via

18/09/2026

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆. 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌? 🎶🇹🇹

Here’s Harry Belafonte and Danny Kaye having an absolute time performing 𝑀𝑎𝑚𝑎 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎 𝐵𝑜𝑜 𝐵𝑜𝑜 on American television in the 1960s.

But there’s another Caribbean story behind the song.

Mama Look a Boo Boo was originally recorded in the 1950s by 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐲 — 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐳𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. The wonderfully self-deprecating song pokes fun at Melody’s looks — the kind of wit and teasing deeply associated with the calypso tradition of picong.

Harry Belafonte later recorded his version, and the song became an American hit — 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐨. 𝟏𝟏 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟗𝟓𝟕.

Belafonte’s own story was deeply Caribbean. Born in New York to a Jamaican mother and a Martinican father, he spent part of his childhood in Jamaica. His landmark 1956 album 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑝𝑠𝑜 would help introduce Caribbean music to an enormous international audience.

And here he is with 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐲𝐞, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐫𝐚, singing a song that began with a Trinidadian calypsonian.

𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 “𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥,” 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬. 🌎🌴

Nearly 70 years later, we’re still singing along. 🇹🇹🎶

Now let’s test your calypso memory…

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤? 👇🏾🎶

🎥 Archival footage via on Instagram
🎵 Mama Look a Boo Boo — Lord Melody

16/09/2026

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 “𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒” 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒? 🌴❤️

There was a time when nobody called it wellness.

Food came from the yard, the market, the sea — sometimes from a neighbour. We spent more time outdoors, visited each other more often, sat around talking, laughing, sharing food and simply enjoying each other’s company.

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬.

But there was something about that way of living that many of us still miss.

Today, people travel thousands of miles searching for experiences that promise better food, more time in nature, deeper human connection and a chance to slow down.

Perhaps one of the Caribbean's greatest treasures isn't something we need to invent.

Perhaps it is something we need to remember.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭?
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞? ❤️🌴

🎥 Ethan Cummings

09/09/2026

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐄? 🇧🇿

At just 11 years old, The Real Manatee Man saw scientists preparing to head out to conduct manatee health assessments in his home village in Belize.

He asked if he could join them. They gave him the opportunity.

Jamal continued volunteering and learning, eventually turning that early involvement into a career dedicated to protecting Belize’s endangered Antillean manatees and the habitats on which they depend.

Today, his work includes research, monitoring, rescue, education, community outreach and advocacy. He has also taken Belize’s conservation experience onto international platforms as a 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰.

And now he is working to develop the 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 & 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, with the aim of rescuing and rehabilitating marine wildlife while helping another generation of young people learn about conservation.

There is a bigger Caribbean story here.

Jamal’s story is about much more than manatees.

It shows what conservation can become when communities are not simply consulted, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝.

That distinction matters.

Too often, community involvement begins and ends with being invited into a room, asked for an opinion and then sent home. Real participation goes further. It gives people knowledge, responsibility, experience and a genuine role in shaping what happens in the places where they live.

𝐈𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 🇧🇿🌊

Jamal was given an opportunity at 11.

Look at what grew from it.

🎥 Video Credit: National Geographic

08/09/2026

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔… 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄. 😂❤️🌴

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐚𝐧. 🥁
𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨. 😂❤️

That's the power of Caribbean culture.

It lives in our music, our food, our language, our memories ... and in those little things that can instantly transport us home, no matter where in the world we are.

𝐒𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬… Complete the sentence:

“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈'𝐦 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫/𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥/𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 __________, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.” 🌴❤️

🎥 First Video: on IG
Second Video: Jacob Berger

03/09/2026

𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐈𝐆? 🇬🇾

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚 - 𝐆𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫.

Floating quietly on the waters of Guyana, its enormous leaves can grow fast - 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝟐𝟓 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

So strong are those great, ribbed leaves that they can support the weight of 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝. 🌿

And here’s the twist: their remarkable structure is said to have inspired Joseph Paxton’s design for London’s Crystal Palace, built for the Great Exhibition of 1851.

From the waterways of Guyana to a landmark of Victorian London -
𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐲.

Did you know Guyana's national flower was this spectacular?

Video Credit: Visit Guyana

01/09/2026

What does Caribbean greatness sound like? 🇹🇹🎶

Sometimes, it sounds like 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲.

The young New Yorker, who has Saint Lucian roots, recently performed Bob Marley’s “𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞” on steelpan at a Caribbean Heritage Reception at Gracie Mansion.

Just before he performed, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke about what he called the “𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧.”

Then came Sir Halo.

What a Caribbean moment.

🇹🇹 𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐨.
🇱🇨 𝐀 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬.
🇯🇲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐨𝐛 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲.
🇺🇸 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲.

As Trinidad and Tobago marks 64 years of Independence, there is another part of this story worth stating clearly:

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐨’𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

And one of pan’s greatest powers is that it has never stopped evolving.

𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐨. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 🇹🇹🌎

Where is the most unexpected place you have heard steelpan being played? Tell us below. 👇🏾

🎥 Video Credit: .medley on IG

27/08/2026

"𝐘𝐮𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞, 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥. 𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫. 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠. 😂"

Anybody else grow up hearing stories like that?

Because in many Caribbean homes, 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐩.

It washed the clothes. It scrubbed things clean. People bathed with it.

And depending on which granny you asked, it could deal with a whole other category of problems too. 👀

Bad mind. Bad eye. Maljo. Whatever needed washing away.

Granny didn't always explain.

She just knew what had to be done. 😂

And somehow that little blue bar became part of Caribbean household life - by the wash tub, down by the river, beside the bath.

Even that unmistakable clean fresh smell can take some of us straight back home.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐩 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞? 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨? 👇🏽

Video Credit: Raine n River Apothecary

26/08/2026

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑? 🇲🇶⛵

Because in Martinique's famous 𝑦𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒, that's part of how you keep a racing boat upright.

The traditional yole ronde is a slender, nearly 10-metre-long boat with 𝐧𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫. When the wind fills its huge sail, crew members climb out over the water onto long movable wooden poles called 𝐛𝐰𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞́𝐬.

Their own body weight becomes part of the sailing system - helping to balance the yole and keep it racing across the water.

It takes extraordinary strength, balance, timing and trust.

But this “𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚” is about much more than a race.

The yole ronde grew from Martinique’s fishing and seafaring tradition, with its now-familiar design taking shape in the 𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟎𝐬.

Traditionally handcrafted from local wood, it carries generations of Martinican boat-building and sailing knowledge.

In 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟔, four yoles set out on a pioneering tour around Martinique, helping lay the foundations for the celebrated Tour des Yoles Rondes.

Today, the Tour brings communities together around the coastline to support their crews and celebrate a tradition that remains very much alive.

In 2020, Martinique’s work to safeguard the yole — from its construction to its sailing practices — was recognised by UNESCO through 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.

So those sailors aren't hanging over the water for show.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟖𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. 🇲🇶

Would you brave those poles?

Video Credit: Yoles Martinique

20/08/2026

“𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐲, 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐲… 𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

Before you see 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐮𝐱 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬, you hear them.
The heavy wooden shoes striking the road. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐩. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐩. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐩.

For many of us in the Caribbean, this is how culture first entered our lives - standing by the roadside, holding a parent’s hand, while somebody older explained who was coming and what the mas meant.

That is also how traditions survive.

Somebody remembers. Somebody knows how to make the costume, how to play the mas, how the movements go.

And somebody younger is there watching, learning and, hopefully, carrying it forward.

Vieux Corps, a masquerade of disguise that dates back to the pre-emancipation era, is one of Grenada’s distinctive traditional masquerades, with deep roots in communities in the west of the island.

But seeing it on the road during SpiceMas raises a bigger question:
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

Carnival will change. It always has. But change should not mean losing the traditions that tell us where we came from.

Because once the knowledge stops being passed on, the mas does not simply change.
It disappears.

So perhaps preservation begins with something very simple: keep playing it, keep teaching it, and make sure the young ones know what they are looking at.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬?

Video Credit: Tev_Media on Instagram

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