Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Sacred land, contested memory, and a centuries-long fight for sovereignty, this conversation with Dr. Garrey Dennie traces the deep antiquity of the Kalinago in St. Vincent, their transformation into a maritime powerhouse, and the strategic choices that delayed European domination for generations. Instead of a single “first contact,” we explore two: the catastrophic arrival of Europeans and the liberatory meeting of Kalinago communities with Africans who escaped or were freed from bondage.Dr. Dennie unpacks genocide as a 300-year process, where pathogens, forced labor, and scorched-earth campaigns worked in tandem to clear land for sugar and slavery. He explains how the union that produced the Garifuna did more than build solidarity; it created a hybrid identity with immunological resilience that helped communities survive. From the First and Second Carib Wars to the brutal detention on Baliceaux and the mass exile of 1797, we follow the pivotal moments that transformed St. Vincent and, paradoxically, shortened its time as a British slave society through relentless resistance.We also step inside a landmark scholarly effort: the forthcoming multi-volume Native Genocide and African Enslavement in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He is one of four Vincentian historians co-authoring the series that restores Indigenous and Garifuna perspectives to the center, bridges archaeology and epidemiology with political history, and invites listeners to reconsider where homeland and belonging truly reside. If you’re ready to move beyond textbook myths and confront the intertwined stories of survival, identity, and power, this episode offers a clear, compelling path forward.Dr. Garrey Dennie is an Associate Professor of History at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a founder of its Program in African and African Diaspora Studies.  He obtained his first degree at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill and his Ph. D at The Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Dennie has also lectured at the University of the West Indies at the Mona campus in Jamaica.  Dr. Dennie has produced and published original scholarship on the politics of death in modern South Africa. And in the greatest privilege of his life, Dr. Dennie served as a speechwriter for Nelson Mandela in the battle to destroy white rule in apartheid South Africa.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.What if the medicine you need was growing right outside your door? We sit down with author and farmer Aleya Fraser to trace the living thread of Caribbean herbalism as she details in her new book Caribbean Herbalism: Traditional Wisdom and Modern Herbal Healing. Together, we unpack the tension between modern convenience and disappearing habitats, and we get practical about what to do next: how to identify plants safely, why relationship matters more than hype, and where citizen science can meet peer-reviewed research without losing soul. We talk creolization—the way Indigenous, African, European, and South Asian traditions fused into today’s remedies—and why names matter, from “guinea hen weed” to Latin binomials that help us translate across islands. If you’re in the diaspora or on the islands, you’ll find clear steps to reconnect: sit with elders, join a local farm or foraging group, support growers protecting habitats, and keep a simple log of what teas and tinctures do for your body. This conversation opens a another gate into herbal practices that are accessible, rigorous, and deeply Caribbean—where story and science enrich each other and wellness returns to the commons. If this speaks to you, subscribe, share with a friend who loves bush tea, and leave a review to help more listeners find these roots.Aleya Fraser is a land steward and ethnobotanist with a strong lineage of land-based people. She has spent the last 12 years managing and founding farms and deepening her herbal knowledge through communing with elders, practice, and scientific research. Aleya uses her bachelor's degree in physiology and neurobiology as well as the ancestral wisdom in her fingertips to guide her studies and research interests. She blends her upbringing in Maryland with a strong focus on Trinidadian roots in her writings. She is considered a pollinator of people and weaver of landscapes. Aleya managed and cofounded farms in Baltimore City, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in Northwest Virginia, and now, in her ancestral lands of Trinidad and Tobago, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She can be found on Instagram (@naturaleya) or online at naturaleya.substack.com.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.What if everything we thought we knew about Caribbean literary history was incomplete? That's the premise of today's captivating conversation with Professor Alison Donnell, whose groundbreaking new book, Lost and Found: An A to Z of Neglected Writers of the Anglophone Caribbean (Papillote Press 2025), challenges the traditional narrative that Caribbean literature primarily emerged in the 1950s through male writers who migrated abroad. Through painstaking research spanning decades, Donnell reveals a far richer literary landscape populated by remarkable women writers, Indo-Caribbean voices, and authors who remained within the Caribbean, crafting work specifically for local audiences.The stories behind these recoveries are as fascinating as the writers themselves. We meet Vera Bell, the first female chief clerk of Jamaica's National Water Commission and prolific poet; Monica Skeet, who balanced a conservative teaching career with radical storytelling; and Edwina Melville, the first woman with a tractor license in Guyana who dedicated herself to representing Amerindian life. These weren't just writers – they were teachers, journalists, civil servants, and community leaders whose literary work formed part of a broader mission to build Caribbean cultural literacy.Whether you're a Caribbean literature enthusiast or simply love stories of historical recovery and justice, this episode will transform how you understand the relationship between literature, identity, and cultural memory. Listen now to discover the writers who helped shape Caribbean consciousness long before we knew their names.Alison Donnell is head of Humanities and Professor of Modern Literatures in English at the University of Bristol. She has published widely in the field of Caribbean literature, with significant contributions to the fields of literary history and culture, recovery research of women authors, and Caribbean literary archives. Her recent works reflect her ongoing commitment to exploring and expanding literary histories, including a special double issue of Caribbean Quarterly on Caribbean Literary Archives. Her latest monograph Creolized Sexualities: Undoing Heteronormativity in the literary imagination of the Anglo-Caribbean was published by Rutgers in 2021.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.In the mid-20th century Caribbean, cinema became a powerful tool for nation-building, education, and political messaging through two remarkable organizations with surprisingly parallel methods but divergent ideologies. Dr. Pedro Noel Doreste Rodríguez joins us for this enchanting history in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The story begins in 1949 when Puerto Rico established the Division of Community Education (DIVEDCO), creating films that taught rural communities practical skills while reinforcing cultural identity within the island's complicated relationship with the United States. Ten years later, revolutionary Cuba founded the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC), similarly using cinema to educate citizens but through an explicitly socialist lens. Both organizations deployed mobile cinema units, bringing film to remote villages alongside community discussions and educational programs. These weren't Hollywood productions seeking profit, but state-sponsored projects with clear political objectives.Perhaps most surprising is Cuba's relationship with American cinema despite the US embargo. The ICAIC organized pirated screenings of films like The Godfather, viewing them as critiques of American capitalism rather than threats to revolutionary values. This openness to global cinema influences, filtered through a revolutionary perspective, helped shape Cuba's enduring film tradition. What can these remarkable cultural experiments teach us about the power of cinema as both art and political instrument? The answer lies in understanding how these films didn't just entertain audiences—they helped shape Caribbean identities during one of the region's most transformative periods.Pedro Noel Doreste Rodríguez is Assistant Professor in Film Studies at Michigan State University and Co-Director of the Manchineel Project. He is a historian of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx film and media whose research surveys cinematic encounters between the global North and South, diasporic and exile filmmaking, and avant-garde film cultures in and of the Hispanic Caribbean. He is coeditor of the anthology "Vivirse la película: Methods in Puerto Rican Film Studies," forthcoming from Centro Press.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Storytelling lies at the heart of Caribbean identity. Award-winning filmmaker Alyscia Cunningham joins us to unravel the power of Caribbean folklore through the lens of modern cinema. As a first-generation Trinidadian-American, Cunningham's childhood was filled with spine-tingling tales from her parents' homeland in southern Trinidad. Today, she channels those experiences into her documentary and narrative horror films, creating what she calls "impact art" – creative works designed to educate audiences and spark meaningful conversation.We dive deep into Cunningham's filmmaking journey with Douen and Douen II, exploring why this particular folklore figure – a mischievous childlike spirit who died before baptism – resonated so strongly with her. The conversation reveals fascinating insights about the challenges Caribbean filmmakers. Beyond entertainment, Cunningham's work serves as a crucial bridge between generations, preserving cultural knowledge while making it accessible to contemporary audiences who might otherwise never encounter these traditional tales. Her approach demonstrates how Caribbean horror folklore can evolve without losing its essence, honoring ancestral wisdom while ensuring its survival. Discover how ancient Caribbean folklore finds new life on screen, and why these stories matter now more than ever. Alyscia Cunningham is an award-winning impact artist, author, filmmaker, tactile artist, and photographer who has contributed to the Smithsonian, National Geographic, Discovery Channel and AOL. Her work focuses on women discovering their strengths and surviving challenging circumstances. Rooted in her identity as a first-generation Trinidadian American, Alyscia’s early fascination with storytelling was sparked by the tales of resilience, folklore, and life lessons shared by her Caribbean elders. These narratives of triumph over adversity and cultural heritage fuel her creative passion, driving her work in both documentary and narrative filmmaking. Alyscia is also the Founder and Executive Director of Her House Media LLC, focusing on production of documentary and horror films written and directed by women of color.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.When we lose a loved one, the stories they carried often disappear with them—unless we find ways to preserve them. This powerful truth drives creative consultant Calvin Walker's experimental audio project "Daylight Come," which traces his family's migration from Jamaica to the United Kingdom and connects deeply personal narratives to broader historical movements. Calvin walks us through his creative process, from attempts at writing and filmmaking to his eureka moment when discovering AI-generated voices could provide the emotional distance needed to tell difficult stories. What unfolds is a masterclass in cultural preservation that weaves individual experiences with pivotal historical contexts like Windrush, colonial legacies, and the formation of Caribbean communities in postwar Britain.Most compelling is Calvin's passionate defense of documenting seemingly "ordinary" family histories: "The more stories, even if they're banal, that get put down with dates and times and facts, the harder it is to sweep them away and say it didn't really happen like that." In an era when historical narratives are contested and sometimes erased, these personal archives become powerful acts of resistance and remembrance. Have you considered documenting your own family's journey? Calvin offers practical advice for getting started with modern tools that make preservation more accessible than ever. Recording these histories builds bridges across generations and oceans, ensuring cultural legacies endure beyond individual lifetimes.Calvin Walker is a Jamaican-born creative consultant with British and French nationalities. His work bridges visual arts, storytelling, and cultural advocacy, shaped by a background in photography and technology. After starting out as an independent photographer, Calvin moved into multimedia development and later spent twenty years at Film France, where he developed international partnerships and promoted France as a global hub for film and post-production. He collaborates with artists, filmmakers, and institutions around the world, and has contributed to major industry events such as the Cannes Film Market, FOCUS London, and Berlinale EFM. Calvin also advises art and design schools and is the creator of Daylight Come, an experimental audio project exploring ancestry, migration, and memory.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.What drives someone to pick up a camera and document untold Caribbean history with no formal training? For Richard Vaughn, it was a simple realization: the political stories that shaped the modern Caribbean were either missing from film archives or told through a heavily biased lens. Vaughn takes us on his remarkable journey from curious Jamaican-American to award-winning documentary filmmaker. With us, he describes what would become "The Love Trilogy" – three powerful documentaries examining pivotal Caribbean political figures: Michael Manley of Jamaica, the Grenada Revolution, and Cheddi Jagan of Guyana. The trilogy's name emerged organically from Manley's own words about his political movement: "The word is love."The conversation weaves together reflections on Caribbean self-determination, the connection between political movements and cultural expressions like reggae music, and practical advice for aspiring documentarians. Vaughn's simple guidance resonates beyond filmmaking: identify what needs preserving in your community's history, start with whatever resources you have, and persist despite obstacles. Listen now to discover how documentary film serves as both historical preservation and a tool for balanced understanding of the Caribbean's complex political landscape. What stories in your community deserve similar documentation?Richard Vaughan born in New York to Jamaican immigrants in 1980. Driven by a passion for his culture and determination to educate and tell stores that history often forgets. Winner of the Madrid International Filmmaker Festival 2017 for Best Editing of a Documentary and the 2017 Van Gogh Award: Prodigy Auteur at the 2017 Amsterdam Film Festival for his second documentary Rolling Along: An Inline Movement. Previous credits include The Word is Love: Jamaica's Michael Manley (2012), Rolling Along: An Inline Movement (2017), Four Years of Love: The Grenada Revolution (2021), The Price of Love: Cheddi Jagan (2024). Films available here. Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts. Thirty-five years ago on July 27, 1990, Trinidad and Tobago experienced a shocking violation of its democratic foundations when Yasin Abu Bakr and the Jamaat al-Muslimeen stormed Parliament and the national television station, holding the Prime Minister hostage and declaring the government overthrown. This episode delves into a Caribbean coup that rarely makes the history books but lives on in the memory of Trinidadians who witnessed it. Writer Esker David Johnson joins us to share his personal connection to the event. Together, we uncover the economic and social conditions that fertilized the ground for this uprising, from Trinidad's oil-dependent economy to the marginalization of Afro-Trinidadian communities that Abu Bakr claimed to champion.But the most fascinating aspect of this coup isn't just that it happened—it's what didn't happen afterward. Despite the violence, the hostage-taking, and approximately 30 deaths, the perpetrators walked free due to amnesty agreements signed under duress. This extraordinary lack of consequences created what Johnson describes as a "recalibration" of Trinidad's national identity, a wound in the country's relationship with justice that shapes crime and politics to this day. Through calypso, cultural memory, and comparative history, we trace the echoes of this event through Trinidad's later struggles and are reminded that memory, justice, and national identity are inextricably linked. Eskor David Johnson is a writer from Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. His debut novel Pay As You Go was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize as well as the the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award. A professor of Fiction Writing at Stony Brook University, he lives in New York City. Also check out Johnson's recent piece on the coup, "Sisyphus in the Capital." Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Freedom wasn't granted—it was seized through blood, sweat, and unwavering resistance. Across the Dutch and Danish Caribbean colonies, enslaved Africans fought against brutal systems of oppression that are often overshadowed in mainstream historical narratives focused on British, Spanish, and French colonial powers.When thousands gathered in St. Croix on July 2nd, 1848, led by freedom fighter General Buddhoe (Moses Gottlieb), they weren't asking politely for their liberation. They threatened to burn Frederiksted to the ground, forcing the Danish governor to declare immediate emancipation. This powerful act of collective resistance is why July 3rd remains sacred in the U.S. Virgin Islands, commemorated through Freedom Week celebrations that honor ancestral sacrifice and triumph.Meanwhile, in the Dutch Caribbean territories like Suriname, Curaçao, and Aruba, emancipation arrived decades later in 1863—and even then with the cruel stipulation that the formerly enslaved would be required to work an additional decade on the plantations where they had suffered. This delayed freedom, finally realized in 1873, is now celebrated as "Keti Koti" (the chain is broken), a powerful testament to resilience against Dutch colonial brutality. The colonial footprints of the Netherlands and Denmark—alongside brief periods of Swedish and Portuguese occupation—remain etched in Caribbean legal systems, languages, demographics, and collective consciousness. By amplifying these overlooked histories, we honor the full spectrum of Caribbean resistance and recognize that every Emancipation Day represents a hard-won victory by those who refused to accept bondage as their fate. Our ancestors' struggle for dignity continues to illuminate our path forward.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.When we picture World War I and II, we rarely envision Caribbean soldiers in RAF uniforms flying bombing missions over Nazi Germany or Trinidad's oil refineries fueling the Battle of Britain. Yet these overlooked contributions not only helped defeat fascism but transformed the Caribbean's political landscape forever. In this eye-opening episode, historian John Concagh joins Strictly Facts to uncover how over 15,000 Caribbean volunteers served in WWI and 6,000 more in WWII, despite facing what Concagh calls a "shadow color bar" within British forces. We explore the complex motivations driving Caribbean people to fight in these global conflicts – from colonial loyalty to active anti-fascism – and the bitter disappointment many faced upon being relegated to labor battalions rather than combat roles.The conversation highlights remarkable individuals whose war service shaped their later political careers, including Errol Barrow, who flew 48 bomber missions before becoming Barbados' first Prime Minister, and Ulric Cross, whose 80 missions with the elite Pathfinder force preceded his influential legal career across the post-colonial Caribbean. As Concagh powerfully observes, "When you've been shot at over Germany at 20,000 feet in the middle of the night, the British aren't very scary anymore" – explaining how military service emboldened veterans to demand independence upon their return. Beyond military service, we discover how the Caribbean's strategic position and resources – from Trinidad's aviation fuel to Jamaica's bauxite – proved crucial to Allied victory. From wartime calypso songs mocking Hitler to today's memorial sites across the region, this episode reveals how the Caribbean's war experiences continue to shape cultural memory and national identity. Listen now to understand how fighting fascism abroad inspired the fight for freedom at home.John Concagh is a historian from London whose work focuses on the relationship between Britain’s African and Caribbean colonies and the challenges of the Second World War. Follow John online. Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Caribbean American Heritage Month invites us to explore the rich tapestry of identities that shape our diaspora experience. In this episode, we uncover the fascinating yet often overlooked story of "The Merikins" – formerly enslaved Black people who joined British forces during the War of 1812 and later established thriving communities in southern Trinidad. After gaining their freedom through military service, these remarkable individuals received land grants from the British in 1815-1816. In Trinidad, they built productive agricultural settlements, but their contribution extends far beyond farming. They maintained powerful cultural and religious traditions that are still recognized today. Discover more about this remarkable chapter in Caribbean history with us. And while you celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month, don't forget to check out our first-ever merch drop, curated playlist, and reading list on our website!Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.The forgotten liberation of thousands stands at the intersection of British military history and the African diaspora. When historian Matthew Taylor stumbled upon brief mentions of Black soldiers in British uniform during the War of 1812, he brought to light an extraordinary story of self-emancipation that would reshape communities across the Caribbean. The Colonial Marines—a unit of formerly enslaved Americans who joined British forces—represents the largest successful liberation movement between the Haitian Revolution and British abolition. This story reveals the remarkable agency of enslaved individuals who recognized opportunity amid conflict and negotiated their freedom through military service.Following the war, approximately 900 Colonial Marines and their families resettled in southern Trinidad, organized by military companies—which explains why communities today still bear names like "Third Company" and "Fourth Company." These settlements became known collectively as the "Merikins," maintaining distinct cultural practices including Virginia Baptist traditions and specific rice cultivation techniques from Georgia. This history offers a powerful lens for understanding Caribbean identity formation beyond simplified national narratives. The Colonial Marines story reveals how liberation movements connected Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean through networks of resistance and community building that continue to shape identities today.Matthew Taylor is a historian & author of Black Redcoats: The Corps of Colonial Marines, a history of African-American escapees from slavery who became British Marines in the War of 1812 (1812-1815). This all-volunteer unit formed a unique & powerful force which had a significant impact on that war, and who secured free futures for themselves & their families in British territories even as the British Empire remained slave-holding. Matthew's work has been called exciting & ground-breaking, and is currently under consideration for a PhD by prior publication.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.What remains of Caribbean identity when our most treasured traditions begin to shift? Bridging thoughts from our recent episodes, I tackle this profound question on cultural evolution. Caribbean culture has never been static—born from struggle, layered with influences, and shaped by resistance, our traditions have always been in motion. But what do we make of it when these traditions are to slip away?There is a natural grief or worry in this loss, but perhaps we can also consider that culture never truly disappears; it simply translates and transforms. The heart of Caribbean identity persists in unexpected places. Our indomitable spirit of rhythm and rebellion continues today as we adapt to new technologies and circumstances. This isn't to dismiss the importance of preservation. Documenting stories, supporting local artists, and archiving our heritage matters deeply. But we can simultaneously honor what's fading while celebrating what's being born.What does being Caribbean mean to you when old ways shift? Do you see echoes of our traditions in new forms? Share your thoughts through email, DM, or send a voice note through our website. This podcast is our collective story—and that story is still being written.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Step into the Caribbean front room – that formal, pristine space with plastic-covered furniture, carefully displayed china, and family photographs that many Caribbean descendants immediately recognize. Dr. Stacey Scott joins us to explore how this distinctive domestic space functions as both cultural archive and architectural expression.We dive deep into what Dr. Scott calls "Caribbean domesticity" – the language, care, memory, and rituals that shape our understanding of home. The front room emerges as a powerful site where seemingly contradictory impulses coexist: colonial respectability alongside cultural resistance, inaccessibility alongside preservation, formality alongside aspirational memory. For Caribbean families, particularly those in diaspora, these curated spaces become theaters of identity where family histories, migration journeys, and cultural values are displayed and transmitted across generations. Dr. Scott challenges us to recognize these domestic practices as legitimate architecture – not just decoration but sophisticated spatial philosophy created by our mothers and grandmothers without formal recognition.Whether you grew up with a front room you weren't allowed to sit in or you're curious about the ways cultural memory is preserved through domestic space, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how Caribbean people have always been architects of their own experience. Listen now to discover how something as seemingly simple as a room with plastic-covered furniture reveals complex histories of dignity, aspiration, and cultural preservation.Stacy Scott is an architectural researcher whose work centers on designing spaces for environments where permanence doesn’t apply. Her research focuses on temporary architecture, small-scale design, and how communities respond to climate change and social shifts. From Caribbean coastlines to health spaces, Stacy examines how architecture can respond to uncertainty, fragility, and cultural memory. Her work blends identity, resilience, and community care, always exploring real-world solutions for the spaces we live, work, and exist in.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.The Caribbean's artistic traditions reveal profound truths about our history, identity, and resilience. Keisha Oliver,  PhD candidate at Penn State, joins Strictly Facts as we discuss Bahamian visual culture that challenges conventional understandings of Caribbean creativity. From the gendered practice of straw craft—where women wove not just materials but stories across generations—to the radical educational approaches of forgotten art pioneers, this conversation uncovers how visual expression became a battleground for decolonization. Horace Wright traveled between islands as the Bahamas' only art educator during segregation, while Donald Russell created alternative spaces where Black and white students could learn together despite societal barriers. Their stories reflect the complex migratory patterns that define Caribbean identity itself: birth in one nation, heritage from another, and contributions to a third.Most provocatively, Oliver poses an existential question gaining urgency as climate change threatens island nations: "How do we preserve who Bahamians were outside the physicality of the Bahamas?" This challenge demands innovative approaches to cultural documentation that honor indigenous and African diasporic traditions while embracing new technologies and platforms. By framing arts education as a form of Black radical thought, this episode reveals how cultural expression functions as political resistance and nation-building. The conversation ultimately demonstrates that art doesn't merely reflect Caribbean identity—it actively creates it, serving as both anchor to our past and compass toward our future.Keisha Oliver is Bahamian assistant professor of Art and Design at the University of The Bahamas, and a PhD candidate in the dual-title Art Education and African American and Diaspora Studies program at the Pennsylvania State University. As an artist-scholar whose research intersects heritage studies and arts pedagogy, Oliver’s current work focuses on mid-twentieth century transcultural African diasporic art histories and archives. She currently stewards the Charles Blockson Collection of African Americana and The African Diaspora at Penn State and serves on several boards for arts organizations in the Caribbean and United States. Her research has been published internationally in the areas of museum studies, visual arts research, Bahamian art, and Caribbean art history.Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Have you ever wondered about the beautiful complexity that arises when different cultures blend? The Caribbean term "Dougla" captures exactly that—specifically describing people of mixed African and Indian heritage in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. Today we unpack this fascinating identity that emerged from the region's colonial past of enslavement and indentured servitude. Derived from the Hindi word "Dogala" (meaning "double" or "mix"), the term once carried negative connotations but has been powerfully reclaimed as a symbol of pride. This blending of worlds symbolizes the Caribbean's remarkable capacity for cultural resilience and reinvention. It reminds us that some of humanity's most beautiful creations emerge at the intersection of different traditions. Subscribe to Strictly Facts for more explorations of Caribbean history and culture, and join our conversation about the diverse heritage that shapes our world today!Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.The Caribbean's financial revolution has been quietly unfolding for generations. We delve into the powerful world of rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) known throughout the region as Padna, Susu, Boxhand, and countless other names. Dr. Caroline Hossein joins us as we reveal how these grassroots financial systems challenge Western capitalism by prioritizing collective wellbeing over individual profit. We trace these practices through the Middle Passage to contemporary Caribbean communities and their diasporas worldwide. Dr. Hossein shares fascinating insights from her research documenting these "banker ladies" who organize and manage these systems with remarkable financial acumen. These community banking practices aren't relics of the past but living demonstrations of alternative economic possibilities – showing how financial systems can be democratized and made to serve community needs. For anyone interested in economic justice, community building, or Caribbean cultural resilience, this episode offers profound insights into how ancient wisdom continues to create pathways to freedom and prosperity.A multi-award-winning scholar, Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein is Canada Research Chair in Africana Development and Feminist Political Economy and Associate Professor of Global Development & Political Economy at the University of Toronto. Hossein is founder of the Diverse Solidarity Economies (DISE) Collective, which involves a wide range of feminist scholars concerned with building a human economy. Hossein’s research navigates solidarity economies–a movement started in the Global South–which prioritizes social profitability over financial gain. She is the author of over 50 scholarly publications, including The Banker Ladies: Vanguards of Solidarity Economics and Community-Based Banks (2024) and produced a documentary of the same name, both about Black women’s participation in mutual aid. Sign up for Sendwave and you will receive a $20 credit for your first transfer! To receive the credit sign up for Sendwave, click this link to download the app up.The value may change to $10, $15 and up to $20 at any time. Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Dive into the extraordinary story of Lumina Sophie (1848-1879), a lesser-known yet powerful figure in Caribbean history, as we explore her inspiring journey during a time of revolutionary fervor. Born in a post-emancipation Martinique, Sophie defied traditional gender roles by leading a revolt for liberation while pregnant, embodying the spirit of resilience and unwavering courage. As we discuss the historical context of her actions, we’ll unpack the events that led to her participation in a movement sparked by injustice. Learn how a violent encounter fueled a collective uprising, driven by the will of Black Martinicans, and discover how women, including Sophie, played a vital role in the pursuit of freedom and equality. This episode emphasizes the sheer power of community activism and the critical voices of women throughout history, which often remain unheard. Join us as we celebrate Women’s History Month by shining a light on the incredible legacy of Lumina Sophie—a trailblazer who’s fight for justice continues to inspire all of us today!Sign up for Sendwave and you will receive a $20 credit for your first transfer! To receive the credit sign up for Sendwave, click this link to download the app up.The value may change to $10, $15 and up to $20 at any time. Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Join Strictly Facts as we uncover the hidden stories of the Caribbean's military past, featuring the intriguing West India Regiments established by the British Army. Our guest, Isaac Crichlow, a graduate student from the University College of London, helps us explore the paradoxical roles of these soldiers, who found themselves fighting both for and against colonial powers, shedding light on their complex identities and the duality of their existence.We delve into the precarious position of enslaved African soldiers within the British Empire, where promises of freedom often clashed with the harsh reality of servitude. Additionally, we highlight the tensions between allegiance to the British Empire and racial identity, illustrating how these men navigated their challenging roles, sometimes embracing British military ideology and other times resisting it. Our conversation culminates in a discussion about the enduring legacy of the West India Regiments and their significant, yet frequently overlooked, contributions to global conflicts like the Napoleonic Wars. We celebrate WIR soldiers' diverse backgrounds and shared experiences and amplify their impact on both Caribbean and world histories.Isaac Crichlow is a PhD student researching Caribbean history at UCL. He is primarily interested in the transference of African culture to the Caribbean through transatlantic enslavement, and it’s use by the enslaved in new contexts as a tool for resistance and survival. His research, funded through a studentship with the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery (CSLBS) focuses on the West India Regiments, units of formerly enslaved African soldiers. It examines the core function of the regiments, analyses the treatment of the soldiers by the British Army, and looks at how the soldiers reacted to their treatment by military. Through this approach he creates a different interpretation of the provenance of the WIRs, their role in Caribbean slave society and relationship with the British Army. Sign up for Sendwave and you will receive a $20 credit for your first transfer! To receive the credit sign up for Sendwave, click this link to download the app up.The value may change to $10, $15 and up to $20 at any time. Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media

Send us a text message and tell us your thoughts.Journey through Black history and Caribbean connections, revealing the incredible legacy of Black missionaries in the British and Dutch Guianas. Dr. Briana Royster joins us to discuss how the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the National Baptist Convention played pivotal roles in connecting African American and Afro-Guyanese communities during the 19th and 20th centuries, connecting diasporic communities across the Atlantic and illuminating the intertwined stories of migration, race, and empowerment that span the Caribbean and the Americas. This episode sheds light on the shared struggles and cultural nuances, Black internationalism through religion, and how even Garveyism found contrasting receptions across lines of faith..Turning our focus to the influential role of Afro-Guyanese women, we highlight the contributions of figures like Mrs. Dorothy Morris and Mrs. Constance Luckie. These trailblazers leveraged mutual aid networks and navigated church bureaucracy to secure vital community resources. We discuss the importance of oral history and personal archives and the often-overlooked influence of religion on global Black solidarity and social justice. Join us as we celebrate these unsung heroes and reflect on the enduring power of faith to unite and uplift Black communities worldwide.Briana Adline Royster is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender and Race Studies at The University of Alabama. She received her PhD in History from New York University with concentrations in African Diaspora history and Latin American and Caribbean history. Her research interests center the histories of Black women primarily in the United States and the Caribbean during the first half of the twentieth century. Follow Dr. Royster on X. Sign up for Sendwave and you will receive a $20 credit for your first transfer! To receive the credit sign up for Sendwave, click this link to download the app up.The value may change to $10, $15 and up to $20 at any time. Support the showConnect with Strictly Facts - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website Looking to read more about the topics covered in this episode? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.strictlyfactspod.com to get the Strictly Facts Syllabus to your email!Want to Support Strictly Facts? Rate & Leave a Review on your favorite platform Share this episode with someone or online and tag us Send us a DM or voice note to have your thoughts featured on an upcoming episode Donate to help us continue empowering listeners with Caribbean history and education Produced by Breadfruit Media