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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · 20h

Is it possible to create spaces where birds and people can thrive together?

globalvoices.org/2025/10/11/o...

@petchary.bsky.social @globalvoices.org

On World Migratory Bird Day, the Caribbean focuses on shared spaces

The occasion unites people across the Americas in a shared commitment to securing a bright and sustainable future for these marvellous migrants: healthier habitats for birds and, by extension, people.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · 5d

[There is] a growing need for a holistic approach that integrates nature-based solutions into disaster preparedness

globalvoices.org/2025/10/06/f... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

From wreckage to resilience: Bolstering Barbados’ fishing industry against hurricane impacts

Without proper support, fishery-dependent communities may fail to recover, leading to declining employment, food security, and biodiversity.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · 17d

‘I’ve heard of a mango festival, a breadfruit festival, a chocolate festival. Why not pigeon peas?’

globalvoices.org/2025/09/24/h... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

How one community in Trinidad & Tobago pushed the culinary boundaries of pigeon peas

They had the peas, but it would literally take a village to showcase their versatility. By the time the first festival rolled around, it was a true community effort.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · 20d

‘The country cannot grow a successful arts sector in this way’

globalvoices.org/2025/09/21/w... @globalvoices.org

What the exit of Bocas Lit Fest’s title sponsor says about how the arts are valued in Trinidad & Tobago

The National Gas Company's recent defunding of projects in the arts “underlines a much bigger issue with regard to Trinidad and Tobago’s culture and the value we place on it.”

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · 21d

‘Keep trying, keep going!’

globalvoices.org/2025/09/20/c... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

Caribbean athletes shine at the 2025 World Athletics Championships

It began with a full-circle moment as Jamaica's beloved Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran the last individual race of her career; over the coming days, there would be more performances to celebrate.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · 22d

‘A generation that learns empathy, dialogue and mediation [is] better prepared to lead peaceful communities’

globalvoices.org/2025/09/19/c... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

Can Caribbean classrooms become seedbeds for conflict resolution?

Teachers may change, ministers of education may rotate, but the school bell keeps ringing. This consistency makes the classroom one of the most strategic sites for planting seeds of peace.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Sep 9

A war on drugs, protection of energy interests, or a broader geopolitical stand-off?

globalvoices.org/2025/09/09/u... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

U.S. military strike on Venezuelan vessel leaves Trinidad & Tobago caught between giants

Maduro, calling the U.S.’ modus operandi “regime change through military threat,” said that Venezuela was willing to engage in dialogue, but Trump is sending more military muscle to the Caribbean.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Aug 20

‘I get to be a pinpoint in her story, and that feels like the real honour’

globalvoices.org/2025/08/20/m... @globalvoices.org

Melissa Koby becomes first Black US Open theme artist, and honours Althea Gibson by channelling her own Jamaican grandmother

“When I think about the theme artist title, I don’t think about being the first Black anything. [It's] about telling Althea Gibson’s story...she’s the blueprint for Black women in tennis.”

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Aug 18

‘A breakdown in trust in one community quickly ripples outward, affecting tourism, governance and national identity’

globalvoices.org/2025/08/18/c... @globalvoices.org

Could community policing in the Caribbean build trust to prevent violence?

For many citizens in state-described urban “hotspots,” calling the police feels less like a right and more like a gamble.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Aug 16

‘In our pursuit of the Cult of Development, Jamaica is losing its way, its humanity’

globalvoices.org/2025/08/16/a... @petchary.bsky.social @globalvoices.org

A ‘Time of Trial’: Rastafari haven disrespected and ruined in Jamaica

The Indigenous village brought Rastafari to life; gave it meaning through personal connections — not in the servile way that tourists interact with Jamaicans at all-inclusive hotels, but as something ...

globalvoices.org

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Reposted by Janine Mendes-Franco

Global Voices @globalvoices.org · Aug 11

Independent media is under attack.
Journalists are jailed, silenced, surveilled.
@globalvoices is still here, but we need your help to stay.
globalvoices.org/donate/
#KeepGVStrong

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Aug 11

‘I remain a diasporic child of India, the daughter of a Hindu soldier and Muslim woman’

globalvoices.org/2025/08/11/t...

If you enjoy reading local news stories like this from around the world, please consider contributing to @globalvoices.org donation drive: globalvoices.org/donate/

The smile and the scar: Diaspora, identity and the Modi selfie

This visit could have been more. It could have been a template for how a plural state welcomes a controversial leader without losing its soul.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Aug 9

The consequences of climate change are having an adverse effect on the species’ reproduction

globalvoices.org/2025/08/09/t... @globalvoices.org

Trinidad & Tobago's beloved ‘cascadu’ fish at risk

The cascadu respires bimodally, so must intermittently come up for air — but when the temperature is too high, it will not surface. Their eggs also need oxygen to survive.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Aug 7

This is the awesome playlist for Nate's Everest Roam fundraiser — all great selections, but the Caribbean selection is lit! Take a listen...

globalvoices.org/.../climbing...

Remember that you can still donate to the (very worthy) cause at globalvoices.org/donate/ @globalvoices.org

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 31

ethanzuckerman.com/2025/07/30/k... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

#KeepGVStrong: Global Voices advocates for a connected world at a dark time - Ethan Zuckerman

For twenty years, Global Voices has connected writers and translators around the world. That work is harder - and more important - that ever.

ethanzuckerman.com

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 29

This is awesome! Thanks, Nate — and please support his ride (and by extension, @globalvoices.org) if you can. We've added some energising soca to Nate's playlist to help get him through the (very gruelling) course! 🚴‍♂️🎼

globalvoices.org/2025/07/24/f...

Fundraiser: Climbing a virtual Everest with the Global Voices Community

The ride is raising funds for Global Voices and in support of its mission.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 27

‘Imaginative archives accompany us on our journeys as we think about our relationship to the past’

globalvoices.org/2025/07/27/r... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

Reimagining Caribbean indenture in an artistically botanical afterlife

A refreshingly original art exhibit in Port of Spain, Trinidad, examines what it means to be living a post-indenture, feminist life.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 23

The answer, my friend...

globalvoices.org/2025/07/23/h... @globalvoices.org

How the number 27 blew away West Indies cricket

There “didn’t seem to be much point in writing about the ignominious end to the Test series between West Indies and Australia,” but Vaneisa Baksh points out some key issues.

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 22

From blog rings to digital frontlines, @globalvoices has been lifting underrepresented voices for two decades. If you've ever read, shared, or cared, now’s the time to give back.
#KeepGVStrong
globalvoices.org/donate/

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 21

Our Carnival traditions: rooted in resistance, anchored in our shared humanity.

Global Voices provides FREE community journalism, commentary, and analysis because doing so makes the internet — and the world — a better place.

globalvoices.org/donate/

globalvoices.org/2022/01/07/t...

‘The king is passing’: Narrie Approo, Trinidad & Tobago's oldest Black Indian masquerader, dies at 94

Narrie Approo had a lifelong love and respect for Trinidad and Tobago's sacred Carnival traditions, which he expressed most passionately through his portrayals of Black Indian mas.

globalvoices.org

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Reposted by Janine Mendes-Franco

Global Voices @globalvoices.org · Jul 17

For 20 years, Global Voices has amplified stories from communities the world too often ignores.

🗣️This work is powered by volunteers, readers, and you.
Support people-powered journalism.

globalvoices.org/donate/

#KeepGVStrong🌱

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 17

‘If police do not present ID when confronting citizens, why should citizens carry theirs?’ @globalvoices.org

globalvoices.org/2025/07/17/t...

The proposed mandatory carrying of ID in Trinidad & Tobago: A step toward safety or overreach?

“[T]o place the burden of suspicion on every law-abiding citizen, while claiming to target a criminal minority, is to invert the very justice system we claim to uphold.”

globalvoices.org

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 17

"Dem nuh partial", and it's true! [...] We're not the typical source for news and information that's backed by bias or ideation that leans more to one direction than the other. @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/posts/candic...

In 2024, Global Voices changed my life even more than they did when I was welcomed as a contributing writer back in 2023. | Candice S.

In 2024, Global Voices changed my life even more than they did when I was welcomed as a contributing writer back in 2023. The multi-lingual and multicultural storytelling and journalistic community of...

www.linkedin.com

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 16

Being safe online is a human right.
Support digital rights, media freedom, and the communities at risk.

globalvoices.org/donate/
#KeepGVStrong

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Janine Mendes-Franco @francomenz.bsky.social · Jul 15

Empower local perspectives.

Global Voices is built from the ground up: by and for communities.

globalvoices.org/donate/

#KeepGVStrong

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