Janine Mendes-Franco
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francomenz.bsky.social
Janine Mendes-Franco
@francomenz.bsky.social
120 followers 25 following 91 posts
Caribbean-based writer, producer, editor, storyteller.
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francomenz.bsky.social
‘This storm left destruction and loss, but failed to snatch our gratitude and will to survive’

globalvoices.org/2026/01/09/t... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
The honeybee that stung Jamaica and yielded sweetness
The name “Melissa” is of Greek origin and translates to “honeybee” in English, but [the] fallout felt personal, as if we troubled the hive and threatened the queen.
globalvoices.org
January 9, 2026 at 4:40 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
The year's ups and downs strengthened the region's muscles

globalvoices.org/2025/12/30/y... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
Year in Review: How the Caribbean survived 2025
By the end of the year, the U.S. and Venezuela, on opposite ends of the Caribbean archipelago, would have the region caught in the middle of an unfolding geopolitical standoff.
globalvoices.org
December 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘My photography is about investigation ... of society, of people, of things and of light’

globalvoices.org/2025/12/25/t... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
‘The light plays tricks on us’: Trinidadian photographer Marlon Rouse’s ‘Sacred Objects, Fruit of the Land’
Rouse’s bold exploration rejects the familiar language of appetite, abundance and hospitality in favour of enquiry and even estrangement. The photos consider the fruit as organism rather than product.
globalvoices.org
December 25, 2025 at 5:10 AM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘Respectful dialogue with international partners is not subservience, nor is regional consultation disloyalty’

globalvoices.org/2025/12/23/a... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social @georgiap.bsky.social @older.bsky.social
As U.S.-Venezuela tensions rise, Trinidad & Tobago thumbs its nose at CARICOM
Criticism around the prime minister’s posturing, which academic Richard Drayton called “defiantly, even rudely, anti-Caricom,” started in September, when the U.S. began to assert its military presence...
globalvoices.org
December 23, 2025 at 3:09 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
Ancestral healing is about making peace with the past to free the present and future...

globalvoices.org/2025/12/08/h... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
Healing the past to strengthen the future: Why the Caribbean needs to talk about ancestral trauma
“What our grandparents practised instinctively through prayer, song, and time spent in the natural world, neuroscience is now validating with brain scans and data.”
globalvoices.org
December 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Janine Mendes-Franco
older.bsky.social
This #GivingTuesday don't forget about global, multilingual, community journalism. @globalvoices.org brings you the stories that our community members know need telling. We're under threat from authoritarianism, budget cuts, & attacks on journalists. You can help. globalvoices.org/donate/
SHOW GlobalVoices the [#GivingTuesday heart] globalvoices/donate
November 29, 2025 at 8:06 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
[T]he medals were a reminder of Jamaica’s ability to rise even when times are hard

globalvoices.org/2025/11/29/j... @petchary.bsky.social @globalvoices.org
Jamaican bobsledders bring unexpected joy to an island beset with post-hurricane stress
The idea for the bobsled team, which gained fame through 1993’s “Cool Runnings,” had its origins in an annual push-cart derby, where homemade vending carts are used in competitive races.
globalvoices.org
November 29, 2025 at 1:42 AM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘Cliff was a poet [who] set his words to music, broadcasting them to the world over speakers and screens’

globalvoices.org/2025/11/25/f...
@globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
From Kingston to the world: Jamaican music and film legend Jimmy Cliff passes on at 81
Cliff recorded over 30 albums in total, but his popularity skyrocketed after the low-budget Jamaican drama “The Harder They Come,” released in 1972, put him on the map as a cultural powerhouse.
globalvoices.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:18 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘You treated our stories with seriousness and respect, and expected [us] to do the same‘

globalvoices.org/2025/11/25/t... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
Trinidadian film producer Danielle Dieffenthaller, who helped Caribbean people see themselves, dies at 60
Dieffenthaller was “a fierce advocate for the creative arts [who] championed local talent and pushed for the recognition and respect that Caribbean creators deserve.”
globalvoices.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:16 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
For some Guadeloupeans, the act of creating is also becoming an act of ecological resistance

globalvoices.org/2025/11/20/i... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
In Guadeloupe, creativity in the service of zero waste
From citizen initiatives and artistic engagement to public policies, Guadeloupe is reinventing itself, turning waste into a resource — but there is still an urgent need to improve waste recovery chann...
globalvoices.org
November 20, 2025 at 12:42 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
As at September 2025, 118 cases have been brought to justice for environmental violations...

globalvoices.org/2025/11/17/a... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
A look at how environmental crimes are prosecuted in the Dominican Republic
The functions of three institutions, linked by the common denominator of environmental protection, complement one another in the pursuit of environmental crimes which, though frequent, are also more f...
globalvoices.org
November 17, 2025 at 10:43 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘Their profits were built on our pain’

globalvoices.org/2025/11/11/w... @petchary.bsky.social @globalvoices.org
‘We are not waiting for permission to survive’: A Jamaican perspective on COP30 after Hurricane Melissa
“What we need now is radical change. We need commitments. We need adaptation financing. We need Loss and Damage money […] now is not the time to pause.”
globalvoices.org
November 11, 2025 at 3:57 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
This is not abstract foreign policy; it carries real implications for citizen security and development...

globalvoices.org/2025/10/31/t... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
Trinidad’s border communities face rising citizen security risks amid U.S.-Venezuela tensions
For decades, the waters between Trinidad and Venezuela have supported fishing and small-scale trade. Today, they flow along a geopolitical fault line that threatens local livelihoods and community sec...
globalvoices.org
November 1, 2025 at 1:21 AM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘It’s nerve-wracking’

globalvoices.org/2025/10/28/m... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
Messaging through Hurricane Melissa
I know what's happening on the ground in Jamaica thanks to WhatsApp — ordinarily, a quick and convenient means of staying in touch; under threat of natural a disaster, a lifeline.
globalvoices.org
October 28, 2025 at 3:11 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
In an address to the UN, Bishop emphasised the region’s determination to be ‘free from military intimidation’

globalvoices.org/2025/10/20/f... @globalvoices.org @petchary.bsky.social
Forty-two years after the assassination of Grenada’s Maurice Bishop, can the Caribbean remain a ‘zone of peace’?
In its dealings with Venezuela, which have included challenges to Maduro’s presidency and a border dispute with Guyana, CARICOM has upheld the region as a “zone of peace.”
globalvoices.org
October 20, 2025 at 4:33 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
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
October 11, 2025 at 12:07 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
[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
October 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
September 24, 2025 at 12:34 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
September 21, 2025 at 3:16 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
September 20, 2025 at 11:34 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
September 19, 2025 at 12:27 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
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
September 9, 2025 at 1:38 AM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
August 20, 2025 at 2:12 AM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
August 18, 2025 at 9:25 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
August 16, 2025 at 4:43 PM