Janine Mendes-Franco
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francomenz.bsky.social
Janine Mendes-Franco
@francomenz.bsky.social
120 followers 25 following 83 posts
Caribbean-based writer, producer, editor, storyteller.
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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
Reposted by Janine Mendes-Franco
globalvoices.org
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
August 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
August 11, 2025 at 12:46 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
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
August 9, 2025 at 2:08 AM
francomenz.bsky.social
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
August 7, 2025 at 3:22 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
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
July 31, 2025 at 4:05 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
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
July 29, 2025 at 2:09 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
‘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
July 27, 2025 at 3:49 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
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
July 23, 2025 at 7:29 PM
francomenz.bsky.social
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/
July 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM