Kearn Christopher

Affirmations, pictures, videos, some genuine curiosity and questions were the order of the day. Make your statement, take time to listen, engage and educate. The diaspora is our community & those on the outside of it also need to follow the examples we set #nottinghilllcarnival

@aChildOf2Worlds @jmoulfrancis I’ve been thinking a lot of this from this tour. Pondering if this is simply human existence or us as small postcolonial nations constantly seeking global validation, often passed off as friendly rivalry and banter. It’s truly tiring after some time

@jmoulfrancis The fact that some people are trying to rank the islands speaks to how deeply this obsession with wanting to be the best goes

Is Speed’s tour really a competition to decide which island “did it best,” or is it a chance to showcase the unique culture, people, and experiences across our islands? Resist the urge to rank everything and simply appreciate what each island shared with us.

I enjoyed that entire set thoroughly. Kees’ voice, energy and patriotism? Amazing. The musicians? Amazing. Teddyson John (🇱🇨) and Terri Lyons doing backup? Amazing. But you see Dane Gulston’s steelpan solo? I teared up. Big up US!!!! 🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹

@guruintraining_ 100%. As a Trini who lived on Hall in Mona, you’re exposed to everyone. I’ve also seen the difference with Trini friends in UWI STA who lived on halls vs who didn’t - the latter usually in spaces with only locals & little to no meaningful cross Caribbean friendships formed.

My biggest exposure to the region was through UWI St. Augustine. Hall life. At Mona, as a local, majority of the spaces i was in was with locals as well.

You know what i have realised. Jamaica is one of the least integrated islands. Distance is likely a factor. Integrated here meaning, when you go to the EC or Barbados/Trinidad, it’s not uncommon to meet someone that has roots in different islands.

Trinidad NOT doing enough to educate the people about it's contribution to Black Power and Civil rights in the US and UK and world. Nothing much to honour Kwame Ture, Henry Sylvester Williams, CLR James, Darcus Howe, Claudia Jones, Altheia Jones. Thats why they disrespect T&T.

This year is the Caribbean year yuh check! Bad Bunny at the superbowl, Bandi on Netflix, Kes The Band on Tiny Desk and now Speed!? This we year!!

And foolish me saying “Look he reach Chapeltown, Leeds” 🤣 iykyk. Without a doubt the city with the largest diaspora of St Kitts and Nevis ❤️🖤💚💛🤍 I love tell people I actually live in SKN now 😅

Not that I didn’t know it before, but man it’s joyous to see how our masquerade practices across the Caribbean have been retained, reimagined & part of our survival story. Whether you like, partake in carnival or not, carnivalesque things have shaped all Caribbean identities

@bairanyc All other French territories in the Americas: Guadeloupe, St Martin, St Barthelemy, Guyane (French Guiana) and St Pierre & Miquelon (Canada side). Technically would still be Martinique’s flag as its a department of France, but they can now use 🇲🇶 for national/local identity

@kearn_chris Which territory has to still use it?

I was so glad when they changed Speed’s jersey with the 🇬🇵 flag, to the flag that Guadeloupe ppl fighting for to be officially recognised (no emoji for it). Only in 2023 Martinique officially adopted the 🇲🇶. Other French Caribbean territories hadda legally use 🇫🇷 to this day 😔

On a side note, when Bad Bunny performed at the Halftime show, the nerd in me went through all the Caribbean flags waved, with none of the contested French Caribbean flags used - only 🇲🇶. All Dutch Caribbean flags are officially adopted & were used in the half time show.

@aChildOf2Worlds @Sparkiebaby The way we ALL be fighting to make our place in the world after 400+ years of subjugation, still has us like crab in barrels for silly titles that attempt to individually position us as “the Best at x”, typically from the approval outsiders and not collectively ourselves 🥲

@aChildOf2Worlds @Sparkiebaby 100% agreed. It’s important we learn and begin to rid ourselves of these tiring debates on contested terms in carnival like authentic, originators, commercialised etc. We’ve all been subject to these power & identity markers and lose focus on understanding the damn thing itself

The ancestors from the French Caribbean islands are *the* reason we have terms like J’Ouvert etc. PLUS carnival grew in Trinidad via the migration of those ancestors into Trinidad after the French planters were given tax breaks via the Cédula de Población in 1783

The boy ordered Original Chicken in TT and liked it. Was handed a Spicy Thigh in GND and love off. …Jamaica do the right thing and hand that boy a BBQ Zinger 🫶🏽🫡

I just went to order food from Shake Shack and heard the cashier with a Trini accent so when she asks for a name for the order I said “Machel Montano” 🤣🤣🤣 She laughed so hard then said Trini’s have no behaviour. I said that I’m Jamaican. She said we worse! 🤣 Enjoy life

I wonder if the secret traitor has the power to determine if #thetraitors can recruit and gives suggestions as to who it can be 🤔. I need to see how this plays out with the new addition this season.

@theashrb The way the Brits used this buffer class in Africa, the Pacific and even the Caribbean like Trinidad, we are seeing the longstanding colonial effects being played today 🥲

Buffer class buffer classing as usual 🤣🤣🤣 she’s not even ashamed.

“I don’t see how CARICOM benefits me” -a person who did CXC and attended UWI

A bagga people are creating links for donation. There is only ONE official link, and it is supportjamaica.gov.jm 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

@MauriceVET And we have an whole Ministry and Minister of AI now. So they ought to be answerable and even investigate, even if it allegedly isn’t them. I really need to media to been on top of this because it’s out of hand

Can the media kindly explore why the 🇹🇹 government keeps utilizing bots under their posts to demonstrate support? What are the ethical implications of this?

“PNM is not the answer. UNC is not the solution” Heard this some years ago and the way it resonated deeply it never left me. Maybe one day we’ll look past our tribal and racial politics, and have leaders who aren’t hung up on upper class servitude or ethnic dominance