2021 in review, from a Caribbean point of view · Global Voices
Caribbean sunset image by <PERSON> on Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0, adapted with free Canva graphic elements.
Like the rest of the globe, this year saw Caribbean nations focused on dealing with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, against a backdrop of rising infection rates, a steady stream of variants, and strong vaccine hesitancy—but while it was a primary concern, it was far from the only story that affected the region in 2021.
COVID-19
COVID-19 illustration by <PERSON> on Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
While 2020 will forever be known as the year COVID-19 made its global presence known, 2021 saw the vaccines designed to combat the virus being rolled out en masse. Prior to this, many Caribbean nations had closed their borders, with Trinidad and Tobago's staying closed for one of the most lengthy spells, even restricting its own citizens via a travel re-entry system that left many feeling demoralised and challenging whether the process was infringing upon their rights.
Curiously, although the arrival of vaccines in the region was initially welcomed with hope and optimism, vaccine hesitancy would soon become quite pervasive. Attempts by various regional governments to make vaccination mandatory for some sectors resulted in street protests, including one in which the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, <PERSON>, was injured.
Discussions about vaccine equity were also common, as was vaccine misinformation—peddled by both regular social media users and by celebrities.
If there was a silver lining to the COVID-19 cloud, however, it regional creatives’ innovative response to the pandemic, evident in everything from fashion, art and literacy, to how they reimagined in-person festivals like Carnival—although St. Lucia has been the first regional territory to announce its intention to hold a “vaxxed” event come 2022.
The environment
A solitary bee draws nectar from what is locally known as ‘rabbit grass,’ at the Carmel Valley Estate in Trinidad. Photo by <PERSON>, used with permission.
Apart from our extensive coverage of the eruption of St. 941
Vincent's La Soufrière volcano, environmental stories constituted an average of 25 per cent of our regional coverage this year, from a landmark ruling that could pave the way for environmental transparency in Trinidad and Tobago to displays of activism that helped save a century-old tree in Guyana.
Of course, environmental activism wouldn't be necessary if there weren't various environmental threats, which came in the form of quarrying and bauxite mining activities, pollution of waterways, poaching of protected animal species, and potential damage to marine areas from the oil industry, the effects of climate change and overfishing.
As the first significant storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season arrived, concerns about the effects of the climate crisis on the region persisted, even as tourism developers appeared immune, despite opportunities for more sustainable approaches.
By the time the COP26 summit rolled around in the final quarter of 2021, the region was speaking out for its own survival, and questioning whether some regional territories were actually walking their environmental talk. At the conference, Caribbean representatives advocated for certain parameters when it came to issues of loss and damage, and of major polluters—many of which did not attend the conference—to (literally) pay for their transgressions, which adversely affect Small Island Developing States (SIDS). All this, despite the fact that Guyana, a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member, is poised to become a major supplier of fossil fuels.
Gender-based violence
Women at a protest at Woodford Square in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 2016. The protest came after then mayor of the city, <PERSON>, victim-blamed Japanese steel plan player <PERSON>, who was found murdered on February 10, 2016. Photo by <PERSON>, used with permission.
This year was certainly not the first that the issue of gender-based violence reared its head in the region. In fact, the issue has been such a recurring one that people were growing weary of its impact.
Trinidad and Tobago, southernmost in the Caribbean archipelago, used this year's International Women's Day to speak out against gender-based violence, even as Jamaica, to the north of the island chain, struggled with both the physical abuse of women and a spate of femicides.
Jamaica also grappled with an increased murder rate, in general, leaving its citizens to debate whether or not states of emergency are effective in stemming violent crime, especially in a society where the relationship between “uptown” and “downtown” is so complex. 941