Category Archives: Caribbean

In May of 2019, I issued a working paper on my website titled The time has come to permanently retire all our Caribbean currencies.

In that paper I argued that the currencies of Caribbean countries have now outlived their usefulness, and have become a liability. They were devised at a time when most payments were made using notes and coin, issued in distant metropolitan centres.

At that time, scarcity of the means of payment was a severe hindrance to commerce. In response currency boards were set up to issue local currency as needed in the colonies. The system worked well because the local currency issue was backed by an equivalent value of sterling, in a global system of fixed exchange rates.

In contrast, nowadays payments are made mostly by electronic communication, credit and debit cards, cheques and drafts, with settlement over digitised bank accounts.

In todays world an own currency has become a liability for small economies, limiting access to international goods and services, exposing residents to risks of currency devaluation and inflation, eroding the value of domestic savings, increasing economic inequalities, providing a tool for unproductive government spending, and diverting attention from the need to increase productivity and enhance international competitiveness. The paper may be downloaded from my website DelisleWorrell.com and there is also video of a presentation I made at the annual conference of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute.

In September I issued a second working paper, this one entitled Rising above the orthodoxy of finance: Competitiveness is the key to economic growth. The motivation for the paper is the erroneous notion, prevalent in the Caribbean, that economic growth is sluggish because savings are low. Instead, the foremost problem is failure to maintain and enhance the nations international competitiveness and the resulting scarcity of profitable opportunities for investment. My paper explains.

The need for a makeover of the public service, to raise performance to an acceptable international level, was a repeated theme in my monthly Economic Letters in 2019. Public sector inefficiency has been a major hindrance to investment in recent years, and addressing this issue is critical to the prospects for reviving growth in the stagnant economy.

In August I suggested that public sector reform might start with the timely publication of annual reports of all government departments, agencies and state corporations. This would allow for informed discussion of the reasons for the failures of the public sector, and public sector managers would be obliged to come up with plans for improvement.

A second issue that attracted my attention more than once was renewable energy. Barbados energy resources of sun and wind are potentially more valuable to the economy than discoveries of oil and gas would be. Fossil fuel reserves will eventually be exhausted; sun and wind are free and inexhaustible. However, to realise the potential of renewables requires a comprehensive time-bound strategy and action plan, devised by Government and with full engagement by the society.

May 23, 2019 saw the launch of the Association for Barbados-China Friendship, the ABCF, of which I am president. Those of us who came together to form the ABCF aim to focus on personal experiences, people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges and exchanges of ideas, and the facilitation of travel, business and study. That quote is from my editorial in the first issue of the ABCFs magazine, Exchanges, which is available on the associations website, ABCF-BB.com.

On October 17, 2019, Monica and I attended the Gala Dinner Bretton Woods at 75, organised by the Bretton Woods Committee, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC. There were addresses by the president of the World Bank, the managing director of the IMF and the secretary general of the World Trade Organization, WTO. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives was in attendance. The Bretton Woods Committee launched a book on the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO, titled Revitalizing the Spirit of Bretton Woods.

While in Washington for the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank I attended the International Banking Seminar organised by the Group of 30 leading financial experts. My reflections on the main themes of that meeting are the subject of my November 2019 Economic Letter.

Very best wishes for 2020 to everyone.

Dr DeLisle Worrell is the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Barbados. info@delisleworrell.com Website: DelisleWorrell.com

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Reflecting on 2019 and Caribbean finance | Business - Jamaica Gleaner

In its Global Economic Prospects report released January 8, the World Bank predicts the global economy will rise up to 2.5 percent in 2020 as investment and trade recover from last years slowdown. Amongst its predictions, advanced economies growth is anticipated to slip to 1.4 percent in 2020, while growth in emerging markets is set to accelerate to 4.1 percent.

About a third of emerging markets and developing countries are projected to decelerate in 2020 due to weaker-than-expected exports and investment. According to World Bank Group Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, with growth in emerging and developing economies likely to remain slow, policymakers should seize the opportunity to undertake structural reforms that boost broad-based growth, which is essential to poverty reduction Steps to improve the business climate, the rule of law, debt management, and productivity can help achieve sustained growth.

However, risks to the global outlook remain, and their materialization could significantly slow down growth. A principal risk that remains is the potential re-escalation of trade tensions, mainly between the United States and China, as well as financial shocks in emerging markets and developing economies.

Regional outlook

Latin America and the Caribbean was not immune to the global economic slowdown in 2019. The World Bank report notes that during the last year, regional growth decelerated to an estimated 0.8 percent, with all three primary economies in the regionArgentina, Brazil and Mexicoperforming worse than predicted due to idiosyncratic factors.

Two other key factors affected the regional economy last year. The first, is the advancement of key developments in policy such as the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)currently under review by the U.S. Senateand the free trade agreement signed between the regional economic bloc, Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and the European Uniona deal that has been in the works for over two decades.

The second was the social unrest experienced by various countries in the region toward the end of the year. Unrest in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and the continuing humanitarian, political and economic crises in Venezuela all played a role in the regions slow growth.

The World Bank predicts that in 2020, the regional economy will rise to a tepid 1.8 percent, from an estimated 0.8 percent growth in 2019. The modest prediction is contingent on faster private consumption and investment growth, and highly dependent on economic growth from the major economies.

This year, Brazils economy is expected to grow by 2 percent (vs. est. 1.1 percent growth in 2019), thanks to a boost in investor confidence following progress on major reforms, such as a reform on the countrys pension system. This along with other boosts are anticipated to support an increase in investment and private consumption. In Mexico, as investment picks up growth is also expected to rise to 1.2 percent, against an estimated zero percent growth in 2019. Colombias economy, in turn, is set to rise to 3.6 percent in 2020, and about 3.9 percent in 2021-22, envisioned to boost the outlook for the region as planned infrastructure projects take place and investment continues to increase.

Thanks to offshore oil production developments off the coast of Guyana, the Caribbean is expected to accelerate to 5.6 percent. This is in deep contrast to Argentina, where the countrys economy is set to contract to 1.3 percent as the new government attempts to deal with high inflation, maintaining fiscal prudence, amongst other financial woes.

Risks to economic growth

Like the global economy, external factors risk the regions economic growth. A major regional trade partner, China plays a significant role in Latin Americas economy. Further economic slowdown of Chinas economy or a re-escalation of the U.S.-China trade war could expose the region to negative impacts through trade, commodity prices, and confidence channels. Countries that rely heavily on China as a destination for their exports, such as Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, are more exposed to U.S.-China trade tension. Likewise, slow growth in the United States could heavily affect Mexico and other countries reliant on the U.S. economy.

Natural disasters and climate-related events will also affect the region, and more specifically the Caribbean. This past September, Hurricane Dorian devastated the Caribbean island of The Bahamas resulting in $3.4 billion worth of damage, equivalent to a quarter of the countrys GDP. The World Bank also warns social tensions in the region could persist or extend geographically more than expected, which would generate negative economic repercussions. As noted by Bloomberg, while the most violent protests have dissipatedfor nowwith fragile institutions and weak rule of law, income inequality, ethnic conflict and police brutality will continue to gnaw away at social cohesion and could once again spark unrest unexpectedly and suddenly.

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Latin American and Caribbean economies to grow 1.8 percent in 2020 - Global Americans

When the International Monetary Fund projected recently that Guyanas economy could jump by 86 percent in 2020, it credited recent oil and gas discoveries. But a different buzz is exciting two of the South American nations premier industries, agribusiness and tourism. Theyre looking to marry their sectors to offer a new attraction to visitors: bees.

Guyana is not alone. For decades, the Caribbean has counted on its pristine beaches and Guyana on its lush rainforests to draw millions of visitors. Now, the regions countries are increasingly looking to broaden their draw with bee tourism also known as apitourism at a time the populations of more than 700 North American bee varieties are on the decline, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

Trinidad and Tobago is hosting a bee safari in early 2020, publicizing the event as a way to beat the winter blues while gaining insights into tropical beekeeping. In St. Lucia, the Washington-based Global Environment Facility a partnership of 183 nations and civil society organizations is backing local beekeepers who are offering four-day bee safaris and one-day bee farm tours.

Starting in 2020, Eden Farm Tours in Grenada will offer apitherapy spa packages. The company is also trying to launch the Caribbeans first medical-grade honey. The Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility a collaboration of regional private sector firms and the Caribbean Tourism Organization recently announced grants of up to $400,000 for innovative new agritourism initiatives, including in bee tourism.

It is only natural to see how we can use agriculture as a base for providing satisfactory tourism experiences.

Donald Sinclair, director general, Guyanas Department of Tourism

Guyana plans on offering three- to five-day safari tours for tourists to sample the countrys varieties of honey while observing domestic hives. This support from governments and regional and global organizations points to the growing confidence that bee tourism could add to the regions estimated $56 billion annual tourism revenue, and capture a slice of the global apiculture industry thats estimated to touch $10 billion by 2023.

Guyana has vast agricultural resources and is a strong emerging tourism destination, says Donald Sinclair, director general of Guyanas Department of Tourism. So it is only natural to see how we can use agriculture as a base for providing satisfactory tourism experiences.

The Guyana Apiculture Society plans to take visitors to apiaries near the majestic Demerara and Essequibo rivers, says the bodys vice president, Linden Stewart. Tourists will see bees pollinating blossoms, then visit a honey house to observe the extraction, filtration and bottling of honey with an opportunity for sampling.

For the regions beekeepers, tapping into tourism makes sense. When you are in a Caribbean island if you are not in tourism, you are not in business, says Richard Matthias, president of the Iyanola Apiculture Collective in St. Lucia.

For tourists, the Caribbean promises opportunities impossible to find in North America, say experts. Caribbean bees have a very different diet, says Gladstone Solomon, former president of the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers Organizations. In North America, bees often have to settle for acres of almonds or other monoculture crops. In the Caribbean, bees forage on a range of nectar sources, from forest trees to shrubs to commercial plants. As a consequence, the honey produced in the Caribbean varies throughout the year, depending on the plants flowering at the time, explains Matthias. At some times of the year some flowers may be predominant; at other times there is a mixture of nice floral bouquets, he says. At the end of the year other trees come into flower and the honey tastes like licorice.

When Solomon, 70, started bee safaris in Tobago nearly two decades ago, he was a pioneer. Now, increasing numbers of regional players are entering the market. His 11-day safaris target bee enthusiasts and also expose them to local cuisine and a steel band rehearsal in Trinidad. Its not a niche that would be attractive to everyone, he admits, but it works in an era where increasing numbers of persons are looking for unique experiences.

For now, Slovenia is the world leader in bee tourism with resorts and marketing dedicated to the sector. Matthias acknowledges the Caribbean has some catching up to do, but adds that it has advantages. For one, theres its unrivaled natural beauty. Tourists on the St. Lucia bee safaris visit the islands famous Pitons mountainous volcanic plugs mangroves and virgin forest. And Caribbean bee tourism has started receiving significant financial support. The Global Environment Facility has awarded Matthias collective a $50,000 grant to establish a tour service targeting the 600,000 cruise ship visitors who come to St. Lucia each year.

Recent research by University of Arkansas scientists also suggests that bees that feast on monoculture crops are nutritionally deprived. That means the healthier Caribbean bees might be the future of bee tourism in the Americas.

To be sure, beekeeping in the Caribbean comes with its own challenges pesticides, beehive theft and inadequate pasture for hosting apiaries are some key ones, says Hayden Sinanan, inspector of apiaries in Trinidad and Tobagos Ministry of Agriculture. Both Solomon, who runs six apiaries in Trinidad and Tobago, and Ravi Rajkumar, a third-generation beekeeper in Guyana, cite the lack of pasture area as a major concern. The Trinidadian government has promised more land but has yet to deliver, says Solomon, who holds a bachelors degree in tourism management and a masters in agriculture and rural development. Adding to expenses, says Matthias, is that most equipment needed to run apiaries has to be imported.

But where there is a will, there is a way. Once decision-makers understand the importance of bees to the environment, theyll do more to support apitourism, says Sinanan. If there is something wrong in the natural environment it will be seen first in a bee colony, he says. They are the canary in the coal mine.

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Can Bees Add a Fresh Buzz to the Caribbean's $56 Billion Tourism Market? - OZY

All cemeteries have stories to tell, and the one on Mucurapo Road in Port of Spain, Trinidad, is no exception. Among the names carved on headstones are Irene and Oscar Huth, Erna Marx, Karl Falkenstein, Willi Schwarz and Otto Gumprich. Hebrew inscriptions are adorned with a Star of David.

Five years ago, Hans Stecher joined his mother, father and aunt in the Jewish section of Mucurapo cemetery. Aged 90 when he died, he was the last of about 600 Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe who ended up in Trinidad as they sought sanctuary from persecution and violence.

Stecher arrived on the island as a 14-year-old in 1938. For him it was an adventure and a dream come true, according to his memoir; but for his parents, everything was strange and somewhat frightening. The boy went on to enjoy a happy and prosperous life on the island. In reporting his death, the Trinidad Guardian described him as a giant of a man.

Several thousand Jewish refugees went by boat to Caribbean islands, including Barbados and Jamaica, in the run-up to and during the second world war. Their almost-forgotten story has now been told in a new book. Most wanted to reach the US or Canada, but could not get entry visas. In their panic to escape the march of fascism, they were forced to take what they could get. It was a last-chance destination. The majority who ended up in the Caribbean lost members of their families who stayed in the Holocaust, said Joanna Newman, author of Nearly the New World: The British West Indies and the Flight from Nazism 1933-1945.

At the 1938 Evian conference, 32 countries discussed the growing refugee crisis, but few opened their doors. As refugees crammed on to ships leaving European ports with no clear destination, Jewish organisations engaged in frantic negotiations to find places willing to take refugees. Some boats went from port to port, said Newman.

British colonies in the Caribbean, such as Trinidad, had no visa requirements, merely charging a landing deposit. The Jews, many of whom had professional qualifications, arrived penniless but willing to adapt to a new life, helped by modest grants from refugee agencies to start new businesses. According to the Trinidad Guardian: One of the physicians, a lady doctor, is now a midwife, another turned chemist, and a third one is a foreman in a local factory. A famous master-builder of Vienna is now looking for any kind of work. His wife makes a living by tailoring. A lawyer has become a canvasser, another a floor-walker, while a third is going to open a jewellers store.

In Port of Spain, Trinidads capital, the refugees founded a synagogue in a rented house. They opened cafes and started drama and football clubs. The local authorities allotted them a section of the Mucurapo cemetery. Although many intended the Caribbean to be a temporary stopover, they began putting down roots, said Newman.

The response of local people was mixed, she said. There was grumbling about overcrowding and competition, and disquiet about Jewish businesses and peddlers undercutting the locals. But newspapers carried reports of atrocities and persecution in Europe, so people were aware of their plight. Some saw an echo of their own history of slavery in the persecution of Jews.

Calypsos were a rich reflection of public opinion. One by Charlie Gorrilla Grant began: Tell me what you think of a dictator / Trampling the Jews like Adolf Hitler / Tumbling them out of Germany / Some running for refuge in the West Indies.

It was a last-chance destination. The majority who ended up in the Caribbean lost family members in the Holocaust.

King Radios The Jews Immigration was less sympathetic, describing Trinidad as a dumping ground. The place is so congested friends I must say / Yet the Foreigners are pouring in every day.

With the outbreak of war in 1939, Caribbean authorities followed the British move to intern enemy aliens, establishing camps and closing down Jewish businesses. According to Stechers memoir, those interned could not help but feel bitterness and resentment at being deprived of their newly-found freedom and, having just sent out new roots, being so abruptly and rudely uprooted once more.

After the war, most Jews in the Caribbean moved on to the US, Canada or Palestine (the state of Israel was declared in 1948), but a handful stayed and assimilated, said Newman. If you look in the phone book in Trinidad, you will find Jewish names. But theres little in the way of a Jewish community now.

The Mucurapo cemetery, with about 60 Jewish graves, was a poignant reminder of this neglected chapter of history, she said. When she last visited several years ago, it was not in a great state of repair Im concerned about who has custody of these graves.

After stumbling across references to the Jewish flight to the Caribbean, Newman spent two decades scouring archives and gathering testimonies and memoirs for her book. I come from a refugee family on my fathers side, so I grew up with stories of the persecution that my grandparents faced, she said.

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Revealed: how the Caribbean became a haven for Jews fleeing Nazi tyranny - The Guardian

In a quiet corner of Antigua - one of the friendliest and most laid-back of the Caribbean islands - sits Curtain Bluff, a luxury beach resort that has not changed hands in more than half a century.

After serving with the RAF in the Second World War, Howard Hulford plied his trade as a private pilot, ferrying oil executives to and from the Caribbean. Thats how he discovered Curtain Bluff, a forested headland on the southwestern coast of the island.

In 1962, he and his wife built their home there - and a 22-room hotel. Since Howards death in 2009, Chelle has flown solo, circulating among guests in the dining room and hosting a weekly cocktail party in her home on the hilltop.

Curtain Bluff now boasts 72 rooms and suites, as well as two restaurants, a standalone spa, tennis courts, a squash court and a swimming pool. Many of the rooms have been refurbished in airy coastal colours, and all offer spectacular ocean views. Some have balconies and private plunge pools, while others provide direct access to the beach.

Despite its expansion, the hotel retains a family feel. The hilly terrain, combining landscaped gardens and pine groves, conceals the larger accommodation blocks, while the open-sided main building blends harmoniously with the landscaped gardens. Many of the staff have been at the hotel for years if not decades, and guests also have a habit of returning.

Curtain Bluff caters equally well for those who want to spend their holiday trying new activities - and those who want to do as little as possible. First stop for the latter group is likely to be the sheltered sandy beach on the western side of the bluff, where sunloungers and waiters carrying iced drinks provide relief from the tropical sun - as does the clear, cooling water. A spa, on the very tip of the headland, offers more intense relaxation through a range of massages and other treatments.

For the more active, the hotel offers a wide range of watersports at no extra cost, including motorised activities such as water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing. Snorkelling and scuba-diving trips, and all equipment hire, are also included, as is use of the resorts tennis courts (although lessons with the club pro are extra). Kayaks, paddle boats, sailing boats and wind-surfing boards are also freely available.

Antigua is a small island and not difficult to navigate (taxis or guided excursions can be arranged for a fee). The main tourist attractions include Nelsons Dockyard, just around the coast from Curtain Bluff, although the road winds inland, through steep and densely forested terrain, before emerging at what looks for all the world like a Gloucestershire manor house. Theres good reason for that: it was built with bricks shipped in from England in the late 18th century.

Now a hotel and restaurant called The Admirals Inn, it was once a store for the pitch and tar needed to keep the Royal Navy afloat. Lord Nelson himself, resident here throughout the 1780s, was not enthusiastic about his posting - he described the place as a vile hole - but its hard to see why. The sparkling marina and lavishly restored Georgian buildings are a sight to behold under Caribbean skies.

A visit to Shirley Heights, a few miles away, reveals why the harbour was of such strategic importance. From the scenic lookout point you can see how the curve of the coast has created a protective natural harbour, ideal shelter from storms - and the perfect spot from which to keep an eye on the neighbouring French colony of Guadeloupe. On Sunday evenings, its now the site of a spectacular sunset party, with steel bands, reggae, food stalls and rum.

At Curtain Bluff, dinner is served a la carte in the Seagrape restaurant (top photo) or the Tamarind (below), which gets its name from the beautiful tree casting welcome shade over tables on the courtyard. The food is a mixture of Caribbean specialities - curried chicken in roti, for example, or a breakfast of saltfish and chop-up - and international classics, from pasta to steaks to grilled fish and salad. Lunch at the Seagrape consists of either a more casual menu or an extensive buffet and salad bar (or both).

The menus, which change on a daily basis, are complemented by one of the largest collections of wine in the Caribbean - consisting of 15,000 bottles from more than 600 producers. Prices range from 38 to more than 1,500 for a bottle of Chateau Petrus, 1997. Tastings can be arranged in the cool of the cellars, with a selection of cheeses to pair with the wines.

Peak season runs from December to May, the cooler, drier portion of the year. The temperature can be expected to reach 28C to 30C and most rain falls in the form of sharp downpours that pass quickly. From June, the temperature builds, rainfall increases and storms are more frequent.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly non-stop from Gatwick to Antigua, from about 500.

For more information or to book, visit curtainbluff.com.Deluxe rooms are available from about 700 per night for two adults, including taxes, full board and most activities.

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Curtain Bluff, Antigua: laid-back luxury in the Caribbean - The Week UK

SOCA transformed the Newman Vertical Campus Multipurpose Room into a winter-themed gala with many different decorations, including a stage centered in the room, where many of the performances took place.

Its really good. The performances were great, the music is good. Its good, everything is great, said Garfield Hylton, a Baruch alumnus who earned a degree in biological sciences.

Many of the performances brought awareness to Caribbean culture. Hip-hop and rhythm and blues artist Genique, for example, arrived at Baruch with the intention of making Baruch students feel welcome to the culture.

I definitely think Baruch would, like, value the diversity Im bringing with, like, the Caribbean culture, so Im Jamaican. Theres a lot of Jamaican students here, or just students from the Caribbean, she said. Rap music is a part of the culture, R&B is a part of the culture. Im just happy to be bringing all of that to Baruch.

At the gala, dinner was served, which included chicken and pasta. The process of setting up the event was explained by Albaceer Casimir, a junior at Baruch studying biology.

Weve been talking about setting this event for like a month now, this is really the biggest event of the semester. What we did was, like, we would meet to talk about the theme we wanted and put that into effect, Casimir said. The following week, we discussed what exactly we want to bring to the event in terms of decorations and drinks. We just talked for a couple weeks and figured out where to get the decorations and who is in charge of the drinks.

SOCA President Ryan Shivcharran explained the message SOCA tried to send with their event.

We just want people to get more aware [of] the Caribbean, Shivcharran said. We have a bunch of Caribbean performers tonight. We just want to express that.

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Spices of the Winter Gala celebrates Caribbean culture - The Ticker

The tricky politics of world historiography is what it is because of the concern todays world shares for identity and natural rights. An example of this challenge is the care needed in recounting the history of Jews.

For one of the most persecuted groups of people in recorded history, it is not out of place to say a significant amount of Jewish history is the people looking for a home.

This treacherous quest took Jews all over the world. But one of the most unlikely destinations European Jews would settle at was the Caribbean islands.

Although discrimination against Jews was well sewn into European life by the 6th century, the Spanish edict known as the Alhambra Decree of 1492 is a solid place to contextualize the history of state-backed ostracism.

The infamous decree expelled Jews from the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. But even before Alhambra, persecution had forced over half of Spains Jews to convert to Catholicism before the 15th century.

All across Europe, a similar situation persisted.

As arts photographer and historian Wyatt Gallery referred to the situation: From the 1500s until the 1700s. Jews couldnt enter anywhere; no one wanted us.

With the expansion of European naval expeditions came the opportunity for Jews to leave the continent. It was the time the so-called New World presented itself.

By the mid-17th century, the biggest Jewish populations in the western hemisphere were in the Portuguese colony of Brazil and the Dutch-controlled territory of Suriname.

The Caribbean also hosted thousands of Jewish people during this period, with a majority of them settling in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Barbados.

These would become their new homes with Sephardic Jews importing into the cultures of the islands, the uniqueness of Judaism.

But this would not be the only flight of Jews to find safety in the Caribbean. At the beginning of the 20th century and German Nazism, Jews once again had to leave Europe.

This time, they travelled by boats, ships and a few did too, by planes. The scourge of antisemitism knew no bounds and fear drove Jews farther and farther from Europe.

In the early 1930s especially, they settled in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados.

A few of the new Jewish homes had no visa requirements and that made things easy. While some went to the Caribbean as qualified professionals with a hunger to make themselves useful, others were penniless, just scraping through.

Initially, the islanders were not enthused about their new guests. But it is known that newspapers of the day carried news about the war in Europe and this softened the hearts of Jamaicans, Trinidadians and others.

In the history of the Caribbean, Sephardic Jews would be the other group of people who were forced to find settlement apart from enslaved Africans, although the latters was under much severer condition.

Today, there are hundreds of thousands of self-professing Jews on the islands. They are a happier people with the horrors of yesteryears far behind them.

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When the Caribbean Islands became home to hundreds of thousands of Jews escaping persecution - Face2Face Africa

Supermodel Bella Hadid posted a series of photos in a see-through halter top and rectangular frames during her visit to the French-speaking Caribbean island of St. Barts on Sunday.

To model the look, Hadid posted a series of photos on Instagram, taken on the beach at the recently reopened Eden Rock hotel. She could be seen wearing a draping, mesh white halter top with no bra, along with light pink and silver "Hellz Bellz" sunglasses.

She paired the look with straight-legged white jeans, chunky gold jewelry, and a messy bun.

The 23-year-old model was on the Caribbean island to celebrate the launch of her latest collaboration with LA-based brand Chrome Hearts, an edgy brand founded by Richard Stark in 1988. Together, Hadid and the brand created a sunglasses line called, "Hellz Bellz," which is exclusive to the brand's St. Barts location.

The collection carries both sunglasses and optical frames and hints at the geometric '90s style that Hadid often sports.

In anticipation of the St. Barts release, Hadid posted a video clip titled "The Factory Girl" on Thursday in which Hadid teased the frames while working in an industrial warehouse.

"For the past 10 years @jessejostark and I have been roaming around this factory together so this creative @lauriellynnstark @mr_mosher dreamt up seemed perfectly fitting," Hadid captioned the clip.

Hadid first partnered with Chrome Hearts and Jesse Jo Stark in 2017 to create a line for Selfridges, which is a chain of luxury department stores in London. According to Hypebeast, the brand has paired up with Hollywood names ranging from Guns N' Roses, Sex Pistols and The Rolling Stones in the past.

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Bella Hadid went braless under a sheer halter top during her trip to the Caribbean - Business Insider

A special exhibition highlighting the artistic achievements of early Caribbean civilizations will go on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art beginning December 16.

Showcasing more than 40 works drawn primarily from The Met collection and augmented by select loans from public and private collections in the United States, Arte del mar: Artistic Exchange in the Caribbean will present a narrative of creativity from the ancestral cultures that encircled the Caribbean Sea in the millennia before European colonization.

Early Caribbean civilizations developed a rich cultural legacy that was fueled by the interplay of ideas and influences across the region, said Max Hollein, Director of The Met. This exhibition celebrates the artistic traditions of these ancestral communities while honoring the enduring power of the objects.

The exhibition will be the first to focus on the artistic exchange that took place among the Tano civilizations of the Greater Antilles (present-day Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) and the coastal societies in countries such as Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, and Honduras before the 16th century.

Highlights will include rarely seen sculptures created in ancient Puerto Rico.

Organized into three primary sections focused on ritual knowledge, ceremonial performance, and political power, Arte del mar (art of/from the sea) will highlight the sculptural achievements of the island societies known today as the Tanos.

Featured works on view include four rare wooden sculptures, such as the 10th- to 11th-century Deity Figure (Zem) from The Met collection, a piece that intertwines spirituality, ceremony, and politics.

Another spectacular wooden figure from the 14th century, on loan from the Saint Louis Art Museum, illustrates how special trees inspired sculptors to reveal specific deity or ancestor forms in collaboration with leaders and ritual specialists.

A group of three-pointed stones (trigonolitos), on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, highlights the range of materials and imagery used by Taino sculptors to create spiritually charged ritual objects.

Alongside works of art created by their better-known Tano peers, the exhibition will present objects created by the artists of the Tairona in northern Colombia, the diverse kingdoms in the Isthmus of Panama and Costa Rica, and the networks of sculptor communities in the Ula Valley, Honduras.

Objects created from luxury materials including greenstone, shell, gold, and marble will underscore the range of trade connections between Caribbean peoples.

In a fourth section, the exhibition will explore the ancestral legacies into the 20th century and today by incorporating Rumblings of the Earth (Rumor de la tierra),1950, by painter Wifredo Lam (Cuban, 19021982), on loan from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will offer a variety of educational programs in 2020, including an Artists on Artworks event, a lecture, Conversations With a Curator (bilingual in English and Spanish), Teen Career Lab, and a Family Afternoon.

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At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Look at the Ancient Caribbean - Caribbean Journal

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has signed agreements to divest its operations in the Eastern Caribbean to local banks.

The move is part of its plan to focus on the core markets and shed non-core operations.

The businesses will be acquired by 1st National Bank of St. Lucia, Antigua Commercial Bank, National Bank of Dominica, the Bank of Montserrat and Bank of Nevis.

However, the financial details of the transaction were not divulged by the company.

The scope of divestment includes RBC branches in Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts and Nevis. The Canadian lender will also shed its regional businesses operating under RBC Royal Bank Holdings (EC) in Nevis, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

RBC Caribbean Banking head Rob Johnston said: Consistent with our strategy of being a competitive leader in the markets where we operate, RBC is always evaluating opportunities for our business.

Earlier this year, we were approached by a consortium of indigenous banks with their proposal to acquire all RBC Eastern Caribbean operations.

After a review of our operations and strategy, we determined this opportunity was a good decision for the long-term future success of RBC Caribbean, and also, that it aligned with our vision to help our clients thrive and communities prosper.

The divestment is expected to close in the coming months, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.

Earlier this month, RBC reported a 4% year-on-year increase of its net income to C$12.9bn in fiscal year 2019. Revenue across the group also jumped 8% to C$46bn.

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Canada's RBC to divest Eastern Caribbean operations - Verdict