Caribbean year of tensions, culture and climate ^{CEFR B2}

The Caribbean experienced a complex year of political tension, cultural success and environmental concern. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn into office on January 10 for a third consecutive term after July 2024’s disputed election. U.S. policy moves, including mass deportations that began in February, helped frame a widening geopolitical standoff between the United States and Venezuela. Regional leaders defended the Cuban Medical Cooperation Programme after U.S. visa restrictions, even as U.S. military strikes in regional waters and related statements left open the possibility of wider conflict. Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, faced criticism for supporting U.S. troops, and Venezuela accused the twin‑island nation of complicity in a U.S. blockade.

Culture and the arts saw major highlights and concerns. Trinbagonian steel pannist Joshua Regrello set a Guinness World Record by May for the longest steelpan marathon. Poet Anthony V. Capildeo won both the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and the Windham Campbell Prize 2025. Subraj Singh (Guyana) and Chanel Sutherland (St Vincent and the Grenadines) won regional and overall titles in the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Jamaica‑born artist Melissa Koby became the first Black artist to create imagery for the U.S. Open. At the same time the Bocas Lit Fest lost its longtime title sponsor after 14 years, raising questions about funding for regional arts.

Environmental issues and sport also featured prominently. The Dominican Republic expanded renewable energy and hotel operators adopted solar power; Guadeloupe promoted Creole gardens and zero‑waste schemes despite agricultural waste challenges. Jamaica examined ocean renewables but faced funding hurdles, Barbados adopted nature‑based solutions for fisheries, and Guyana sought to balance new oil production with a large carbon sink. Environmental damage was reported from shorebird displacement in Anguilla to threats to coral reefs in Tobago, and Hurricane Melissa struck during the Atlantic season with Jamaica among the hardest hit. Activists carried the region’s message to COP 30 in Brazil. Sporting highlights included strong Caribbean results at the 2025 World Athletics Championships and the Jamaican bobsled team winning the North American Cup; Haiti and Curaçao qualified for the 2026 World Cup, with Curaçao noted as the smallest nation ever to qualify.

Political and social debates continued, from renewed anti‑gay rhetoric in Jamaican politics—seventeen years after Bruce Golding’s remark—to Trinidad and Tobago’s Court of Appeal reversing a 2018 buggery law ruling and sending the matter to the UK Privy Council. The U.S. pardon of Marcus Garvey and calls to decolonise symbols prompted regional discussion, while the UK introduced visa requirements for Trinidad and Tobago nationals. The region also mourned many cultural figures:

• Roger Boothman, Mark Loquan, Jimmy Cliff, Max Romeo
• Cocoa Tea, Determine, Velma Pollard, Glen “Dragon” De Souza
• Rex Lasalle, Rickey Singh, Jones P. Madeira, Danielle Dieffenthaller, Pope Francis