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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Tracy McVeigh in Port of Spain

The Caribbean island of Trinidad grapples with a ‘national crisis’ of violence

Composite of portraits of Andrea Barratt and Ashanti Riley
Andrea Barratt (left) and Ashanti Riley whose murders brought a wave of media attention to femicides in Trinidad and Tobago in 2021. Photograph: Handout

The hurricane season is under way in the Caribbean, but the tropical storms that batter much of the region miss the island of Trinidad, which is protected by its northern mountain range. It is one of the reasons that the grateful inhabitants – who love their food, their vibrant carnival and beautiful beaches – like to say “God is a Trini”.

The birthplace of calypso, steel pan and soca music – a fusion of the African and Indian culture of these descendants of slaves and indentured labourers respectively – the tiny nation’s musical influence is global.

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