Strictly Facts: A Guide to Caribbean History and Culture
Are you passionate about Caribbean history, its diverse culture, and its impact on the world? Join Strictly Facts: A Guide to Caribbean History and Culture as we explore the rich tapestry of Caribbean stories told through the eyes of its people – historians, artists, experts, and enthusiasts who share empowering facts about the region’s past, present, and future.
Strictly Facts is a biweekly podcast, hosted by Alexandria Miller, that delves deep into the heart and soul of the Caribbean, celebrating its vibrant heritage, widespread diaspora, and the stories that shaped it. Through this immersive journey into the Caribbean experience, this educational series empowers, elevates, and unifies the Caribbean, its various cultures, and its global reach across borders.
Episodes
122 episodes
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Three Hundred-Year Fight For Sovereignty with Dr. Garrey Dennie
Sacred land, contested memory, and a centuries-long fight for sovereignty, this conversation with Dr. Garrey Dennie traces the deep antiquity of the Kalinago in St. Vincent, their transformation into a maritime powerhouse, and the strategic cho...
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Episode 119
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45:26
Where Land, Memory, and Medicine Meet with Aleya Fraser
What if the medicine you need was growing right outside your door? We sit down with author and farmer Aleya Fraser to trace the living thread of Caribbean herbalism as she details in her new book
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Episode 118
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33:34
Beyond the Canon: Unearthing Early Caribbean Literary Treasures with Dr. Alison Donnell
What if everything we thought we knew about Caribbean literary history was incomplete? That's the premise of today's captivating conversation with Professor Alison Donnell, whose groundbreaking new book,
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Episode 117
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42:31
Cuban and Puerto Rican Cinema's Political Lens with Dr. Pedro Noel Doreste Rodríguez
In the mid-20th century Caribbean, cinema became a powerful tool for nation-building, education, and political messaging through two remarkable organizations with surprisingly parallel methods but divergent ideologies. Dr. Pedro Noel Doreste Ro...
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Episode 116
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55:54
Caribbean Horror: Bringing Folklore to Film with Alyscia Cunningham
Storytelling lies at the heart of Caribbean identity. Award-winning filmmaker Alyscia Cunningham joins us to unravel the power of Caribbean folklore through the lens of modern cinema. As a first-generation Trinidadian-American, Cunningham's chi...
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Episode 115
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24:03
From Jamaica to England: Documenting Caribbean Family Histories with Calvin Walker
When we lose a loved one, the stories they carried often disappear with them—unless we find ways to preserve them. This powerful truth drives creative consultant Calvin Walker's experimental audio project "
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Episode 114
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33:15
The Art of Truth: How Documentary Filmmaking Captures Caribbean Political Movements with Richard Vaughan
What drives someone to pick up a camera and document untold Caribbean history with no formal training? For Richard Vaughn, it was a simple realization: the political stories that shaped the modern Caribbean were either missing from film archive...
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Episode 113
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30:17
Six Days That Shook Trinidad: The 1990 Coup Attempt with Eskor David Johnson
Thirty-five years ago on July 27, 1990, Trinidad and Tobago experienced a shocking violation of its democratic foundations when Yasin Abu Bakr and the Jamaat al-Muslimeen stormed Parliament and the national television station, holding the...
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Episode 112
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44:38
The Chain is Broken: Emancipation Day and Dutch and Danish Colonial Legacies
Freedom wasn't granted—it was seized through blood, sweat, and unwavering resistance. Across the Dutch and Danish Caribbean colonies, enslaved Africans fought against brutal systems of oppression that are often overshadowed in mainstream histor...
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Episode 111
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8:59
Caribbean Airmen: Untold Stories of World War Heroes with John Concagh
When we picture World War I and II, we rarely envision Caribbean soldiers in RAF uniforms flying bombing missions over Nazi Germany or Trinidad's oil refineries fueling the Battle of Britain. Yet these overlooked contributions not only helped d...
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Episode 110
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53:24
From Colonial Marines to Caribbean Pioneers: The Merikins of Trinidad
Caribbean American Heritage Month invites us to explore the rich tapestry of identities that shape our diaspora experience. In this episode, we uncover the fascinating yet often overlooked story of "The Merikins" – formerly enslaved Black peopl...
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Episode 109
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11:03
Between Two Empires: The Battle for Freedom in the Atlantic World with Matthew Taylor
The forgotten liberation of thousands stands at the intersection of British military history and the African diaspora. When historian Matthew Taylor stumbled upon brief mentions of Black soldiers in British uniform during the War of 1812, he br...
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Episode 108
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46:56
Our Culture Doesn't Break, It Transforms: Evolving Caribbean Identity
What remains of Caribbean identity when our most treasured traditions begin to shift? Bridging thoughts from our recent episodes, I tackle this profound question on cultural evolution. Caribbean culture has never been static—born from struggle,...
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Episode 107
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9:35
The Caribbean Front Room as Architecture and Cultural Archive with Dr. Stacy Scott
Step into the Caribbean front room – that formal, pristine space with plastic-covered furniture, carefully displayed china, and family photographs that many Caribbean descendants immediately recognize. Dr. Stacey Scott joins us to explore how t...
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Episode 106
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45:28
What Happens When Art Preserves What Nations Cannot? with Keisha Oliver
The Caribbean's artistic traditions reveal profound truths about our history, identity, and resilience. Keisha Oliver, PhD candidate at Penn State, joins Strictly Facts as we discuss Bahamian visual culture that challenges conventional un...
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Episode 105
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42:54
Split Me in Two: Exploring Dougla Identity in the Caribbean
Have you ever wondered about the beautiful complexity that arises when different cultures blend? The Caribbean term "Dougla" captures exactly that—specifically describing people of mixed African and Indian heritage in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyan...
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Episode 104
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7:50
Banking on Community: The Caribbean's Alternative Economy with Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein
The Caribbean's financial revolution has been quietly unfolding for generations. We delve into the powerful world of rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) known throughout the region as Padna, Susu, Boxhand, and countless other name...
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Episode 103
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52:26
How One Pregnant Woman Helped Lead a Revolution: The Story of Lumina Sophie
Dive into the extraordinary story of Lumina Sophie (1848-1879), a lesser-known yet powerful figure in Caribbean history, as we explore her inspiring journey during a time of revolutionary fervor. Born in a post-emancipation Martinique, Sophie d...
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Episode 102
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10:04
A Brief History of the West India Regiments with Isaac Crichlow
Join Strictly Facts as we uncover the hidden stories of the Caribbean's military past, featuring the intriguing West India Regiments established by the British Army. Our guest, Isaac Crichlow, a graduate student from the University College of L...
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Episode 101
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43:14
How Faith Built Bridges for Black Unity in the Guianas with Dr. Briana Royster
Journey through Black history and Caribbean connections, revealing the incredible legacy of Black missionaries in the British and Dutch Guianas. Dr. Briana Royster joins us to discuss how the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the National ...
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Episode 100
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42:32
The Legacy of Jose 'Cha Cha' Jimenez: The Young Lords' Path of Radical Action
Learn about the visionary leadership of Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez (August 8, 1948 – January 10, 2025), who turned the Young Lords from a street gang into a powerful political force. Jimenez, inspired by the Black Panther Party, reshaped the l...
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Episode 99
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7:19
Celebrating Milestones and Hidden Histories for the New Year!
As we kick off a new year and celebrate five incredible years of Strictly Facts, we're taking a fresh angle by focusing on those narratives that lie just beneath the surface, often ignored by mainstream stories. This year, we're shining a light...
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Episode 98
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4:22
Art and Heritage of the Cayman Islands with Maia Muttoo
Art speaks volumes about history and resilience. Join us as we chart the artistic evolution of the Cayman Islands with Maia Muttoo, Education Manager at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. With her fascinating pan-Caribbean roots, Maia ...
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Episode 97
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47:36
Tracing Ancestral Threads: A Journey from the West to Sierra Leone with Alya Harding
Our history of migration spans across the world. Join us as we journey with Alya Harding, a community organizer and PhD student, who shares her heartfelt exploration of Sierra Leonean Creole/Krio culture and her personal quest to uncover her Tr...
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Episode 96
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35:24
The Multinational Identities & Impact of Caribbean Icons
Have you ever considered how the people we associate with one Caribbean island might actually hail from another, and how these stories of migration shape identities? Join me as we uncover the intriguing tales of Caribbean icons and their unexpe...
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Episode 95
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6:36