Weekly Caribbean Dispatch

Opening Note

The Caribbean Music Awards handed out its trophies on September 19 at NAPA in Port of Spain. Lady Lava took three awards, Kes won Male Soca Artiste of the Year, and Ayetian won Best New Artiste. Calypso Rose, Patra, Shyne and Alan Cavé received the special honors.

The Pulse

Moliy, V’ghn and a batch of new categories rounded out the Caribbean Music Awards. Ghanaian singer Moliy won Dancehall Song of the Year for the “Shake It to the Max (Fly)” remix with Skillibeng and Shenseea, and Grenada’s V’ghn won Jab Artist of the Year. Jab, chutney soca, konpa, Dennery, zess and French Caribbean song were all new categories for the 2026 ceremony. (kaboommag.com, wicnews.com, billboard.com)

The Latin Grammy nominations were announced September 16. No Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban or Brazilian act reached four nominations. Cuban legend Omara Portuondo earned her 10th, for best traditional tropical album. Bachata stars Romeo Santos and Prince Royce were left off the list for their joint album, “Better Late Than Never.” The ceremony is on November 12, in Las Vegas. Daddy Yankee is Person of the Year, and Cuban singer Francisco Céspedes and Dominican musician Chichí Peralta are among the Lifetime Achievement honorees. (billboard.com, latingrammy.com)

Marlon James and Edwidge Danticat both made the National Book Award fiction longlist. The National Book Foundation released its longlists across the week of September 15, and James’s ‘The Disappearers’ and Danticat’s ‘Dèy’ are among the ten fiction titles. The Disappearers follows the aftermath of a 1988 homophobic mob attack on eight gay men at a play rehearsal in Kingston. Dèy follows a Haitian American real estate agent in Miami who survives a mass shooting. Finalists were set for October 6 and winners for November 18. James’s novel was also longlisted for the Booker Prize in July. (nationalbook.org)

The Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival was scheduled to open its 20th anniversary edition on September 22. The plan was a world premiere of DANM, followed by a September 23 to 27 run at MovieTowne in Port of Spain. The programme listed local and regional premieres of Angel and Drsire, Atrinbago, Play de Devil and My Maxi Too. (jamaicaobserver.com)

Sunburn won Best Canadian Feature at TIFF. Toronto director Serville Poblete’s coming-of-age film, set in St. James Town during a heatwave and blackout, took the award as the festival closed on September 20. The cast includes Jamaican and Guyanese actors. (sundayguardianlive.com, blackcanadiancreators.ca)

“Luttes dansées de Guadeloupe: combats et héritages” opened on September 18. The photography exhibition runs through November 8 at the Centre Culturel de Sainte-Anne. Laurent de Bompuis documents three traditions: Bènaden, Sové Vayan and Mayolè. (outremertourisme.fr)

Kalinago Week ran from September 13 to 19 in Dominica’s Kalinago Territory. The media launch took place on September 11. The week closed with a commemorative ceremony and a smoke ceremony. (richeskarayib.com, riotimesonline.com)

Market & Opportunities

Caribbean-specific funding was quiet, with two live options for readers who cast wider.

Art Omi 2027 residencies. Art Omi opened its 2027 call for Music, Dance and Architecture, with applications due October 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST. Residents attend at no cost apart from travel. The Music residency runs from August 12 to 30, 2027. It carries a $15 application fee and takes individual applicants only. It is an international call, not Caribbean-specific, and it means roughly 2.5 weeks in-person in New York’s Hudson Valley. (artomi.org)

Screen Share virtual edition. CaribbeanTales and the Caribbean Film Festival made selected films from the Toronto edition available online from September 18 to October 20. It is a viewing window, useful for anyone who missed the in-person run. (caribbeantalesfestival.com)

Release Radar

Dancehall had a busy release stretch. Patra dropped “Me So Sexy” on September 18. Beenie Man and producer Rorey Baker released “Brawdah” on September 19. Cham and Jada Kingdom’s “Move” came out around September 20. Skillibeng’s “General” reached No. 9 on the iTunes Reggae Singles chart within 24 hours of release, and Julian Marley’s “Keep The Fire Burning” reached No. 1 on iTunes Reggae. (dancehallmag.com)

Creator Spotlight: Omara Portuondo

What’s she telling now? At 95, Portuondo earned her 10th Latin Grammy nomination, for Eternamente Omara, her album from September 2025. The ten-song set pairs Cuban classics with collaborations featuring Nathy Peluso, Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo López and Angélique Kidjo. Born in Havana in 1930, she has a career of more than 75 years that began at the Tropicana cabaret. Known as the “Queen of Filin,” she rose to international stardom in the 1990s as the main singer of Buena Vista Social Club. She has won two Latin Grammys and a Latin Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Where to follow her: Eternamente Omara is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, and out on CD and vinyl.

On the Circuit

Booker Prize shortlist announcement. September 22, 2026, Southbank Centre, London. The Disappearers is on the longlist.

Corredor Afro conversation on espiritismo and ancestors. September 22, 2026, 4 to 6 pm, Piñones, Puerto Rico.

The Armory Show, with a new Caribbean Focus section. September 24 to 27, 2026, Javits Center, New York. Curator María Elena Ortiz’s Focus includes Gio Swaby, Kachelle Knowles, Renée Cox and Lizania Cruz.

ORÍ Micro Galería Afro opens “Obatalá: bajo el manto de la primera luz.” September 25, 2026, 6 to 9 pm, Santurce, Puerto Rico.

Brooklyn Book Festival, Festival Day. September 27, 2026, downtown Brooklyn. Danticat is on a panel.

Art Omi residency deadline for Music, Dance and Architecture. October 1, 2026.

National Book Award finalists announced. October 6, 2026.

Conch Shell International Film Fest. October 9 to 11, 2026, New York, with screenings on October 10 and 11 at Regal Midway in Forest Hills.

After the Island: Caribbean Canadian Ceramics. October 9, 2026, to April 25, 2027, Gardiner Museum, Toronto.

Barbados Independent Film Festival. October 14 to 18, 2026.

FUZE Caribbean Art Fair, 4th edition. October 21 to 25, 2026, Baha Mar, Nassau.

Latin Grammy Awards. November 12, 2026, Las Vegas.

Last Look

Lady Lava left NAPA on September 19 carrying three trophies.

Kelli