2021 in the Caribbean

The following lists events that happened during 2021 in The Caribbean.

Sovereign states

Cuba

• First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba: Raúl Castro (since 2011)[1]
• President of Cuba: Miguel Díaz-Canel (since 2019)[1]
  • Vice-President: Salvador Valdés Mesa (since 2019)[1]
• Prime Minister: Manuel Marrero Cruz (since 2019)[1]

Dominica

• President: Charles Savarin (since 2013).[2]
• Prime Minister: Roosevelt Skerrit (since August 8, 2004)[2]

Dominican Republic

• President of the Dominican Republic: Luis Abinader (starting 2020)[3]
• Vice-President Raquel Peña de Antuña (starting 2020)[3]

Haiti

• President of Haiti: Jovenel Moïse (since 2017)[4]
• Acting Prime Minister: Fritz-William Michel (since 2019)[4]

Trinidad and Tobago

• President of Trinidad and Tobago: Paula-Mae Weekes (since 2008)[5]
• Prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago: Keith Rowley (since 2015)[5]

Commonwealth Realms

Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II (since 1952)[6]

Antigua and Barbuda

• Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda: Rodney Williams (since 2014)[7]
• Prime Minister: Gaston Browne (since 2014)[7]

The Bahamas

The Bahamas are in the Atlantic Ocean and are part of the West Indies, not part of the Caribbean, although the United Nations groups them with the Caribbean.[8]

Barbados

Barbados became independent from the United Kingdom in 1966.[9]

• Governor-General of Barbados: Sandra Mason (since 2018)[9]
• Prime minister of Barbados: Mia Mottley (since 2018)[9]

Grenada

• Governor-General of Grenada: Cécile La Grenade (since 2013)[10]
• Prime Minister: Keith Mitchell (since 2013)[10]

Jamaica

Jamaica became independent in 1962.[11]

• Governor-General of Jamaica: Patrick Allen (since 2009)[11]
• Prime Minister of Jamaica: Andrew Holness (since 2016)[11]

Saint Kitts and Nevis

• Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis: Tapley Seaton (since 2015)[12]
• Prime Minister: Timothy Harris (since 2018)[12]
  • Deputy Prime Minister: Shawn Richards (since 2015)[12]

Saint Lucia

• Governor-General of Saint Lucia: Neville Cenac (since 2018)[13]
• Prime Minister: Allen Chastanet (since 2016)[13]

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

• Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Susan Dougan (since 2019)[14]
• Prime Minister: Ralph Gonsalves (since March 28, 2001)[14]

Dependencies

British overseas territories

Head of the Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth II[15]

Anguilla

• Governor of Anguilla: Tim Foy (since 2017)[16]
  • Deputy Governor: Perin A. Bradley
• Premier of Anguilla: Victor Banks (since 2019)[16]

Bermuda

Bermuda is located in the Atlantic Ocean and is included in the UN geoscheme for North America.[8]

• Governor of Bermuda: John Rankin (since 2016)[17]
• Premier: Edward David Burt (since 2017)[17]

British Virgin Islands

• Governor of the Virgin Islands: Augustus Jaspert (since 2017)[18]
  • Deputy Governor of the British Virgin Islands: David Archer
• Premier: Andrew Fahie (since 2019)[18]

Cayman Islands

• Governor of the Cayman Islands: Martyn Roper (since 2018)[19]
• Premier: Alden McLaughlin (since 2013)[19]

Montserrat

• Governor of Montserrat: Andrew Pearce (since 2018)[20]
• Premier: Easton Taylor-Farrell (since 2019)[20]

Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean, although the United Nations groups them with the Caribbean.[8]

• Governor Nigel Dakin (since 2019)[21]
• Premier: Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson (since 2016)[21]

France

• President: Emmanuel Macron (since 2017)[22]
• Prime Minister: Édouard Philippe (since 2017)[22]

Guadeloupe

• Governor: Philippe Gustin (since 2018)[23]

Martinique

• President of the Assembly of Martinique:Claude Lise (since 2015)[24]

Saint Barthélemy

• President of Territorial Council: Bruno Magras (since July 16, 2007)[25]

Saint Martin

• Prefect Anne Laubies (since 2015)[26]
• President of Territorial Council Daniel Gibbs (since 2017)[26]
  • First Vice President Valerie Damaseua (since 2017)[26]

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Monarch: King Willem-Alexander (since April 30, 2013)[27]

Aruba

• Governor of Aruba: Alfonso Boekhoudt (since 2017)[28]
• Prime Minister: Evelyn Wever-Croes (since 2018)[28]

Curaçao

• Governor of Curaçao: Lucille George-Wout (since 2013)[29]
• Prime Minister: Eugene Rhuggenaath[30]

Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten became a self-governing constituent Kingdom of the Netherlands in October 2010.

• Governor of Sint Maarten: Eugene Holiday (since 2010)[31]
• Interim Prime minister of Sint Maarten: Silveria Jacobs (since 2020)[31]

Caribbean Netherlands

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba[27][32]

United States

The

• President
  • Donald Trump (until January 20)
  • Joe Biden (starting January 20)
• Vice-President
  • Mike Pence (until January 20)
  • Kamala Harris (starting January 20)

Puerto Rico

• Governor of Puerto Rico
  • Wanda Vázquez Garced (until January 2)
  • Pedro Pierluisi (starting January 2)
• Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico: Jenniffer González (since 2017)

United States Virgin Islands

• Governor: Albert Bryan (since 2019)
  • Lt. Governor: Tregenza Roach (since 2019)

Events

January and February

• January 3 – The alert level on Saint Vincent is raised to orange for La Soufrière volcano.[33]
• January 6 – Stacey Plaskett (D), Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Virgin Islands, said she sheltered in her office during the storming of the United States Capitol and avoided contact with Republican colleagues who refused to wear face masks.[34]
• January 8 – COVID-19 pandemic: Caymen Islands, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Aruba get vaccines, but larger, independent countries do not.[35]
• January 18 – The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to deport a Paul Pierrilus, 40, to Haiti on January 19. Pierrilus was born in Saint Martin to Haitian parents and has lived in the United States since he was five; technically he is a stateless person since he is a citizen of none.[36] Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY) stopped the deportation at the last minute. 218,000 other stateless people live in the United States.[37]
• January 28 – A Venezuelan-flagged fishing boat is captured with 4.2 tons of cocaine in international waters east of Barbados.[38]
• January 29 – 647 Haitian nationals, 23 Cubans, and 19 migrants from African countries are stranded on a beach in Antioquia Department, Colombia, hoping to pass through the Darién Gap to Panama and the United States.[39]
• February 7 – Haitian Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent says that a planned assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and an attempted coup d'état were frustrated. Twenty-three are arrested.[40]
• February 8 – Kristalina Georgieva of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that Latin American and Caribbean economic activity will not return to pre-pandemic levels of output until 2023 and GDP per capita will catch up only in 2025.[41]

Scheduled and programmed events

Elections

• January 25 – 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election
• February – 2021 Jamaican local elections
• March 19 – 2021 Curaçao general election
• March – 2021 Barbuda Council
• May 26 – 2021 Caymanian general election
• June – 2021 Saint Lucian general election
• September – 2021 Aruban general election
• 2021 Turks and Caicos Islands general election
• 2021 Bahamian local elections
• Haitian parliamentary election

January and February

• January 1 –New Year's Day
  • Triumph of the Revolution, Cuba[42]
  • Independence Day, Haiti (from France, 1804)[43]
• January 2
  • Victory Day, Cuba[42]
  • Ancestry Day, Haiti [43]
  • Day after New Year's, Saint Lucia.[44]
• January 6 – Epiphany, Christian and children's holiday
• January 11 – Majority Rule Day, the Bahamas[45]
• January 18 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day, official holiday in Puerto Rico and United States Virgin Islands.[46][47]
• January 21
  • Errol Barrow Day, Barbados[48]
  • Our Lady of High Grace, holiday in the Dominican Republic[49]
• January 25 – Juan Pablo Duarte′s Birthday, Dominican Republic[49]
• February 8 – Independence Day (Grenada) (from the UK, 1974)[50]
• February 15 – Heroes′ Day, Puerto Rico; President′s Day, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands[46][47]
• February 15–16 — Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
• February 22 – Independence Day, Saint Lucia (from the UK, 1979).[44]
• February 27 – Independence Day, Dominican Republic (from Haiti, 1844)[49]

March and April

• March 2 – American Citizenship Day, Puerto Rico[46]
• March 15 – Joseph Chatoyer Day, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[51]
• March 22 – Emancipation Day, Puerto Rico[46]
• March 31 – Transfer Day, U.S. Virgin Islands.[52]
• April 2 – Good Friday, Christian feast celebrated in Cuba,[42] Dominica,[53]
• April 5 – Easter Monday, Christian holiday celebrated in Dominica,[53]
• April 28 – Barbadian National Heroes Day, Barbados[48]

May and June

• May 1/3 – Labour Day and International Workers' Day
  • Labour and Agriculature Day, Haiti [43]
• May 18 – Flag and Universities Day, Haiti [43]
• May 20 – Independence Day (from the United States, 1902), celebrated by Cuban exiles.[54]
• May 24
  • Whit Monday, Christian holiday celebrated in Dominica,[53]
  • Labour Day (Jamaica).[55]
• May 31 – Memorial Day, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands[46][47]
• June 3 – Feast of Corpus Christi, celebrated in Dominican Republic,[49] public holiday in Grenada,[50] Haiti [43] Saint Lucia,[44]
• June 4 – Randol Fawkes-Labour Day, the Bahamas[56]

July and August

• July 3 – Emancipation Day, U.S. Virgin Islands[57]
• July 4 – Independence of the United States, celebrated in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands[46][47]
• July 5–6 – Vincy Mas (Carnival), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines [51]
• July 10 – Independence Day, the Bahamas (from the UK, 1973)[56]
• July 14 – Bastille Day, celebrated in French territories.
• July 25–27 – Commemoration of the Assault on the Moncada Barracks, Cuba[42]
• August 2
  • Emancipation Day, Dominica,[53] the Bahamas,[56] Grenada,[50] Jamaica,[55] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[51]
  • Kadooment Day, Barbados[48]
• August 3
  • Emancipation Day, Barbados[48]
  • Culturama Day, Saint Kitts and Nevis[58]
• August 6 – Independence Day (Jamaica) (from the UK, 1962)[55]
• August 15 – Assumption of Mary, Roman Catholic feast celebrated in Haiti.[43]
• August 16 – Restoration Day, Dominican Republic[49]

September and October

• September 6 – Labor Day, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands[46][47]
• September 16 – Heroes' Day, Saint Kitts and Nevis[58]
• September 20 – Independence Day, Saint Kitts and Nevis (from the UK, 1973)[58]
• September 24 – Feast of María de las Mercedes (English: Our Lady of Mercy), celebrated in Dominican Republic[49]
• October 4 – Thanksgiving Day, Saint Lucia.[44]
• October 10 – Independence Day (from Spain, 1868), Cuba[42]
• October 11
  • National Heroes' Day, the Bahamas,[59]
  • Columbus Day, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands[46][47]
• October 17 – Jean-Jacques Dessalines Day, Haiti.[43]
• October 18 – Heroes' Day, Jamaica.[55]
• October 25 – Thanksgiving Day, Grenada[60]
• October 27 – Independence Day, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (from the UK, 1979).[51]

November and December

• November 1

• • Independence Day, Antigua and Barbuda (from the UK, 1981)[61]
  • D. Hamilton Jackson Day, U.S. Virgin Islands[62]
• All Saints' Day, Roman Catholic and Vodou holiday in Haiti.[43]
• All Souls' Day, Roman Catholic and Vodou holiday in Haiti.[43]
• November 3 – Independence Day, Dominica (from the UK, 1978)[53]
• November 4 – National Day of Community Service, Dominica[63]
• November 5 – Constitution Day, Dominican Republic[49]
• November 11 – Veterans Day, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands[46][47]
• November 18 – Battle of Vertières Day, Haiti.[43]
• November 19 – Discovery Day, Puerto Rico[46]
• November 25 – Thanksgiving (United States), celebrated in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands[46][47]
• December 9 – V.C. Bird Day, Antigua and Barbuda[64]
• December 13 – National Day, Saint Lucia (feast of Saint Lucy).[44]
• December 25/26/27 – Christmas Day
• December 26/27/28 – Boxing Day, celebrated in the Commonwealth and British Dependencies.

Deaths

January and February

• January 5 – Gordon “Butch” Stewart, 79, Jamaican businessman (Sandals Resorts).[65]
• January 9 – Vivalyn Latty-Scott, 82, West Indies cricketer (Jamaica national team, West Indies national team) and coach.[66]
• January 17 – Carlo Nayaradou, 63, French-Martinican comic book author.[67]
• February 6 – Ezra Moseley, 63, Barbadian cricketer (Glamorgan, West Indies cricket team, national team); traffic collision.[68]

See also

• 2020s
• 2021 in politics and government
• 2020s in political history
• 2021 Atlantic hurricane season
• Caribbean Community
• Organization of American States

References

1. CIA Factbook: Cuba retrieved 16 February 2020
2. CIA Factbook: Dominica retrieved 16 February 2020
3. "Junta Electoral de República Dominicana proclama a Luis Abinader, presidente electo". CNN. 15 July 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
4. CIA Factbook: Haiti retrieved 16 February 2020
5. CIA Factbook: Trinidad and Tobago retrieved 16 February 2020
6. CIA Factbook: United Kingdom retrieved 16 February 2020
7. CIA Factbook: Antigua and Barbuda retrieved 16 February 2020
8. The Americas Internet World Stats, retrieved 16 February 2020
9. CIA Factbook: Barbados retrieved 16 February 2020
10. CIA Factbook: Grenada retrieved 16 February 2020
11. CIA Factbook: Jamaica retrieved 16 February 2020
12. CIA Factbook: Saint Kitts and Nevis retrieved 16 February 2020
13. CIA Factbook: Saint Lucia retrieved 16 February 2020
14. CIA Factbook: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines retrieved 16 February 2020
15. Head of the Commonwealth retrieved 16 February 2020
16. CIA Factbook: retrieved 16 Feb 2020
17. CIA Factbook: Bermuda retrieved 16 February 2020
18. CIA Factbook: British Virgin Islands retrieved 16 February 2020
19. CIA Factbook: Cayman Islands retrieved 16 February 2020
20. CIA Factbook: Montserrat retrieved 16 February 2020
21. CIA Factbook: Turks and Caicos Islands retrieved 16 February 2020
22. CIA Factbook: France retrieved 16 February 2020
23. "Guadeloupe". World Statesman.org. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
24. "Martinique". World Statesman.org. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
25. CIA Factbook: Saint Barthélemy retrieved 16 February 2020
26. CIA Factbook: Saint Martin retrieved 16 February 2020
27. CIA Factbook: The Netherlands retrieved 16 February 2020
28. CIA Factbook: Aruba retrieved 16 February 2020
29. CIA Factbook: Curaçao retrieved 16 February 2020
30. FIFA President inaugurates Forward project in Curacao FIFA.com, 10 August 2019, retrieved 17 February 2020
31. CIA Factbook: Sint Maarten retrieved 16 February 2020
32. "Central Government intervenes on St. Eustatius". Government of the Netherlands. 5 February 2018.
33. "Soufrière St. Vincent volcano (West Indies, St. Vincent): actively growing lava dome". volcanodiscovery.com. Volcano Discovery. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
34. McLaughlin, Kelly (January 14, 2021). "A member of Congress says she chose to risk running into Capitol rioters over sheltering with maskless colleagues during the insurrection". news.yahoo.com. Business Insider. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
35. "These tiny Caribbean islands got the COVID-19 vaccine thanks to their 'mother countries'". news.yahoo.com. Miami Herald. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
36. Borger, Julian (January 18, 2021). "Trump administration to deport man to Haiti who has never been there". news.yahoo.com. The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
37. Inman, DeMicia (January 21, 2021). "Rep. Mondaire Jones prevents Trump deportation of constituent to Haiti". news.yahoo.com. The Grio. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
38. Evans, Martin (January 28, 2021). "Huge cocaine shipment destined for streets of Britain is seized off the coast of Barbados". news.yahoo.com. The Telegraph. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
39. "Colombia reports almost 700 migrants stranded in Caribbean region". Reuters. 29 January 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
40. "Crisis en Haití: el Gobierno aseguró haber frustrado un intento de golpe de Estado". infobae (in Spanish). Infobae. February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
41. Campos, Rodrigo (February 8, 2021). "Rough road ahead for Latam and Caribbean economies, says IMF". msn.com. Reuters. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
42. "National Holidays in Cuba in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
43. "National Holidays in Haiti in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
44. "National Holidays in Saint Lucia in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
45. "Majority Rule Day (in lieu) in Bahamas in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
46. "National Holidays in Puerto Rico in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
47. "Public Holidays in US Virgin Islands in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
48. "Bank Holidays in Barbados in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
49. "National Holidays in Dominican Republic in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
50. "National Holidays in Grenada in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
51. "National Holidays in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
52. "Transfer Day in US Virgin Islands in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
53. "National Holidays in Dominica in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
54. "Cuban Independence Day". United States Department of State. May 20, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
55. "National Holidays in Jamaica in 2021". Office Holidays. 4 September 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
56. "National Holidays in Bahamas in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
57. "V.I. Emancipation Day in US Virgin Islands in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
58. "National Holidays in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
59. Heroes′ Day
60. "Thanksgiving in Grenada in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
61. "Independence Day in Antigua and Barbuda in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
62. "D. Hamilton Jackson Day in US Virgin Islands in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
63. "National Day of Community Service (in lieu) in Dominica in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
64. "V.C. Bird Day in Antigua and Barbuda in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
65. "Caribbean hotelier Gordon "Butch" Stewart dies at 79". AP NEWS. AP. 5 January 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
66. Cricket West Indies pays tribute to Vivalyn Latty-Scott
67. Disparition brutale de Carlo Nayaradou, l'un des pionniers de la BD martiniquaise (in French)
68. Ezra Moseley, former West Indies fast bowler, dies in accident aged 63

External links