Our Team
Meet Our Founding Editor and Creative Director
Tameka A. Coley, also known as Tami Tsansai or by her Taino name, Ke’tani, is the mother (Founding Editor and Creative Director) of Writes and Kulcha and two beautiful children (one earthside, one in heaven).
With nearly two decades of experience in the creative and non-profit sectors, she is a multifaceted communicator — copywriter/editor, author, digital media specialist, cultural equity journalist, and renowned mental health and holistic wellness speaker/activist—named by UK-based Pitch Magazine as 2023 Mental Health Maverick (of Jamaica). As a proud member of the Yamaye Guani Taino Peoples, Ke’tani is also a culture bearer who has dedicated herself to storytelling and advocacy since 2010.
Her work extends beyond traditional journalism, as she has collaborated with institutions like the UN (on their mental health classroom workshop), British Council, Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, and the Yamaye Council of Indigenous Leaders. Through Writes and Kulcha, she champions the preservation and celebration of Jamaican culture, history, and dialects, advocating for the inclusion of Patois, Kromanti (spoken by the Maroons), and island Arawakan (spoken by Tainos) known as Wahiyani/Eyeri in media representation. Her storytelling sheds light on overlooked historical narratives and amplifies the voices of marginalised communities, Indigenous Peoples in Jamaica, and celebrates our culture as it lives and evolves.
With her Taino name meaning ‘with life and with water,’ Ke’tani intertwines her talents with her deep connection to nature, activism, spirituality, and the arts. Her work serves as a platform for self-healing, social change through art, and the preservation of cultural heritage through technology, embodying the ethos of Writes and Kulcha.
Meet Our Director, Operations and Multimedia Strategy
Akiri M. Cooper, also known as Kiri, is a proud father and seasoned visual communicator, customer service manager, and musician with nearly two decades of involvement in the creative sectors. He’s also a proud member of the Yamaye Guani Taino Peoples, and was raised with a unique perspective influenced by Christian and Rastafari/Pan-African principles.
Armed with a Bachelor of Music (specialising in Drums and Tuned Percussions) and a Visual Arts certificate from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), his journey is deeply rooted in the cultural tapestry of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. He’s passionate about the arts, especially pop culture, gaming, rock music and heavy metal, and his career experience spans music as an artist and audio technician for live events, overseeing cinema operations, managing event executions, and managerial roles in customer service and operations. Kiri’s a versatile leader with proficiencies in live audio engineering, illustration, graphic design, and musical arrangement.
He joins Writes and Kulcha as our Director of Operations and Multimedia Strategy, bringing his diverse skill set and a passion for storytelling and community engagement.
Meet Our Copy Editor & Contributing Author (Education)
Olivia Wilmot is a lover of nature, mother and wife, artist, teacher and proud Jamaican who embraces healing as a vital, restorative work needed to uplift people everywhere. She is a singer-songwriter, recording artist, and leader of a band and creative project, Earth and the Fullness, that creates roots music from the Soul.
As a member of Jamaica’s Yamaye Guani Taino Peoples, she’s deeply inspired by life, her heritage, nature, family and the Great Spirit, which inspires all her work. Formally educated in early childhood education (DipEd.), psychology and anthropology (BSc.), curriculum and instruction (MA) and Ancient Egyptian Yoga (certificate), she has taught in the conventional classroom and created her own teaching spaces, like the Jamnesia Family Festival, Connect With Your Baby, and Story Time / Nature Days With Aunty Olivia, The Great Green Outdoors Easter Camp, and Nature is the Best Teacher – a Yoga Summer Camp for children.
Olivia has also partnered with artist Richard Nattoo in editing his children’s book, Ian Takes Flight, published by Bookman Express (2020), as well as produced supplemental content and co-led a nature and coding summer camp based on the book. She started, created, and edited the Learning Corner supplement at Jamaica Observer, a leading daily newspaper, in 2012. This included placing emphasis on care for and positive relationships to nature and culture within self and within the family.
Olivia brings her expertise to the team as a Kulcha Contributor of our education column and copy editor, guiding the structure and communication for Writes and Kulcha.
She continues to study deeply to create music and experiences that facilitate organic healing, inner peace, joy, and greater understanding. You can follow her on social media and listen to her projects, Blue Mantle (album) and Yuya (EP) here.
Meet Our Contributing Author, Culture
Coleen Douglas is a Lecturer in Integrated Marketing Communication at the University of Technology (UTECH), Kingston, Jamaica, and founder of Reggae Rituals, where she curates cultural events and facilitates discourse on reggae and culture, and hosts the Reggae Online weekly conversations.
She has over twenty-five years of experience in media and event production and is actively involved in the Jamaica music industry and Rastafari community. Most importantly, she is a proud mother of two beautiful young ladies and a mentor to many young adults in the culture and creative industries.