Writes and Kulcha is a digital quarterly that blends traditional journalism with the stylishness of magazines and the community vibe of social media. We are a cultural equity and advocacy publication focusing on Jamaican and Indigenous cultures, primarily covering stories from Jamaica and the Caribbean. Recognising the intertwined histories of these regions with Africa and Indigenous territories worldwide, we also share stories from these broader communities. And our conversational, aesthetically pleasing approach to storytelling highlights the art, life, and issues within these cultures.

We aim to serve Caribbean and Diasporic Indigenous communities like the Taino descendants, Maroons, Rastafari, Kalinago, and Garifuna, including their leaders, traditional authorities, and social organisations. Our goal is to communicate their realities and experiences in their own words, adhering to their customs, conventions, and norms while avoiding dishonesty, censorship, and middlemen. We also inform these Peoples about issues that concern them on a local, national, regional, and global scale.

In addition to journalism, event reporting, and research, we accept aligned writer and multimedia (e.g. photographs/videos/graphic design) submissions and offer internships to youth from our communities, providing hands-on experience in journalism, research, and digital media to help preserve our culture, languages and heritage.

We also have a mental health and holistic wellness arm, Mind-Being Wellness, through which we work within and provide much-needed resources to our communities.

Our Founder

Writes and Kulcha was started by Tameka A. Coley, also known as Tami Tsansai or by her Taino name, Ke’tani. A cultural equity journalist, author/activist, and researcher, she is a member of the Yamaye Guani (Jamaica Hummingbird) Taino Peoples and considers herself a culture bearer, which she takes very seriously. (Read more about her here). Ke’tani (pronounced Keh-Ta-Nee) created this publication to amplify Jamaican, Caribbean, and Indigenous voices, protect their collective rights, and make their realities visible.

Our Mission

By sharing and preserving our stories, we seek to dispel incorrect narratives about our communities and combat fake news. We disseminate previously unknown historical knowledge, do research to uncover truths and highlight the marginalised, underappreciated, and lesser-known aspects of our languages, cultures, and customs. Our objective is to assist native residents and Indigenous Peoples in Jamaica, the Caribbean, Indigenous and African lands, and their Diasporas in exercising their right to self-determination, cultural identity, appreciation, and acceptance.

Our Indigenous Connection

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) reports that 80% of the planet’s biodiversity is found in Indigenous lands, which accounts for 22% of the planet’s land area. According to some estimates, Indigenous communities globally maintain or claim around 80% of critically important habitats, often known as “critical ecosystems,” as their ancestral homeland. While the Caribbean has many Indigenous Peoples, there is still much work to be done to legitimise their status. This is a huge setback for these communities and the benefits they can provide in their role as custodians of the environment if they are restricted in their rights to claim their lands and practice their cultures.

Why We Did This

Writes and Kulcha was born from the desire to shape and share our own narratives with a Jamaican/Caribbean perspective and a candid, vibrant voice. This publication responds to the paper genocide against Jamaica’s Taino Peoples and mainstream media’s efforts to silence, ridicule, and whitewash marginalised peoples’ challenges, e.g. that of the Rastafari, Maroon, and Taino Peoples, while elements of our culture are being exploited by capitalist systems and organisations.

We use native and Indigenous languages and dialects to strengthen and preserve their use, de-centre Eurocentric hegemony and highlight our own cultural heritage. Our long-term goal is to inspire thought and action that leads to measurable, lasting change.

Writes and Kulcha is media for us, by us, and about us.