Meet Our Founder | Editor-In-Chief
Tameka A. Coley, also known as Tami Tsansai or by her Taino name, Ke’tani, is the Editor-In-Chief/Founder of Writes and Kulcha. 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, African descendants, and Indigenous Peoples in Jamaica, the Caribbean, and beyond.
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 Operations Manager | Multimedia Editor
Akiri M. Cooper, also known as Kiri, is a 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, 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 Operations Manager and Multimedia Editor, bringing his diverse skill set and a passion for storytelling and community engagement.
Meet Our Copy Editor
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 Nature is the Best Teacher Yoga Summer Camp.
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 began, 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 our 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 Photojournalist
Writer, artist, and recent Women@Dior Sustainability & Leadership program mentee Jenelle “Neptune” Samuels is the consummate creative.
Her work has been published in Rebel Women Lit, The Caribbean Writer, Torch Literary Arts, and Skew Magazine. She is also the 2023 recipient of the National Library of Jamaica’s Young Writer’s Prize for Poetry. Neptune experiments with a variety of creative storytelling mediums in her free time, including photography, illustrations, and short screenplays. Her favourite book as of 2023 is Safiya Sinclair’s Cannibal.
Jenelle joins the Writes and Kulcha team as a photojournalist, bringing her gifts to the fore by contributing photography and written pieces.