Women in Arts and Culture: Generations of Caribbean Storytellers

In honor of this week’s celebration of International Women’s Day, the Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) is shining a spotlight on the women-led and women-focused projects in our portfolio. Across the Caribbean, women are preserving cultural memory, documenting political struggles, strengthening creative networks, and opening new spaces for artistic expression and dialogue.

Women lead a significant portion of CCF’s work. Of the 80 projects funded to date, 60% are led by women, and nearly one quarter of the 70 thematic projects focus directly on women or women’s issues. Together, these initiatives illustrate the many ways women are driving cultural change across the Caribbean while reflecting both the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain.

Our grantee pool also reflects women across generations. The majority – 62% – are women in midlife (ages 35–59); 15% are young women aged 20–34, and almost 25% are aged 60 and above. This intergenerational leadership demonstrates how women continue to shape Caribbean cultural life as storytellers, mentors, and community leaders.

Across these projects, women continue their long-standing role as agents of community engagement and social dialogue. The collective Artes Comunitarias Moriviví from Puerto Rico created public artwork through Las Matronas de las Luchas, documenting feminist movements and collective memory. In the Dominican Republic, Anticanon Foundation convened Dominican women writers through the Encuentro Nacional de Escritoras, strengthening networks among women writers and promoting literature written by women.

Music and sound also provide spaces for collaboration and innovation. Danira Rodríguez-Purcell of Puerto Rico, through Conjunto Antillano, developed regional work connecting musicians from the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Soundscaping the Caribbean Ecosystem: Women and Music, led by SharPa Notes Production Ltd, created opportunities for young women in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago to explore sound recording and musical composition while documenting Caribbean soundscapes.

Women artists are also using film and documentary storytelling to explore identity, memory, and belonging. In the Dominican Republic, Victoria Rodríguez Apolinario created Muestra Karibe – Muestra de Cine Caribeño de la No Ficción, a non-fiction film festival that highlights Caribbean documentary storytelling. Aiko Roudette leads the Hairouna Film Festival in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Jessie Mayers of Saint Lucia explored identity and folklore through her short film Bolom Birth, bringing underrepresented Caribbean mythology to the screen while reflecting on grief and healing.

Several projects focus on documenting women’s histories and contributions to culture. Mujeres Del Cine Boricua, created by Ruta Crítica, records the contributions of women working in the Puerto Rican film industry through interviews and multimedia storytelling. The documentary I Am Lolita Lebrón, directed by Inés Mongil, revisits the life of the Puerto Rican independence activist who spent 25 years in prison for her role in the struggle for decolonization. Honoring Caribbean Matriarchs, led by CROSSROADS-CCCADI, brought together artists and communities in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to celebrate Afro-Caribbean matriarchs and their cultural legacy.

Other projects focus on preserving oral history and ancestral knowledge. Before Us: Capturing Ancestral Wisdom in the Rupununi, led by Janelle Persaud of Guyana, will record the knowledge and lived experiences of elders across Indigenous communities. Meanwhile, Echoes of the Islands, produced by Christa-Joy Burton of Antigua and Barbuda through Sharefold Media, preserves the oral histories of legendary Caribbean calypsonians.

Projects such as Las Matronas de las Luchas and the work of the feminist collective Z.O.T – Zone d’Occupation Transitoire demonstrate how art can document political struggles while creating spaces where women reflect on issues of justice, dignity, and collective memory.

Other initiatives focus on strengthening professional networks and opportunities for women artists. Ankadre Atis Fanm in Haiti and the Encuentro Nacional de Escritoras in the Dominican Republic created spaces for mentorship, professional development, and collaboration, helping women artists build sustainable careers within the cultural sector.

Two male-led projects also center on women’s experiences. Mama Baranka, by Stichting de Wintertuin Curaçao, connects young Curaçaoan authors with migrant mothers from Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica to create stories about their journeys, life on the island, and their hopes for the future. In Haiti, Louvenson Saint Juste leads Mon Corps Non Tabou, a project that uses creative workshops facilitated by psychologists and artists to help adolescent girls in Port-au-Prince speak openly about sexuality. Their discussions and artwork will inform a prototype book and digital materials on female sexuality that will be shared online with Haitian youth and their families.

Taken together, these projects demonstrate how women artists across the Caribbean connect creative expression with social justice, cultural identity, and community dialogue.

As demand for support continues to grow, the Caribbean Culture Fund remains committed to expanding opportunities for women artists and cultural leaders across the region. Foundations and partners interested in supporting women-led cultural initiatives in the Caribbean are warmly invited to connect with us.

CCF will continue to support established and emerging artists through its calls for proposals and by helping creatives and cultural organizations apply for third-party grants. Several of these upcoming calls focus on women creatives. For more information, or to sign up for proposal-writing training and support, email grants@caribbeanculturefund.org.