Caribbean Camera: A Journey Through the Islands
Caribbean Camera: A Journey Through the Islands is a masterfully curated photographic book by Dr. Lennox Honychurch that captures the Caribbean’s everyday rhythms, natural beauty, and cultural spirit. Published in 1998, this volume is both a visual tribute and a historical archive of the region, documenting its landscapes, communities, and traditions with thoughtful prose and compelling imagery.
The book journeys through multiple island nations, including Dominica, where the lens focuses on places such as Portsmouth, Roseau, and the Indian River. Honychurch brings a unique perspective, blending his expertise as an anthropologist and historian with the eye of a visual artist.
Preserving Shared Caribbean Identity
The photographs in this work do more than simply portray scenic beaches or bustling towns—they tell the story of a Caribbean united by a shared legacy. From the rugged hills surrounding the Morne Trois Pitons National Park to the cultural expressions seen during Carnival and traditional boat-building in villages like Soufrière and Capuchin, each image is grounded in context.
His camera frames scenes of spiritual devotion in places such as Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and moments of trade and exchange in spaces like the Portsmouth Market. These stories extend across the region, capturing similar moments in Antigua, St. Lucia, and Grenada.
Documenting Culture, Resistance, and Resilience
Alongside the rich visuals are Honychurch’s reflections on the ancestral experiences that continue to shape the present. The book includes references to the Maroon legacy, aligning with the deeper narratives seen in works like The Maroons of Dominica 1764–1818 – Resistance, Rebellion, and Freedom from Slavery. The survival of the Kalinago people and the evolving traditions in the Kalinago Territory are also interwoven through both photographs and commentary.
The culture of Dominica is represented not as an isolated island tradition but as part of a broader network of cultural survival, much like what is examined in Resistance, Refuge, and Revival: The Indigenous Kalinagos of Dominica.
From Urban Streets to Rainforest Trails
The book travels through the urban energy of Victoria Street and Cornwall Street, capturing street vendors and schoolchildren, before moving into remote rainforest enclaves. Trails near the Boiling Lake and the Waitukubuli National Trail appear, hinting at the tension between heritage and modern tourism development. These visual narratives complement national efforts in conservation, such as those seen at the Dominica Museum and the Cabrits National Park.
Communities such as Goodwill, with historic lanes like Green’s Lane and Canal Lane—now affectionately known as Greenal City—also feature within the wider Caribbean experience Honychurch documents. His lens captures their humanity with quiet respect.
Legacy of the Book
Caribbean Camera: A Journey Through the Islands remains a respected resource in Caribbean studies. It is featured in libraries, used in schools, and referenced in academic work throughout the region. Its publication came at a time when visual storytelling was just beginning to be used to document Caribbean self-perception, and it has since become a cultural artifact in its own right.
The book continues to inspire Caribbean creatives, cultural researchers, and policy makers. It complements other titles in Honychurch’s bibliography, including Dominica: Isle of Adventure and In the Forests of Freedom, solidifying his reputation as the region’s most prolific historian of lived culture.