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MAS IN NUNAVUT PART TWO

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  Thea Jackson’s Frozen Mas Redux It only gets better, and maybe a little warmer too! Two weeks ago, the Caribbean Camera told readers about costume maker and carnival leader Thea Jackson’s trip to the far north, where she, along with Calypso singer Edwin Yearwood and DJ DOC (Doc Wright), presented the first-ever Nunavut Carnival Launch Party in Iqaluit, the capital city. The coverage of that event almost broke the counter on this reporter’s social media pages, so when Thea Jackson told us she was going back one more time, we conscripted her photography services for round two of the far north costume party. She and DJ DOC (Doc Wright) returned to Iqaluit during the Easter break. Edwin Yearwood didn’t make the trip this time. The city sits on the vast frozen Baffin Island in Frobisher Bay. Over 8,000 people live there, many of whom are of Caribbean and African descent. “Travel there was great this time; no flights were cancelled,” explained Thea Jackson. “I flew into Ottawa and then hop
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Black Dreams and Aspiration - Hidden art exhibition at Union Station / TD BANK

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A SHOW WORTH MISSING THE TRAIN FOR   It is really Toronto’s unknown gallery, and unless you take the special train from Union Station to the airport you probably haven’t see the new exhibition called Black Dreams and Aspiration. Too bad it is an ambitious and uplifting show that looks at the works of a dozen local Black artists. The gallery is really a large heritage hallway that links the Toronto Union Station with the Toronto Airport train platform at the east end of the train station. It is only seen by travellers passing to and from the Airport train, although you there is nothing stopping visitors from going to Union Station and walking to the east end of the building where these large and colourful works are hung. With ceilings towering some 30 feet tall, the show boasts grandeur. One striking painting by Segun Caezar, a Nigerian visual artist based in Canada, captures the essence of jazz legend John Coltrane with its bold blend of vibrant colors, simple shapes, and realism. He s
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OCAD STUDENT HAS BEEN A STREET PAINTER SINCE HE WAS 12

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  Looking for Niles on the Streets of Toronto We seek him here We seek him there; we look for Niles the Artist everywhere! Actually, this past weekend we caught up with Niles the Artist at the St Lawrence Market painting on a street corner that usually is a favourite hang-out favoured by panhandlers. While he has been yelled at a few times by people who want to beg where he has set up his tripod, paints, canvas, he has been accepted by the thousands who come to them Market on Saturday mornings. “This is a friendly corner for the most part” Niles the Artist (aka Niles the Painter) told the Caribbean Camera. “But I did get my speaker stolen.” He has gained some fame from the media when he has set up his kit and painted in a moving subway train, Yorkville, , Kensington Market and , High Park “I have been painting on the streets of Toronto since I was 12. I sold my first painting at Yonge and Dundas Square. “said Niles. “I have settled lately here at the market.” The 18-year-old artist i
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MERITH PACKS THEM IN FOR HIS BOOK LAUNCH (180 and still counting)

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MERITH HAS A LIFE STORY PEOPLE WANT TO READ                                            Some might say that retired York Region police supervisor Keith Merith picked a good day to launch his autobiography last Saturday. Those in the book business would say it differently; rookie author Merith had an amazing launch for his new book, "A Darker Shade of Blue." He hit it out of the park, got a royal flush, and hit the mother lode all in one very busy day. Most book launches usually only attract a small but loyal crowd; 20 to 30 book fans are the norm. However, on Saturday, at the popular Scarborough Windies Restaurant & Sports Bar, the organizers started turning away people at 170. "A few more talked their way in," said Keith Merith, "we think it was about 184 that came in and took in the speeches and bought a book." Former police colleagues, MP Paul Chiang himself a retired police officer, city councillor Michael Thompson, and even a judge or two came to t
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SALDENAH CARNIVAL LAUNCH WILL BE SKY HIGH

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  On de Road Again! But first a Mammoth Launch SALDENAH ON THE ROAD IN 2023 He is the man. And when Louis Saldenah says he is planning a huge launch party, you better believe it is going to be one of the largest carnival events this spring. The leader of SALDENAH CARNIVAL, the largest mas band in the annual Caribbean Carnival, has just announced that his 2024 costume launch will take place Saturday, April 20th, at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet & Convention Hall in Scarborough. “Even after Covid, over 5,000 people came out and played Mas with us. Our numbers continue to be in that range,” Louis Saldenah told the Caribbean Camera. “So we are expecting a large turnout for the Saturday night event. (The hall can be configured to accommodate over 2,000)” This year, Saldenah Carnival will have 16 sections, and at the April launch, each section will have 5 dancers/models on stage showing what they will be wearing at the Grand Parade.. We jokingly asked Saldenah if this year’s theme, "Fl
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WRITTEN FOR A UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR CREATIVE WRITING CHATBOOK

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  THE LAST KISS'S KISS (UNWIN FICTION BY STEPHEN WEIR) It was May 2nd, 1974, when Kiss made their first appearance in Detroit. We met that night. Kiss couldn't afford bodyguards, so she had no trouble climbing onto the stage. Gene Simmons, weighed down in his new glam and glitter heavy metal costume, needed help from Paul Stanley to kiss her and toss her back. Wearing a wide-assed smile, she crowd-surfed across the mosh pit right into my arms. We're still together. Kiss still matters to us Big Time. The Starchild. Demon. Space Ace. Catman. There is no room left on our bodies for another tattoo. When news broke that the band was performing their very last concert at the Casino, I made a solemn vow to her. We would be there. No way no how could we buy tickets. We live off our Pensions, but lie, cheat or steal we will see the Last Kiss . She was going to kiss and crowd-surf one last time, no matter who I had to kill. We decided to go old school. Stoned. Its been deca
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Is the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival King and Queen competition a goner?

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2024 King and Queen and Panorama leaving Lamport Stadium? There it goes! Or is the Caribbean Camera reading this correctly? Is the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival King and Queen competition a goner after over twenty years at the Lamport Stadium? Earlier this week, the Festival Management Committee sent out an update on what is planned for this summer’s carnival. A copy landed on the desk of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, implying that the premier evening event of the Carnival, the King and Queen competition at the King Street stadium, might not be held there this year; instead, it will be incorporated into the daytime parade. The King and Queen competition has been selling out the Lamport Stadium since the last century. Politicians, entertainers, VIPs — this has always been the hardest ticket to get during Festival week. “The King and Queen show has traditionally kicked off the Toronto Caribbean Carnival weekend every year since the beginning. The leaders of Caribana Mas Bands will
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Green Week and the Heritage Feast in Montserrat

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  Two countries celebrated St. Patrick’s Day On Monday. One of them wasn’t Ireland. Earlier this week, the 5,000 residents of the Caribbean island territory of Montserrat went down the road to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. While Montserrat and Ireland are the only two nations to celebrate the day as a national holiday, the reasons for their parades and costumes are very different. In Ireland, March 17th is known as St. Patrick's Feast Day, marking the date of his death in 461 A.D. The island celebrates this day as both a religious and cultural holiday to commemorate Ireland's patron saint and the legacy he built for Irish culture. Meanwhile, on the small island of Montserrat (near Antigua and Nevis), they mark the date with a ten-day festival. There is a serious side to the fête the locals call 'Green Week and the Heritage Feast and Market Day.' The final parade is one of emancipation commemorating the nine slaves who lost their lives in the failed slave rebellion of M
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Caribbean Canadian Emerging Fashion Trends Have LookBook

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  CARIBBEAN FASHION THE NEW WAVE The surge in popularity of Caribbean Canadian fashion comes as no surprise to global fashion authorities, who attribute this phenomenon to a combination of factors such as the region's climate, the creativity of local designers, and the distinctive "Caribbean Canadian attitude." These elements collectively contribute to the burgeoning influence of the Toronto community’s fashion trends on a global scale. Among the often overlooked sources of inspiration is indeed Toronto's vibrant cultural scene, with Carnival playing a significant role in shaping the unique and explosive style emanating from the Caribbean. Anthony Berot and Michaela Palmer have collaborated to redefine the Caribbean Canadian fashion scene. They have recently published the Reverie Faces LookBook, which has quickly gained traction in the city's social media scene, catching the eyes and turning heads of many. Readers will likely recognize these names. Berot, known fo
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MAS ON ICE (AND IN THE SNOW)

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The first-ever Nunavut Carnival Launch Party,   The people of Iqaluit should call it Arctic Mas after a weekend of Caribbean carnival costumes and live music in the city of snow (and more snow). And there are plans in the works for an Easter weekend redux! Earlier this month, costume maker and carnival leader Thea Jackson( above ) borrowed an oversized Canada Goose coat and caught a plane with Calypso singer Edwin Yearwood( pictured below ) and DJ DOC (Doc Wright) to the frozen north. They were headed for Iqaluit, the capital city of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. “It took us two days to get there from the Ottawa Airport,” said Jackson. “Flights were canceled, and those that flew left late.” photo from Facebook “It was blizzard conditions with winds up to 80 km,” she continued. “When we finally landed, it was like arriving in the Caribbean, but only in reverse. Instead of instant heat, it was instant frozen nostrils as we exited by the back ramp.” It was also weather shock for Year
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A DARKER SHADE OF BLUE

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Darker Shade Of Blue Reporting for Duty At A Bookstore Near You It usually doesn’t happen this way. A retired Black York Region police supervisor wakes up at 4 am from a sound sleep, goes upstairs to his office, and sits down to begin writing his autobiography. Fast forward a few years, Keith Merith, without introduction, an agent, or an editor, mails off his manuscript to ECW publishing house in Toronto, who immediately pick it up! “They weren’t the only ones interested in my story,” Keith Merith told the Caribbean Camera. “I think there were four others (publishers) that were interested!” Now, with the book published and ready to appear on bookshelves across Canada, Merith is preparing for the launch. Typically, a book launch will attract 10 to 30 book lovers, so the event is usually held in a bookstore or a library, not a Scarborough restaurant bar. But, as the author explains, there are too many people wanting to come out to the launch that he had to find a place large enough to ac
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Windsor turns out for the launch of McCurdy autobiography

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  Windsor Celebrates the Launch of Dr. Howard D. McCurdy's Autobiography: A Legacy of Activism and Achievement Last week, the University of Windsor, in collaboration with Toronto poet George Elliott Clarke, played host to a distinguished book launch and signing event for "Black Activist, Black Scientist, Black Icon: The Autobiography of Dr. Howard D. McCurdy." The just-published work delves into the life of one of Canada's most influential figures in science, civil rights advocacy, and Canadian politics. Held in one of the university's expansive atriums, the event was a celebration of Dr. McCurdy's monumental contributions to academia, politics, and civil rights. As the first Black person to hold a tenure-track position at a Canadian university, achieved during his tenure at the University of Windsor, and the second Black elected to Parliament, Dr. McCurdy's life story is a tapestry of pioneering achievements. Brenda McCurdy, alongside writer/editor George
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  Carnival Models and Cricket are up to the Blue Jays' plate in May and July of 2024 Attention carnival revellers who are also baseball enthusiasts, the Toronto Blue Jays are set to bring a pair of Caribbean special events to Rogers Centre with their much-anticipated 2024 Blue Jays Caribbean Carnival night at the baseball stadium. This marks the third consecutive year for the Blue Jays Caribbean Carnival, scheduled for Friday, July 26th. The team has collaborated with the Toronto Caribbean Carnival to make this vibrant celebration possible. The highlight of this carnival extravaganza is the Blue Jays Neon Hat giveaway, available in four distinct colours. This ensures that fans can showcase their team spirit with style. Building on the success of the previous edition, when the Carnival Spice models in mas costumes and a lively pannist, adding an extra layer of Caribbean festivity to the baseball experience. For Caribbean cricket enthusiasts, a special treat awaits with the return of
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