All posts on October, 2016

THEIR PERCEPTION, OUR REALITY Prologue “Oh boy…” It has been a long, long time since I’ve witnessed that subtle behaviour. But a couple Saturdays ago, after having done some shopping, I was getting close to home so I began to cross the street as I normally do. Ahead of me was a white woman walking on the sidewalk, a little purse comfortably and securely ‘tucked’ between her arm and upper body. With a quick furtive look she noticed me–and prepared. As I got closer to her, I noticed she squeezed the already secured purse juuuust a little bit tighter. Actually, …

Martin Albino extends  “A Great Big Thank You” to the loyal supporters and the exceptional turnout at the Savoy’s Annual Fund Raising Event on Sunday 25th September at Le Manoir in NDG. The jam-packed hall enjoyed an evening of special performances by Albino on the steelpan, Faye Cummings, calypsonians Pufty, and Sagaboy, Kerry Frevier, Laura The Classical Indian Dancer and steeland music from The Young Savoys and Golden Stars Steel Orch. DJ Jerry and DJ 610 supplied the sound and Egbert Gaye served as master of ceremonies. Albino also thanked  the volunteers

Documentary tracks cattle rustlers turned Marathon runners Contact Staff Meet Julius Arile and Robert Matanda. They are two Kenyan cattle rustlers trade their rifles for running shoes whose story was into a feature documentary Gun Runners by Montreal-born and Nairobi-based filmmaker Anjali Nayar. Filmed in Kenya and New York City, the movie is a gripping tale of the two outlaws who ran away from a hard scrabble life in the forest of northern part of their African homeland to stake a place among the world’s best marathoners. The documentary opens on September 30, in Montreal, in English at the Cineplex …

Contact Staff Otis Grant has distinguished himself in the ring as a WBO and North American Federation champion as well as outside of the ring with his contributions to charities across Montreal. For all that he had done he will be honored by the Coloured Women’s Club of Montreal at a gala evening on Saturday, October 22. Upon his retirement Grant, founded of the non-profit organization, Otis Grant and Friends Foundation and has been using it to support good causes and other charitable organizations around the city. He currently owns a gym in the west island with his brother Howard …

By Janice Anne Farray On Saturday, October 15, Grenadians in Montreal and friends of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique will celebrate the 50th anniversary of community organizing and the establishment of the Grenada Nationals Association of Montreal, Inc. (GNAM) with a reception at the Holiday Inn. Ambassador Derrick James, consul general for Grenada in Canada, will deliver the keynote address. The evening’s theme: ‘Giving Thanks and Acknowledgements to our Founding Members and Grenadian Community’ is quite fitting. It is because of the insight and diligence of the founders that the association continues to flourish and serve nationals here and at …

Call him the Godfather of Soul “Live At The Apollo – Vol. IV” – James Brown Many adjectives have been used to describe  James Brown: “dynamic”, “fabulous”, “energetic”, “soulful” and of course “funky”. The nicknames were plentiful as well: “The Hardest Working Man In Show Business”, “The King Of The One Nighters”, “Mr. Dynamite”, “Mr. Please, Please, Please”, “The Minister Of New Super Heavy Funk” and of course ; “The Godfather Of Soul”. The James Brown experience is not so much a musical one as it is a spiritual one. Having singlehandedly invented funk and damn near hip-hop as well, …

Maybe I’ve been covering a bit more Soca this past summer but that’s how it is in the summer, Soca music and Caribbean carnivals are all over North America. For Dancehall and Reggae fans, there is still a lot going on. It’s hard to overstate the impact that the small Caribbean island of Jamaica has had on music and pop culture worldwide, and Reggae/Dancehall music has been no small part of that legacy. Popcaan and Alkaline Up For MOBO Award this year. We recently learned that two of the biggest names in Dancehall, Popcaan and Alkaline, are among the five …

An individualistic way of thinking that plays us against each other and destroys us I felt it expedient to add my penny to the recent article (Community Contact, September 15, 2016) by Rasta Keith, titled: “The Black Psyche – A Hindrance to Collective Economic Prosperity. Granted, some of the facts outlined therein were on target, nevertheless I feel that some major hindrances were overlooked, and should be addressed. Yes, by now we all know that the most dangerous enemy that we face is neither the Caucasian man nor the police. Instead, it is the slave mindset that promotes self rather …

The Barbershop was crowded and everybody was talking about “the debate.” The networks were charging about $250,000 per 30 second ad. Remember, this is all Benjamins, U.S. dollars. Why is this important? It costs $130 Canadian to buy a 100 U.S. dollars. Dropout was first up, he said: “Now when we all watched the debate we were asking ourselves: ‘Is this the best they can do in the USA with 350 million people [that they know of]?’ And one of these two people in the debate, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be the next president of the USA.” Money …

By Rasta KEITH At first sight, the recent shooting deaths of two Black men by two police officers in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlotte, North Carolina should have evoked the weary response of “been there, done that”. And with that, everyone might have been expected to continue on their merry way after one or two futile protests lead by Black Lives Matter and the usual faith-based organisations. But things were a bit different on these last two occasions. For starters, Terrence Crutcher, the Victim in the Oklahoma shooting was killed by a white female cop while Keith Lamont Scott was gunned …