Posts tagged Barbados

Rosie Awori (LJI) BTW Poetry Jam Poetry lovers can also look forward to Montreal’s Black Theatre Workshop’s BTW Poetry Jam which will be streaming live on Facebook and Youtube on February 12 beginning at 7pm. The event will bring together some of Montréal’s most talented spoken wordsmiths in a showcase where each artist will perform work based on a chosen theme. Following the presentation, the poets will participate in a virtual live discussion and Q&A with the audience. For more info, visit blacktheatreworkshop.ca Fade to Black Festival The 10th annual Fade to Black Festival (Festival Fondu au Noir) focuses on the place …

As much as Frank Baylis wanted to walk away from active politics and return calmly to the business world navigating the medical products industry as head of the billion-dollar family business, Baylis Medical, he just couldn’t do it while witnessing people’s rights being eroded. And that’s what he sees happening here in Quebec following the passage of Bill 21, the so-called religious symbols law and the introduction of Bill 96, which overhauls and strengthens the French Charter. The former Liberal MP for Pierrefonds-Dollard says he’s troubled by what these policies ultimately represent for equality and fairness and the direction which …

The celebration of music, dance, pomp and pageantry started at dusk on November 29, and extended through to midnight when the country erupted in an outburst of joy to mark the beginning of an era for Barbados: It’s transition into a Parliamentary Republic and the installation of its new president to replace the Queen of England as head of state. The ceremony took place at the National Heroes Square in front of dozens of dignitaries from across the Caribbean and around the world including The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne as well as local political …

Rosie Awori (LJI) A few days after watching the people of Barbados declare their nation a republic on November 30, two Montrealers who are strong proponents of the Caribbean country are still beaming. Nigel Clarke and Cynthia Waithe see the move to formally detach the one-time British colony from Queen Elizabeth and the monarchy as a source of empowerment for Barbadians young and old, as the country walks away from a history of exploitation and oppression. “This move is long overdue,” says Clarke. “Over the past 20 years, almost every government has had it on their agenda, and I think …

In the 1950’s and 60’s masses streamed in from southern African countries into south Africa with the hope of better economic opportunities in the mines. But the apartheid system pushed most of these Africans into urban enclaves that came to known as the townships. It was in this environment of struggle, and cultural explorations that gave birth to township music a fusion of music from Malawi, E-swatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique. It was where Mongezi Ntaka started strumming and playing his guitar. He honed his craft in various musical styles including Marabi, Kwela, Mbaqanga, Maskandi, Mbira, Manganje and African Jazz. …

The recently formed Dr. Kenneth Melville McGill Black Faculty and Staff Caucus has been a long time in the making. The first Black professor at McGill University was Quebec City born William Wright (1827-1908.) a graduate out of the Faculty of Medicine who became the first Black medical doctor in British North America. He was chair of Pharmacology and Therapeutics from 1854 until his retirement in 1883. When McGill law graduate Adelle Blackett became the first Black law professor at the university in March 2000, few realized she was also becoming only the second Canadian born, tenure-track professor to have …

Caribbean Wobbles under COVID-19 T&T sees Delta and gets 1 million doses of Pfizer As they have been for the past year and a half, Caribbean countries continue to struggle economically and socially with COVID-19 pillaging economies and in many cases taking a toll on everyday life. Trinidad and Tobago a nation of 1.3 million, about equal to the population of Montreal proper is one of hardest hit, recording more than 1,100 deaths so far and hundreds of cases daily. And is now preparing to deal with the ravages of the highly transmissible Delta variant that found its way into …

The prime ministers of several Caribbean islands will share messages of empowerment on Sunday August 1, when the Caribbean Coalition Network of Montreal hosts it first major event, a virtual Emancipation Day Celebration. The Coalition Network was formed last July when representatives from several of the city’s island associations including Barbados, Guyana, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Montserrat, Grenada and Jamaica began laying the groundwork. The idea back then was to use individual resources to support each other, to coordinate on events and if called upon, speak on issues of common interest. And they are inviting Montrealers to celebrate with them …

Once the call for help came from the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines after the Soufriere Volcano devastated their island, Montrealers reacted with urgency and purpose. On Saturday, April 17, members of the St. Vincent and Grenadines Association of Montreal along with volunteers and supporters mobilized at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall in Cote des Neiges and collected tons of much-needed relief supplies to ship to the island. A week or so later, after hours of back-breaking work under the limitations of the Covid-19 restrictions, the Montreal group was able to muster a 40-foot container jammed pack …

Since April 22, when there was a significant eruption at La Soufriere in St. Vincent, the volcano which for weeks had been spewing tonnes of smoke and ash on the island and some of its Caribbean neighbors has gone quiet. But scientists monitoring the volcano are not ready to pronounce it sleeping as yet. They say although they’re a different pattern in the activities leading up to the most recent eruptions, it’s still much too early to predict an end to the violent eruptions and tremors that have driven more than 20,000 Vincentians out of their homes. Professor Richard Roberts …