Posts tagged Trinidad & Tobago

New place in NDG, Caresse Antillaise Egbert Gaye Christobal Dyal admits it’s an unlikely scenario to see a Trinidad-born youth who grew up in the West End of Montreal as the owner of the city’s newest Haitian Restaurant, but so it is. And it’s all  because of his enduring love for Haitian food. “Attending French school, most of my friends were Haitian and they introduced me to their food, and like most people, I fell in love immediately,” he says. “Ever since, my wish has been to open a restaurant serving Haitian food.” So there it is, at 6470 Sherbrooke …

Celebrate T&T  Independence Montreal will celebrate Trinidad & Tobago 53rd Anniversary of Independence with a massive  Show and Dance  at  Caribbean Paradise 8080 Newman LaSalle on Saturday August 29 from 6pm. Performances from Sheryl, Evelyn, Lady B, Nato, Lady Paul, Ezra and much more. Music by DJ 610 and DJ Jerry. For info (514) 363-8080 or (438) 937-1924. Fundraising Walk/Run Suitcases for Africa supporting vulnerable children in Kenya with an annual walk/run on Saturday September 12 (rain day September 13) from 10am at Centennial Park DDO. For info www.suitcasesforafrica.com, Wendy (514) 992-5500 or Julie (514) 743-3844. St. Kitts and Nevis …

Third in Toronto and big expectations for T&T Contact Staff On the way to compete in the International Panorama (IPC) in Trinidad and Tobago, Montreal’s Salah Steelpan Academy made a stopover in Toronto to participate in the 2015 Pan Alive on Friday, July 31. Playing in position Number 4, the Academy delivered a solid rendition of Outta de Box arranged by Salah Wilson and earned a respectable third place in the competition. Toronto’s two heavyweight bands, Pan Fantasy and Afro Pan placed first and second respectively. The Academy will have another opportunity to challenge Pan Fantasy, who will be representing …

Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival, aka Canada’s biggest Carnival is over, and I can just imagine the withdrawals you guys are experiencing, something we Trinis call “Tabanca.” It’s a form of “love sickness.” It can be described as a state of depression accompanied by withdrawal symptoms, such as can’t eat, can’t sleep and a few other feelings that can occur when one has been rejected by a potential love interest, or experiences some sort of loss. So when is the next Soca fix in Montreal before we head to New York for Labour Day weekend? At the Montreal International Reggae Festival, …

Carifiesta as Evidence of our Weaknesses Professor put up his hand and said, “We were all humans. Race disconnected us, religion separated us, politics divided us and wealth classified us.” Do You Know said, “A lot of people don’t know this, or if they do, they don’t understand it. Even if they say they do.” There was an “Amen” from everybody in the barbershop. Everybody in the crowded barbershop was trying to solve all the problems when a person came in. He said he was a salesperson; he sells clothes. He came from Europe many years ago, he needed money …

Contact Staff She is Aunty Carmen to dozens of individuals across Canada, the United States and Trinidad and Tobago. Many of them gathered at the Caribbean Paradise Restaurant on Saturday, July 18, to be with Carmen Agatha Defreitas as she celebrated her 100th birthday. And the unanimous consensus among those gathered there was that Aunty Carmen is a treasure not only to her family but also to the community. Most evident during the evening’s celebrations were her attitude and energy. According to one who paid tribute to her: “Aunty tell me she loves volunteering. I asked her what kind of …

Thousands of young soca hungry fans worked into a frenzy Contact Staff The colors of the Caribbean were on display at Parc Jean Drapeau on St-Helen’s Island on Saturday, July 11, as Montrealers turned out in massive numbers to celebrate the annual Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Festival and Family Day, or Trini Day, as it’s popularly known. The day of family activities, which got under way at around 3PM, turned into a crescendo of music and dance by early evening, led by a line-up of local performers, including calypsonians Pufty, Sheryl, Lady B, Loveman Kent, Sweet and Jaalie. One of …

The summer weather has finally settled in and, as usual, yet some people are complaining about the heat and humidity. I say deal with it cause we have only three months of summer, along with summer events and activities. I say enjoy them; they are quickly coming to an end. On Saturday, July 18, I had an amazing experience at the annual Vincy Unity Picnic at Brown’s Bay Provincial Park in the 1,000 Islands in eastern Ontario. This gathering continues to grow tremendously, as literally thousands of people descend on this beautiful region annually to enjoy this massive Vincy extravaganza. …

Tension running high in T&T Egbert Gaye Just over a month ago, a well-placed officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service was disciplined for hinting that the government might be plotting to declare a state of emergency as a way of delaying the expected national elections due in September. On July 21, several well-placed members of the government felt compelled to assure the nation that no state of emergency was in the offing as the country’s security forces went on high alert following the arrest of Yasin Abu Bakr, leader of the Jamaat al Muslimeen. Media reports say he …

Egbert Gaye Much of the music that colors our community today… the soca, dancehall, calypso, reggae, R&B, highlife and Zouk were built on a foundation laid down by musicians such as Martin Albino, whose talent allowed him to sample different genres and keep people entertained. Now, after almost 40 years in Montreal, Albino continues to keep a deft hand on local music scene, still accompanying performers coming out of the Caribbean, still playing regular gigs (he spent more than 19 years playing weekends at La Tevere Lounge) and still teaching youth and seniors the art of steelpan music. On Sunday, …