Posts in category Events

Marissa Ramnanan “Up, you mighty race. Accomplish what you will,”—Marcus Garvey. The WIBCA president Joan Lee opened the event with that gripping quote, inspiring a hush around the room. Young, Gifted and Rising brought the West Island Black Community together for a heartwarming and uplifting afternoon. On February 7, we celebrated the leadership, creativity and entrepreneurship of six brilliant young minds. Their names are: Mofeoluwa Adora Fagbohun, Adriana Jackson, Ethan Jackson, Joshua Bartlett, Tyana Carby and Taisia Carby. Powerful interviews and testimonies were given by community members and youth alike, proving that the future is truly, blindingly bright. Adora Fagbohun …

Marissa Ramnanan     Walking into the exhibition space in Maison de la culture de Côte-des-Neiges feels like a homecoming for anyone with Caribbean roots. Munching on pholourie, with rum punch sloshing in cups and calypso music playing faintly in the background—- it’s like being transported to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The only thing missing is the sound of birds chirping. “The Ties that Bind” was created by Trinidadian-Canadian artist Asia Mason and curated by Pat Dillon Moore. The space is a vision to behold. In my opinion, it’s an archival study of architecture, ancestry and political commentary. The …

Montrealers turned out in full force on July 26th for Jamaica Day at Martin Luther King (Kent) Park, widely regarded by organizers as the largest edition to date. Headliner Papa Michigan best known as half of Michigan & Smiley gave his fans his classic hits on Saturday, then met fans at a packed community gathering on Sunday. Born Anthony Fairclough in Kingston, Jamaica, Michigan helped invent a new language for reggae at the turn of the 1980s. As Michigan & Smiley, he and partner General Smiley were among the first dual toasters, popularizing a crisp call-and-response style that bridged singing and DJ chatting and …

West-Can Folk Performing Company’s 2025 Gala on July 19th, was a vibrant celebration overflowing with memories, connections, rhythm, dance and so much food that we’re still recovering! But we absolutely had to take a moment to say thank you. This year’s gala was a true expression of joy and cultural pride. The electrifying performances by ZANN Steelpan Ensemble, West-Can Folk Performing Co., and Belmont Freetown Cultural Arts & Folk Performing Company of Trinidad & Tobago lit up the reception hall with spirit, soul, and a deep-rooted ancestral connection. DJs Powda & J.E. Bunns kept the intergenerational crowd on its feet, …

Montreal’s summer festival season is set to sizzle as Kes the Band—Trinidad and Tobago’s musical powerhouse takes the Rogers Stage at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on Friday, July 4 at 11:00 PM. Known for their explosive live performances and anthemic hits like Wotless, Savannah Grass, Tuesday on the Rocks, and Liki Tiki, the band is expected to deliver a high-energy set that will light up downtown Montreal with the vibrant pulse of Caribbean Soca. A fan favourite among local soca music enthusiasts and Caribbean diaspora communities across Canada, Kes the Band has spent nearly two decades blending genres and …

By Desirée Zagbai A new mobile app called the ‘Business Reference App’ is set to launch on May. 30, 2025, during a public event at Concordia University’s D3 Innovation Hub. The app is designed to simplify the process of supporting and discovering Black-owned businesses in Montreal. The app was developed by the web app agency, Smartegy, with support from CSMARI (Community Support Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Initiative). There were also collaborative efforts from the DESTA Black Community Network, the Ujamaa Initiative for Black Entrepreneurship (UIBE), and the Community Service Initiative at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University (CSI). Through …

Get ready for the Second Annual Club Zed Playwrights Festival, hosted by the Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) from May 14-17, 2025! Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) is Canada’s longest running theatre company dedicated to the works of Black and diasporic communities. The company strives to create greater cross-cultural understanding by challenging its audience and the status quo. Expanding the representation of Black Canadian artists, BTW bridges cultural divides – uniting hearts, minds and communities. BTW’s community focused Club Zed Festival, which is now in its second year, is dedicated to nurturing the voices of Black Canadian playwrights through a Black perspective. With …

Gloria Blizzard invites Montrealers to a deeply personal journey through entries detailing her travels in her award-winning essay collection, ‘Black Cake, Turtle Soup, and Other Dilemmas. There will be a live reading, engaging discussion, and Q&A, on Wednesday, March 6, from 5-7 pm at Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore. Blizzard’s journey to becoming a writer was anything but traditional. “I never really wrote as a child. I was a musician—a classical guitarist,” she says. Music, not writing, was her first form of artistic expression. However, growing up in a household filled with books and poetry, she developed a deep appreciation for literature. …

Montreal-based photographer,  Melrick A. Jean-Philippe also known as Qauffee, explores ways of capturing the Black community. His goal is to represent Black people in unique manners and environments. His upcoming exposition, DEKABÈS, on Feb. 15, 2025, at Maison de l’Afrique 6256 Av Henri Julien, will focus on Haitian culture, which also connects to his heritage.  DEKABÈS, is a Hatian Creole expression meaning a double victory in dominoes or the lottery. It will focus on Haitian music and Qauffee aims to create a safe space for people to have community gatherings to exhibit individual and collective works and consequently, bring together …

With the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heating up, former MP, Frank Baylis is positioning himself as the pragmatic outsider who can fix a system, he says is failing Canadians. Baylis, a professional engineer and successful entrepreneur, is among the five contenders hoping to win over members. Baylis, who previously served as a Member of Parliament for the Pierrefonds-Dollard riding, admitted he had stepped away from politics due to frustrations with the current system. “I felt that the government wasn’t working for Canadians, and it wasn’t working for me either,” he said. His attempt to introduce Bill 231—legislation …