Independence again!

1627 to 2014
The Holetown Festival to celebrate the Anniversary of the First Settlement of Barbados
begins on Sunday 9th and ends on Sunday the 16th of February!

Ah I am getting INDEPENDENCE today since a good friend arrived yesterday from Toronto with it! I'll tell you more about it later. In the meantime check this media release:

INDEPENDENCE

By Cecil Foster

(TORONTO – January 20, 2013) INDEPENDENCE (Harper Collins Canada; ISBN:
9781443415057; on sale January 28, 2014; $29.99 CAN) is the deeply moving
story of the coming of age of a country and a boy, at the time of Barbados’
independence from Britain in 1966.

Fourteen-year-old Christopher Lucas and Stephanie King have been neighbours
and best friends since they were born a few months apart. They have been raised
by their impoverished grandmothers after their mothers went “over ’n’ away” to
the United States and Canada to find work when the children were toddlers; no
one has heard from the mothers since. The grandmothers are growing more and
more desperate about their ability to support their charges. When the novel
opens, there is a sudden and unexplained rift between Christopher and Stephanie
following the return from Canada of a benefactor named Mr. Lashley, who
lavishes gifts on Stephanie.

Through a series of triumphs and catastrophes, Christopher and Stephanie determine their places in the world and take control of their lives. Rich with the details of Bajan culture—from food preparation to political and financial affairs, from sexuality to spirituality—Independence is a fascinating window onto a little-known world and a touching portrait of a journey to adulthood and the women who guide it.

CECIL FOSTER was born in Barbados and immigrated to Canada in 1978. He has been a reporter for The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and the Financial Post and has contributed to such magazines as Chatelaine, Maclean’s, Toronto Life, NOW and Canadian Business. He has also worked for the CBC (in radio and television), and CTV and is a regular commentator in the national media. He has published five works of non-fiction and four novels, including his highly praised debut, No Man in the House. Currently, Foster is a professor of sociology at the University of Guelph and is director of graduate studies in the department of transnational studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Independence is his first novel in almost twelve years.

INDEPENDENCE by Cecil Foster

HarperCollins Canada I ISBN: 9781443415057 I On Sale: January 28 I Price: $29.99 Canada

Mr. Impact in The Gap too!

I was heading to Dover pasture earlier tonight to take in some of the annual Joel Garner Tapeball 20-20 Cricket competition with over ten teams made up with youthful and mature players affiliated somehow with the various secondary schools past and present of Barbados when Peter Dear reminded me that De Shak  Bar and Grill at Dover Beach features the outstanding musician Mr. Impact every Saturday night from 7 until 11! Mr. Impact sings sweetly and plays his steelpan adroitly at several spots on the South coast several times a week, but the "Put Yuh Hand on De Bumper" (a soca hit several years ago) manager says the place to see him perform is at De Shak! I usually like his performances at Mo's Grill in Oistins every Monday night and at Crystal Waters Beach Bar, Worthing every second Sunday afternoon. I plan to check the Shak Shak show soon on a Saturday night! Oh by the way, Saint Leonard's Secondary defeated the Grantley Adams Secondary team in the twenty overs per side game!

SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IN THE GAP.......again!!

So hard to blog when the beautiful weather everyday beckons you to just relax at my two favourite liming spots: Crystal Waters Beach Bar at Worthing and the newly reopened Sanddollar Café at Dover Beach! Talking about reopening, there have been a few re-openings and openings in the St. Lawrence Gap recently. Time Out Hotel with its Sporting Pig Bar is back; the once called Bresmay Hotel, then Escape Hotel is now Infinity on the Beach; Jobu’s Restaurant and Bar is now Sharkey’s Restaurant and Bar; and The Old Jamm Inn club has given a new life to what was Lipgloss and before it the popular Afterdark Nightclub. A small café named Bliss has joined the upper part of the Gap and is beside Express Car Rentals, and a medium sized restaurant called Crave is at the front of the Reggae Lounge. If you crave not only tasty food but some flavourful jazz, you can enjoy it with top Bajan songstress Cici and ace guitarist, in any genre, Mike Sealy on Sunday nights at Crave Restaurant and Bar. It’s open from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. daily with a happy hour from 6 to 8 p.m. For another jazzy session you can check out Panta Brown (keyboards) and Boo Rudder (drums) and a bassist on Wednesday nights as you dine or sip a few drinks at Rush Restaurant and Bar. And the Thursday nights jazz continues at Ocean 15 with Errol Bradshaw and Friends!

For the under thirty party peoples Sugar Ultra Lounge blasts off from 9 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday nights where disc-jockeys mostly play R&B,house, hip-hop, soca, reggae, and other pop music. For these same partiers the recently nicely refurbished Reggae Lounge and McBride’s Pub serve up mostly reggae, soca, and R&B with the occasional live band and are opened seven and six nights respectively. I particularly like the patio groove of Old Jamm Inn which often features some of the best young musicians in Bim! There, my recent guest Nish from New York jammed one night on his sitar with a local artist; both musicians and the audience enjoyed a lot that impromptu session!  Another cool patio space with artists mostly doing the alternative music ting is the buzzing, well established Café Sol at the start of The Gap. Indeed the Gap has been buzzing very much with visitors and locals alike since December! I hope this will continue right into Crop-Over which will be in full swing come July!

LOVE AT CHRISTMAS FOUNDATION'S FAIR AT GOLDEN GROVE ESTATE

Just last Saturday the 21st of December the Love at Christmas Foundation hosted the Christmas Fair for underprivileged children at the Golden Grove Estate in St. Philip. Over 60 children, some accompanied by their parents, and some youngsters of the Special Olympics group enjoyed themselves immensely as several volunteers assisted from around 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. The children loved the two clowns and Annie the Clown had a great rapport with the audience throughout the whole day. The male clown doubled as a very jolly Santa Claus and with his beautiful elves made sure each child under 12 received a gift at the closing of the fun-filled afternoon. All this time I had a smile, as did all of the other volunteers, as we were very happy to see the youth in the jumping tents, hitting the piñata, running, playing games with “Mr. Clown”, dancing, eating, drinking mauby, sorrel, fruit punch, and soft drinks, and for twenty minutes listening attentively to the Bethel Methodist Chimers playing melodious Xmas songs.

Love at Christmas Foundation, a registered charity, was founded in 2009 by Mr. Denis Warner to reach out to those less fortunate. The name was given by Mr. Alph Padmore who said that cheer and joy can be spread not only at Christmas time but throughout the year. Mr. Warner named the Christmas Programme “Remember Me”.  He also wrote its theme song and did the vocals.  The first show was held in December 2009 at Solidarity House with the help from corporate Barbados.  In 2010 the foundation teamed up with Ms. Santia Bradshaw and Mr. Tony Hoyas at the Plantation Garden Theatre, and in 2011 it hosted the Niamh Stoute Concert since she was suffering from neuroblastoma cancer.  The concert was held at the Queens Park Steel Shed and raised over $20,000. 

Kudos to Denis Warner, President, Heather Bridgeman, Vice President,Public Relations, all those who are part of their team,

and persons and companies who contributed to a most enjoyable Fair!

Unity Greetings good peoples!

Dates
Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 through January 1st.

History
Established by Maulana Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa is a holiday that honors African heritage and celebrates family, community, and culture. It takes its name from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which in Swahili means "first fruits." 
Kwanzaa's origin lies in the 1960s civil rights and Black Freedom movements, and is a way of commemorating the African heritage of black Americans whose ethnic history was stripped away by the slave trade. Swahili is the most widely spoken African language, and was thus chosen as the language of Kwanzaa's principles.

According to Karenga, "Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our rootedness in African culture." It is a cultural rather than religious holiday, and can be celebrated regardless of a person's faith tradition.

"First fruits" celebrations date back to ancient Egypt and Nubia, and commemorate the harvest.

Colors
The colors black, red, and green are part of Kwanzaa celebrations due to their special significance. Black represents the people, red is for the blood uniting all those with African ancestry, as well as the blood shed during slavery and the civil rights movement, and green is for the lush land of Africa. These colors also reflect the Pan-African movement itself.

Principles
There are seven principles of Kwanzaa, celebrated on each day of the holiday and known collectively as Nguzo Saba. They are African values which are named in both Swahili and English.

• Umoja: Unity


• Kujichagulia: Self-determination


• Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility


• Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics


• Nia: Purpose


• Kuumba: Creativity


• Imani: Faith

Traditions
Families gather during Kwanzaa to light the kinara, a candle holder with seven candles in the colors of red, black, and green. The black candle is placed in the center and used to light the other flames from left to right. Together, the candles are called the mishuuma saba, and they represent the Seven Principles.

Other traditions include the kikombe cha umoja, or Unity Cup, which is used to pour libations in honor of ancestors departed.

Songs and dances are a popular way of celebrating Kwanzaa. "Lift Every Voice And Sing," also known as the Black National Anthem, is a song that celebrates the struggles and triumphs of black Americans.

Greetings
Kwanzaa greetings are in Swahili and English. "Habari gani?" is a traditional Swahili greeting, and the response is each of the principles, depending on which day of Kwanzaa it is. Other greetings include "Heri za Kwanzaa," or simply, "Happy Kwanzaa!"

Taken from Huffington Post. You may like to visit www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org. for more info. God's blessings to all of you now at Xmas time and in 2014!

AJA will be promoting his latest CD in Toronto this weekend!

Happy Halloween greetings beautiful peoples!
I plan to interview AJA on Kaiso Rising this Saturday morning November 2nd at 9 o'clock. Kaiso Rising is live every Saturday morning from 7 until 10 on CHRY 105.5FM, www.chry.fm, Rogers Digital TV 945, and Bell Fibe TV 973.
AJA will be performing on November 1st at First Fridays at Jerome's Cucina + Bar; 596 College St. @Clinton (Westof Bathurst) from 8 p.m. in downtown Toronto. Also he will be performing at the Barbados Ex-Police Annual Dinner Dance at the Alex Manoogian Banquet Hall on Progress Rd. in Scarborough on Saturday night and at the reception after the Barbados Independence Service at St. James Cathedral, 65 Church St. at King St. downtown Toronto at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday the 3rd. It will be treats fuh days!

Please see www.ajapoet.info  and facebook.com/AJApoet for more information on this accomplished performance poet and musician!

I'm back but....

... this main post is from a friend. However just letting you know I enjoyed Nuit Blanche in Toronto, and my Lake Waubashene annual autumn retreat with my fellow educators of many years Liam, Jerry and Kevin. Bonfire, Graham's Port, cutting off dead branches, boating, my teaching dominoes(including 50's) to de three amigos were the highlights of those beautiful days at Jerry's cottage! So here is the piece by Hudson:

Grenadian Melee: Politics, Calypso and Carnival.

by Hudson George

Grenadians main interest is politics even though they love calypso, soca and jab jab music as a part of their culture. Some of them always in a political mood when their party is in opposition, as though they expect to hear the government call a snap election.  But when carnival fever is in the air, and calypsonians singing for and against politicians, well all those politicians  become worried and calypsonians find themselves into two camps to start the melee!

However for the past decade or so, one of Grenada’s best calypsonians, Scholar, became the  hardest hitting anti NNP critic.  Scholar hits at the NNP,  whether they are in government or as opposition.  As a matter of fact Scholar best years of singing against the NNP was after hurricanes Ivan and Emily ravaged the entire Tri-Island State.  Scholar was on top of his singing career and no other calypsonian could  beat him. Not even the “King Man”  Ajamu  had a chance against the Scholar.

Scholar even took time off from calypso competition to go and study at university on two occasions. After he completed his Masters Degree in Great Britain, he came back and won the Calypso Monarchy  in 2012.   However, in this recent 2013Monarch Competition,  the undisputed champion lost his title crown to a young female calypsonian   named Keturah George.  But the big question is: did Keturah really drop some licks on the Scholar?

Some people are saying that it was a set up and Scholar had to pay the price for hitting the ruling NNP government and its leader too hard with disrespectful  lyrics. Others are saying that Scholar is still the best calypsonian in Grenada, but he is a bit too vulgar and  raw with his lyrical contents, without trying to be diplomatic on the night of the Dimanche Gras.

However, as it is well known that Grenadians like too much politics, and sometimes the love and passion they put into politics turns to hate, mischief and spite. And even though Keturah George is the reigning calypso monarch, she  will not be wearing her crown without having to deal with criticism. 

In addition, due to all the political melee that always going on in Grenadian politics, the calypsonians  will remain divided into two political camps and forget to promote the art-form.  Therefore, there is a possibility that the Keturah George camp and the Scholar camp will continue to stifle the true purpose of calypso.

In addition, there is a sort of dog eat dog business among Grenadian calypso and soca artistes. The majority of them are more interested in “eating ah food” , thus they lack the understanding of the true meaning of culture. And while Kuturah George is wearing her crown as the present Calypso Monarch,

Scholar must be planning how to reclaim the title from her in 2014.

On the other hand, some people were surprised that Scholar did not get a lot of media support from  journalists who were once anti NNP.  And it seems to appear as though those journalists and political activists have changed their pattern of news reporting against the NNP, so Scholar did not get the media support this time around. However, maybe it could be a blessing in disguise for Scholar. He is an educator, therefore he supposed to be a very good thinker. It will be up to him to learn a new lesson about life and politics, or continue to keep doing what he has always been doing in the calypso art-form.

There are other social and political issues affecting the whole aspect of culture in Grenada. Due to the fact that Grenada is a mountainous island with rolling terrains, the people are not really connected as they should. There is a lot of ignorance among many of the people involved in carnival. Some of them see carnival as urban and others see their style of carnival as rural.  But the simplest thing they should understand is, carnival is part of Grenadian culture. 

It is a pity that those folks who are involved in calypso and carnival cannot understand that culture is what brings out art and the artistes who create the art are the living witness of the culture.  Therefore, artistic people should promote our cultural arts and not politicians.  They are supposed to know that politics is a unique art that has no allegiance to culture.