ROY CAPE'S HAPPY KISS TO TORONTO (WHILE KING COSMO LOOKS ON)

 Soca. Calypso. Helping Children. Its Roy Cape, and he has the Jean Augustine Trophy to Prove it

Two film festivals are taking place in Toronto simultaneously this week. Where do you think the paparazzi and cameras (except ours) were on this past Saturday night when celebrities like Sean Penn, Willem Dafoe, Spike Lee, Lil Nas X, Nickelback, and Viggo Mortensen were spotted on King Street?
Well, most readers probably already know the answer. The world's attention was focused on Saturday night TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). It's a shame because they missed the opportunity to cover a historic Caribbean evening at the CTFF (Caribbean Tales Film Festival) a few blocks away.

Call it a Big People Party that combined a birthday fete for the famed retired Grenadian Canadian politician Jean Augustine, the showing of a Trinidadian documentary about saxophonist Roy Cape, an award presentation and a live wild performance by Ozzie Gurley which ended with two of his brass section going topless on the Fleck Theatre stage! Bam! Take that TIFF.
The CTFF bash was held on Saturday night at the 450-seat Fleck Theatre, it all kicked with the cutting of a giant cake for Jean Augustine. The distinguished Canadian politician celebrated both her remarkable contributions to both public service and the field of education and her 86 birthday that night.
Born in Grenada, she immigrated to Canada in 1960 to become the first Black woman elected to the House of Commons (1993 to 2006). Her daughter, Veronica, nibbled at some of the cake; mother and daughter share the same birth date.
After demolishing the almost full house took seats in the theatre to watch the screening of "Iconography: Ray Cape," a documentary about the 81-year-old calypso saxophonist and band leader from Trinidad & Tobago. (The Caribbean Camera website has our recent review of the 2022 film.)
When the film ended and the lights came on, Dr. Roy Cape, sitting beside Dr. Augustine, waved from the front row at the audience. Cape and his band have long been a fixture at Toronto's annual carnival. However, a battle with cancer in 2014 and a subsequent hip fracture five years later have prevented the music man from gracing a Toronto stage of late.

There was a reason beyond showing the film why he was sitting there; Jean Augustine was about to present a new annual award she has launched to shine a light on the talents within the Caribbean community. The inaugural Augustine Award of Excellence (AAE) went to none other than row mate Roy Cape.
"It's a toast to creativity, a tribute to courage, and a big thank you to those who make our world more vibrant," explained the CTFF organizers.
"You have a history here that has to be documented," said Jean Augustine as she presented the award statue to Cape, while cameras flashed nonstop. "And if we don't have a picture, it didn't happen!"
After the pictures and selfies were snapped, Ozzie Gurley and his Roy Cape band sang the night away. Lead singer Lance Charlamaigne kicked it all off by singing, in a dead-on Louis Armstrong voice, Dr. Augustine's favorite song, "What a Wonderful World."
It could have been a showstopper, but it wasn't. The last number of the night was all soca, and just after it began, the saxophonist and trombonist slipped behind the stage curtain and removed their shirts. Bare-chested, the two seniors danced over to in front of Cape and Augustine and played until it looked like the guests of honor might cry tears of joy!

On Sunday, Roy flew home, courtesy of the CTFF and the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes, with trophy in hand. Apparently, his wife was amazed when she saw it last night, along with all the congratulatory letters that Canadian government leaders had sent to him prior to the award ceremony.