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Louis Saldana’s One Two Grand Parade Costume Punch by Stephen Weir Early last week, Louis Saldenah promised the Caribbean Camera that he was planning to put on a “HUGE Launch Party” on Saturday night. When the doors opened at his 2024 costume launch at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet & Convention Hall in Scarborough, it was obvious he had kept his word (and then some). SECTION TAKE A BOW AT SATURDAY'S COSTUME “We had approximately 1,100 people attend our costume launch last Saturday night,” Saldenah told the Caribbean Camera. And Saldenah hasn’t stopped thinking big. Tonight (Thursday), Part Two hits the boards with the official opening of the Saldenah Mas Camp in Scarborough. This year, Saldenah Carnival has over 15 sections, and most had males and females showing their stuff at Saturday night’s event. The theme for the evening was Sky High, so it was fitting that the models who came flying were, for the most part, bedecked in colourful feathers. KING COSMOS ON STAGE (RIGHT) There

  Bloom into Power With the Soca Queen Dr. Alison Hinds You may want to address Alison Hinds ( PICTURED ABOVE ) as Dr. Hinds if you are a woman attending Toronto’s May 19th “Bloom into Power" luncheon. Hinds, the famed soca singer from Barbados, received an honorary degree from the University of the West Indies last November and is still embracing the title of Doctor. The Bloom into Power luncheon is an annual event staged exclusively for Caribbean women (no men allowed through the doors of the St. Clair West ADV Boutique Venue). "This is more than just an event; it's a testament to the indomitable spirit of Caribbean women,” explains the lower luncheon host Kerra Denel. She is also the founder of the Caribbean Women's Network The Caribbean Women's Network is a leading organization dedicated to empowering, celebrating and knitting together women from the Caribbean diaspora. Through events, workshops, and community initiatives, the network fosters connections, grow

Parade des Caraïbes is back on the books for 2024 in Montreal The release of a much anticipated Friday press release quickly got the Montreal media buzzing about the return of the carnival to the city this summer. Last year, the annual Carifiesta parade was cancelled by the city due to funding issues, but as of April 12th, it is back. However, instead of calling the event Carifesta, it will be known as the Montreal "Carimas" Festival — a blend of "Caribbean" and "masqueraders." According to the Montreal Gazette daily newspaper, "This year’s event, which will include four separate activities culminating with the parade and after-party on July 6th. The parade route and the location for the Caribbean cultural festival afterward have not been determined yet." The 2024 festival is being organized by The Caribbean Coalition Network of Montreal (CCNM). The CCNM aims to create opportunities for cultural exchange, foster community pride and unity, empow

  Caribbean Writers in the Running and the Road Is Talking Ian Williams April marks the beginning of Book Award season, and this week has seen significant prize announcements from 3 different Canadian awards, impacting Caribbean authors and poets. The $130,000 Griffin Poetry Prize , announced yesterday morning in Toronto, unveiled its 2024 shortlist. This year, no Caribbean Canadian made the list, but Ishion Hutchinson from Port Antonio, Jamaica, is among the five poets vying for the prestigious June 5th poetry prize. Ishion Hutchinson The 40-year-old Jamaican poet is nominated for his book “School of Instructions,” which delves into the experiences of West Indian volunteer soldiers in British regiments during World War I. The poetry collection captures the psychological and physical challenges faced by these Black soldiers in the Middle East theatre of war, refracting their struggle against the colonial power they served. The narratives of the soldiers intertwine with the story of God

  Thea Jackson’s Frozen Mas Redux It only gets better, and maybe a little warmer too! Two weeks ago, the Caribbean Camera told readers about costume maker and carnival leader Thea Jackson’s trip to the far north, where she, along with Calypso singer Edwin Yearwood and DJ DOC (Doc Wright), presented the first-ever Nunavut Carnival Launch Party in Iqaluit, the capital city. The coverage of that event almost broke the counter on this reporter’s social media pages, so when Thea Jackson told us she was going back one more time, we conscripted her photography services for round two of the far north costume party. She and DJ DOC (Doc Wright) returned to Iqaluit during the Easter break. Edwin Yearwood didn’t make the trip this time. The city sits on the vast frozen Baffin Island in Frobisher Bay. Over 8,000 people live there, many of whom are of Caribbean and African descent. “Travel there was great this time; no flights were cancelled,” explained Thea Jackson. “I flew into Ottawa and then hop

A SHOW WORTH MISSING THE TRAIN FOR   It is really Toronto’s unknown gallery, and unless you take the special train from Union Station to the airport you probably haven’t see the new exhibition called Black Dreams and Aspiration. Too bad it is an ambitious and uplifting show that looks at the works of a dozen local Black artists. The gallery is really a large heritage hallway that links the Toronto Union Station with the Toronto Airport train platform at the east end of the train station. It is only seen by travellers passing to and from the Airport train, although you there is nothing stopping visitors from going to Union Station and walking to the east end of the building where these large and colourful works are hung. With ceilings towering some 30 feet tall, the show boasts grandeur. One striking painting by Segun Caezar, a Nigerian visual artist based in Canada, captures the essence of jazz legend John Coltrane with its bold blend of vibrant colors, simple shapes, and realism. He s

  Looking for Niles on the Streets of Toronto We seek him here We seek him there; we look for Niles the Artist everywhere! Actually, this past weekend we caught up with Niles the Artist at the St Lawrence Market painting on a street corner that usually is a favourite hang-out favoured by panhandlers. While he has been yelled at a few times by people who want to beg where he has set up his tripod, paints, canvas, he has been accepted by the thousands who come to them Market on Saturday mornings. “This is a friendly corner for the most part” Niles the Artist (aka Niles the Painter) told the Caribbean Camera. “But I did get my speaker stolen.” He has gained some fame from the media when he has set up his kit and painted in a moving subway train, Yorkville, , Kensington Market and , High Park “I have been painting on the streets of Toronto since I was 12. I sold my first painting at Yonge and Dundas Square. “said Niles. “I have settled lately here at the market.” The 18-year-old artist i

MERITH HAS A LIFE STORY PEOPLE WANT TO READ                                            Some might say that retired York Region police supervisor Keith Merith picked a good day to launch his autobiography last Saturday. Those in the book business would say it differently; rookie author Merith had an amazing launch for his new book, "A Darker Shade of Blue." He hit it out of the park, got a royal flush, and hit the mother lode all in one very busy day. Most book launches usually only attract a small but loyal crowd; 20 to 30 book fans are the norm. However, on Saturday, at the popular Scarborough Windies Restaurant & Sports Bar, the organizers started turning away people at 170. "A few more talked their way in," said Keith Merith, "we think it was about 184 that came in and took in the speeches and bought a book." Former police colleagues, MP Paul Chiang himself a retired police officer, city councillor Michael Thompson, and even a judge or two came to t

  On de Road Again! But first a Mammoth Launch SALDENAH ON THE ROAD IN 2023 He is the man. And when Louis Saldenah says he is planning a huge launch party, you better believe it is going to be one of the largest carnival events this spring. The leader of SALDENAH CARNIVAL, the largest mas band in the annual Caribbean Carnival, has just announced that his 2024 costume launch will take place Saturday, April 20th, at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet & Convention Hall in Scarborough. “Even after Covid, over 5,000 people came out and played Mas with us. Our numbers continue to be in that range,” Louis Saldenah told the Caribbean Camera. “So we are expecting a large turnout for the Saturday night event. (The hall can be configured to accommodate over 2,000)” This year, Saldenah Carnival will have 16 sections, and at the April launch, each section will have 5 dancers/models on stage showing what they will be wearing at the Grand Parade.. We jokingly asked Saldenah if this year’s theme, "Fl

  THE LAST KISS'S KISS (UNWIN FICTION BY STEPHEN WEIR) It was May 2nd, 1974, when Kiss made their first appearance in Detroit. We met that night. Kiss couldn't afford bodyguards, so she had no trouble climbing onto the stage. Gene Simmons, weighed down in his new glam and glitter heavy metal costume, needed help from Paul Stanley to kiss her and toss her back. Wearing a wide-assed smile, she crowd-surfed across the mosh pit right into my arms. We're still together. Kiss still matters to us Big Time. The Starchild. Demon. Space Ace. Catman. There is no room left on our bodies for another tattoo. When news broke that the band was performing their very last concert at the Casino, I made a solemn vow to her. We would be there. No way no how could we buy tickets. We live off our Pensions, but lie, cheat or steal we will see the Last Kiss. She was going to kiss and crowd-surf one last time, no matter who I had to kill. We decided to go old school. Stoned. Its been decad

2024 King and Queen and Panorama leaving Lamport Stadium? There it goes! Or is the Caribbean Camera reading this correctly? Is the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival King and Queen competition a goner after over twenty years at the Lamport Stadium? Earlier this week, the Festival Management Committee sent out an update on what is planned for this summer’s carnival. A copy landed on the desk of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, implying that the premier evening event of the Carnival, the King and Queen competition at the King Street stadium, might not be held there this year; instead, it will be incorporated into the daytime parade. The King and Queen competition has been selling out the Lamport Stadium since the last century. Politicians, entertainers, VIPs — this has always been the hardest ticket to get during Festival week. “The King and Queen show has traditionally kicked off the Toronto Caribbean Carnival weekend every year since the beginning. The leaders of Caribana Mas Bands will

  Two countries celebrated St. Patrick’s Day On Monday. One of them wasn’t Ireland. Earlier this week, the 5,000 residents of the Caribbean island territory of Montserrat went down the road to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. While Montserrat and Ireland are the only two nations to celebrate the day as a national holiday, the reasons for their parades and costumes are very different. In Ireland, March 17th is known as St. Patrick's Feast Day, marking the date of his death in 461 A.D. The island celebrates this day as both a religious and cultural holiday to commemorate Ireland's patron saint and the legacy he built for Irish culture. Meanwhile, on the small island of Montserrat (near Antigua and Nevis), they mark the date with a ten-day festival. There is a serious side to the fête the locals call 'Green Week and the Heritage Feast and Market Day.' The final parade is one of emancipation commemorating the nine slaves who lost their lives in the failed slave rebellion of M