Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Toronto Carnival Is Losing One Of Its Originals. Roger Gibbs Sings Goodbye. By Stephen Weir When September rolls around the Toronto Caribbean Carnival’s Festival Management Committee (FMC) will lose one of its original members. Bajan-Canadian Calypsonian Roger Gibbs has reached the end of his formal board term.  After years of giving sage advice to Carnival, Gibbs will no longer be part of the management team and will not be involved with the 2020 Festival in an official capacity. “ It's been 14 years!” Gibbs told reporter Stephen Weir. “I was invited to join in 2005 by (the late) Charles Roach.” Gibbs grew up in a musical family and began his career in Barbados singing with Caribbean dance bands in the 1970’s. He joined as lead singer of the Sandpebbles and toured extensively throughout the Caribbean, Canada and the USA. He came to Canada in 1986, and since then Gibbs has worked non-stop within the arts industry. From 1993 until 2013 he was a performing member of COB...

Important Collection of Caribbean Photographs Donated to the Art Gallery of Ontario Two Women, Trinidad, ca 1890 J ust as the Caribbean Camera was going to press the paper learned  that $300,000 has been raised by members of Toronto’s Black and Caribbean communities to bring The Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs to the AGO . The Art Gallery of Ontario announced late  yesterday The Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs, a  collection of more than 3,500 historical images from 34 countries including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. This may be the world's largest collections of such images. This incredible visual record contains studio portraits, landscapes and tourist views. Bringing to life the changing economies, environments and communities that emerged following the abolishment of slavery, the Collection includes nearly every photographic format available during the years 1840 to 1940, including prints, postcards...