Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  The Queen of Soca Reigns At Harbourfront this weekend By Stephen Weir The Queen of Soca, Destra, is coming to Toronto next week to perform. Don’t look for her on the Lakeshore or at any Carnival events (unless she makes a surprise appearance or two); the Trinidadian singer will be on stage, outdoors at Harbourfront on August 2nd. The Harbourfront Centre will once again host its annual Island Soul event from Aug. 1-5 to showcase all things Caribbean. The extended long-weekend event includes epic evening performances from the queen of Soca, Destra, with DJ Power; dancehall and reggae hits with the legendary Johnny Osbourne; and a night of hilarious laughs with one of North America’s best stand-up comedians, Trixx. New to the mix is the rave-style party Paradise Soul, a day party featuring choice MCs and DJs bringing vibes and spinning tunes from afternoon into the night. Island Soul Lineup: Comedy Night with Trixx and Friends - Aug. 1 at 8pm, tickets starting at $30 North America...

KUUMBA DEAD IN THE (FROZEN) WATER,  BUT SOME ACTS COMING THIS SPRING Trixx No official announcement has been issued by Harbourfront yet about the possible cancellation of their  Kuumba   Festival  but the word on the street is that the annual event is on life support.  Kuumba, Toronto’s keynote festival marking  Black Futures Month  (Black History Month), was scheduled to run from February 1-28.  Because of Covid, it has already postponed and cancelled all the advertised keynote live events.   In December the Caribbean Camera interviewed Kuumba organizers about the return of comedy, theatre, authors and dance. Before we could publish the story about the coming of live Black entertainment to Kuumba (in 2021 it was an on-line festival) the Province stepped in with Covid restrictions that have made it almost impossible for Kuumba to pull it off by next week!   Just after New Years the  government ordered the closure of all festivals, i...

--> Big Things Happening In Toronto This February. A Torchy Jully Black - by Jones & Jones At a Harbourfront media event on Monday, a few audience members remarked that Black History Month (BHM) should be moved from February to March this year. Why?   BHM could use the extra two days   - there is just too much happening to see it all in just 29 days. The presser was billed as the TD Black History Month Series Launch and there was a stream of big names on and off the stage.   Hip-hop veteran Maestro Fresh Wes was the ringleader and introduced appearances from top Canadian talent including Jully Black, Tonya Williams and Exco Levi. The launch was part promotional for the city’s February events and the other half was discussion on living the Black experience in Canada.   TD Bank was front and centre on Monday because of their ten-year involvement in funding BHM events including the presser.   Jully Black & Exco Levy - by Jone...

Rhoma Spencer uses the Force in the new play, The Solitudes By Stephen Weir Take a bow, Rhoma Spencer, take a bow. You are the toast of Toronto’s theatre world for your current role in the new assembly play The Solitudes. Critical reviews. A quarter page colour picture of you in the Toronto Star. And there is an incredible TTC poster of you with hands on hips glaring and scaring all of us riding the Red Rocket this month. Rhoma Spencer is an actor, director, storyteller and broadcast journalist who began her career in her birth nation of Trinidad & Tobago. On stage, performing in TV shows, movies parts, and public events; heck, I have even seen her in costume at a high profile Scarborough funeral a few weeks ago. Now based for the most part here in Toronto, Spencer continues to be one of the busiest live performance actresses in the city. This week she is a brooding, scowling and sometimes hilarious presence on the Harbourfront stage with the Alunia T...

--> Dictator Wall - Power Plant. Omar Ba paintings Putting Omar Ba up against a white wall. By Stephen Weir Up against the white wall by Stephen Weir According to African painter Omar Ba, it doesn’t matter where young people are – Africa, Switzerland or even Toronto – they share the same dream, a deep-seated burning desire to freely travel the world.   Ba, a rising star in Senegal and Switzerland, opened his first Canadian solo exhibition entitled Same Dream at Harbourfront’s Power Plant art gallery on Friday night in front of a packed house.   “Same Dream is the title of my exhibition and it is the name of one of the key paintings in my show,” Omar Ba said. “This idea came to me after an exhibition I did in Paris. I want to look at young people who long to go out and discover the world. When I am in my studio in Dakar, I hear young people say they want to see it all, and, I realize that that was I. In my painting (which hangs in the show) I am...