Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

No end to Friday night content online. SoundClash with Carib Ricky T in SoundClash studio Carnival’s Virtual Road  was not the only weekend online event that drew cellphone audiences here in Toronto.  A live Canadian Sound Clash from St Lucia and cooking demonstrations using Carib Beer and Ice Cream also drew viewers, albeit at a much smaller scale than the Saturday Toronto digital Caribbean Carnival. On Friday night it was all live from St Lucia.  Three Soca artistes:  Ricky T; Cooyah;  and  Umpa  performed in a studio online broadcast created just for Canadians celebrating Carnival Week. A SoundClash, by the way, is a musical competition where crewmembers from opposing artistes pit their skills against each other. The one-hour unscripted show saw the Soca stars play all their hits and have fun with performing with each other!  “It is this Covid 19 thing that we are all trying to shake it off with our music,” Ricky T told the Caribbean Camer...

Friday night's Toronto Freedom Train Rattles Across The Internet By Stephen Weir Carnival’s Virtual Road was not the only weekend online event that drew cellphone audiences here in Toronto. A virtual underground railroad ride, drew viewers, albeit at a much smaller scale than Saturday's digital Toronto Caribbean Carnival. ( Pictured above - last year's train ride - Sheppard Station) On Friday night the 15th annual Freedom Train to mark Emancipation Day was live online and drew a larger following in cyber space than it usually does with an actual packed midnight subway train trip! Itah Sadu and the A Different Booklist Cultural Centre community organized the ride that brought in supporters from as far away as Ghana. Traditionally people come out to ride a train from Union Station to Downsview to mark both the Emancipation Act and to honour those who rode the Underground Railroad to freedom from the USA. The live event attracts 1,000 people, Friday’s live YouTube broadcast ...

Breaking News – Drive in to see those Caribbean Movies we all love.   Tonight (Thursday), Friday and Saturday the Caribbean Tales Film Festival will be showing movies on the Big Big Screen.  Although the actual festival in September will be on-line, for the next three nights they will be showing movies at a newly built Ontario Place Pop-up Drive-In!  It is all part of what the CTFF calls its Community series, From August 6 to 8, recent and classic Caribbean films will be screened at the outdoor theatre at the southeast corner of Ontario Place. Each night includes two of Toronto's top comedians performing live followed by TWO classic films. The just announced schedule is as follows: Thursday Comedians: Jay Martin & Keesha Brownie Films: Bazodee and The Harder They Come Friday Comedians: Jean Paul & Ron Josol Films: Kingston Paradise & Yardie Saturday August 8  Comedians: Crystal Ferrier & Cedric Newman Films: Rai...

Film Festival Entry Lockdowns student’s fear of school shootings. By Stephen Weir The fear of gun violence in US schools is raising students’ stress levels to Code Red.  Generation Lockdown , a new 17-minute film about mass shootings in schools, will in all likelihood scare students, concern parents and make educators wonder if it could happen here in Canada. Lockdown – the protocol that American schools follow when there is a threat to students – means locking and barricading classroom doors and windows. The students hunker down clutching their teacher waiting until the emergency is over.  “ Lockdowns have become a hallmark of American Education and become a by product of the United States’ inability to curb its gun violence epidemic,” explains New York City based director Sirad Balducci.    “We hope this film will incentivize parents to be the first in the line of defense by removing kids’ access to guns in the home and giving them tools to iden...

Miss Dolly, David Rudder and  Macomere Fifi  Are All On Board for the Friday July 31 st  Emancipation Day Underground Freedom Train Ride  Live and Online FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 30, 2020 ...  This year’s 15 th  annual Freedom Train Ride is going live and virtual! Get on board live on A Different Booklist Cultural Centre’s YouTube page beginning at 10:45 PM on the eve of Emancipation day, Friday July 31st, 202.0 The  Emancipation Day “Underground Freedom Train” Ride  is symbolic of the role of the Underground Railroad within Canada’s history. This train ride is recognition of the historic date of  Emancipation Day  on August 1 st  when slavery was abolished in the British Empire. It is also a celebration of the power and potential of the peoples of African descent. A Different Booklist Cultural Centre (ADBCC)  and the 2020  Freedom Train Ride Committee  are pleased to announce this year's Cond...

It sounds like the Clash of the Pitons! Toronto Caribbean Camera 07.30.2020 By Stephen Weir Three of St. Lucia’ s top soca artistes are going to face off in studio on Friday on the first ever Carib Beer Canada Sound Clash. Soca artistes Ricky T, Cooyah, and Umpa are going live at 8pm on an online broadcast created just for Canadians celebrating Carnival week.  It is a chance to see three international performers who have been missing from the summer Soca music scene here in Toronto because of the Virus shutdown. A Sound Clash, by the way, is a musical competition where crewmembers from opposing artistes pit their skills against each other. The planned one-hour unscripted show will be taking place inside a St. Lucia recording studio. “We are going to have some fun with the Clash, it is meant to be a cool thing for our fans to watch, here at home and in Canada,” Ricky T Thomas told the Caribbean Camera earlier this week. “It is this Covid 19 thing that we are a...

Marc Trinidad getting ready for the day he can get back on stage Just ask Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle who the best Caribbean Canadian comic they have worked with is and the answer will be the same, Marc Trinidad.   Be it on stage, radio, or on live TV, Trinidad is our standup man! True to his sir name Marc Trinidad was indeed born and raised in Trinidad, but now Barrie is where he calls home. After working theatre and sketch comedy in T&T for a number of years he decided to come to Canada to gain some international exposure.  He has lived and worked in the “Great White North” for over 20-years and has carved out a stand-up career that has him in constant demand wherever English is spoken! With nightclubs closed and comedy festivals on hold, Trinidad, is hunkered down at home waiting out the virus shutdown. Over the weekend the standup man had a sit-down question and answer session with our Arts reporter Stephen Weir.  He also took a selfie for ...

How to defend yourself against a gangsta with jerk chicken and other bon mots from Zeen? Zeen? is a “mocumentary” film that takes a comedic view on making highbrow White movies about Jamaica.  Zeen (got it?)? This made-in-Markham shorty is the Caribbean Tales Film Festival’s (CTFF’s) marquee movie for this fall’s Red and White Comedy Night. The September 14th online screening is showcasing five Canadian comedic short films, and organizers guarantee Zeen? will “have you laughing out loud” as you watch on your smartphone or laptop. The 15th annual CaribbeanTales Film Festival runs from September 9th until October 2nd. This year, because of the virus shutdown, the CTFF will take place online with nine nights and more than 25 short and feature films of live stream entertainment. “My goal with the movie was to examine the reasons why white people might misrepresent, misinterpret or place judgment on Black culture and realities, “said director, writer and star Carlyx Passailaigue...

Virus forces Annual Ride For Freedom to Travel Virtually in 2020 Canada’s 8th annual Ride For Freedom is coming to a Smart Phone near year for 2020.  Scheduled to take place on August 1st, the train ride to mark Emancipation Day, is happening this year online! Held every year in Toronto, the Annual Emancipation Day Underground Freedom Train Ride,  usually sees over 1,000 people take a midnight subway ride from Union Station to Sheppard station.  The TTC has always provided the special midnight train and a volunteer crew, and people from all across the country have come to the city to ride the rail. But, because of Covis 19, the train will not be leaving the station in 2020. Itah Sadu "We are excited about bringing the train ride to a virtual platform and the world's stage," said Itah Sadu, Founder and Chair of the Freedom Train Ride Committee. "This year we are connecting with people nationally and internationally with the theme of diasporic crossings ...