Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Carnival Themed Fete At the Art Gallery Of Ontario Attracts Hundreds and Hundreds Rhoma in costume at the AGO - photo by Craigg Slowly By Stephen Weir for Caribbean Camera Rhoma Spencer, Macomere Fifi, traditional costumed carnival performers and dancer Jasmyn Fyffe took the AGO by storm last Thursday night as part of the art gallery's First Thursday fete. The theme last night was Carnival, and thousands crammed into the Toronto public gallery to jump up. Rhoma Spencer, a well-known Trinidadian Canadian actor and producer, recreated the custom of Viey la Cou (The Old Yard), where traditional Mas was performed over two centuries ago. The characters that she brought to the Dundas St W building were larger than life. There was Dame Lorraine, a Trinidadian mas character of the 18th century, was known for love of dance and shakes it up in a big way with huge padded breasts and an equally large padded butt. Pictured with the Dame is Rhoma Spencer dressed as the Midnigh

Tis The Season And The Caribbean Camera Was There Michael Williams and the Foreva Carnival models in the new Tees By Stephen Weir for the Caribbean Camera With Carnival Season arriving in Toronto, Mas Camps are beginning to introduce their new themes and look.   Michael Williams, the founder of D’New Regulars Foreva Carnival, had a T-shirt photo shoot. Mr. Williams and D’New Regulars are one of the longest running competitive bands in the annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival.   This year the band’s theme is based on John John, a part of Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain. On Friday, the band’s Foreva Carnival models posed with Mr. Williams wearing their new signature t-shirt “ Fresh Out of John John. Photographs by Antony Berot.

One Love. For One Day. In Toronto By Stephen Weir for the Caribbean Camera For the 27th year in a row, the City has declared February 6th as Bob Marley Day in Toronto.   In a special ceremony a proclamation from Mayor John Tory was read out, Bob Marley Day Awards were presented to community leaders and a Jamaican surfing reggae star performed to a small group of Marley supporters. Bob Marley Day began in 1991 with the first proclamation made by the former mayor of Toronto, Mayor Art Eggleton. This year, Mayor Tory signed the Bob Marley proclamation and had councillor Michael Thompson read it out at the Friday noon hour award ceremony and mini reggae concert.   Pictured left: Jamaica reggae star and owner of the island's surf club, Billy Mystic performed at the City Of Toronto's Bob Marley Day proclamation ceremony. On Friday at noon the city proclaimed February 6 as Bob Marley Day in the city.. Organizer Courtney Betty (l), Billy Mystic and councillor 

Family round  cup.  L to Rt: Juede, Divahd, Lievi, Susanna Noel and Don Morelan It Happened Monday Night In Toronto By Stephen Weir -   as seen in the Caribbean Camera newspaper ...  The Grey Cup came to a Mas Camp event at Nickel 9 Distillery in Toronto’s Junction district. For three hours the famed Canadian Football League sat on a round bar table in the middle of a room filled with barrels and vats of   vodka in the making. The Toronto Argonauts won the 105th annual Grey Cup game last November. Argo wide receiver and special teams player, Llevi Noel got   to borrow the cup for a day (as does each member of the winning team).   “ I wanted to share the cup for a little while with my family and friends,” explained 26 year-old Toronto Argonaut Llevi Noel.   “I took it down to U of T this afternoon, and finished off my day here with the Cup at the distillery.” Llevi and his family trace their   roots to Grenada, but is a Torontonian through and through.   He atten

K.J. Mullins interviews Taylor Prize Finalist James Maskalyk By K.J. Mullins The first thing you notice about author James Maskalyk is how comforting his voice is. That voice is one that many people hear at during their hardest hours. When not writing Maskalyk is an Emergency Room doctor in Toronto and Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he has helped to train the 25 emergency doctors that treat people in that country. James Maskalyk photo by George Socka Maskalyk's latest award-winning book Life on The Ground Floor was recently shortlisted for this year’s RBC Taylor Prize. The doctor takes readers through the A, B, Cs of emergency medicine in both a modern hospital and one where doctors have to deal with broken equipment while repairing hearts and limbs. During the brief moments of downtime, Maskalyk is with his beloved grandfather, a true man's man. Living in a trapper's cabin in Alberta the older man's last years are thoughtfully arc