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Caribbean Camera First With The News About   Chariandy’s big Toronto Book Award win By Stephen Weir Last week, literally 10-minutes before the Caribbean Camera went to press, Trinidadian Canadian author David Chariandy won the prestigious $10,000 2018 Toronto Book Awards.  His book, Brother, is a novel about growing up in Malvern. We were able to get a picture of him accepting his award in the paper --- the only paper to do so on Wednesday night.  We didn’t have room to print our story about his accomplishment. What follows are the details of his amazing win! David Chariandy’s book is a devastating story about the love between a single Trinidadian mother and her sons, the impact of race, masculinity and the senseless loss of young lives in Malvern, in the violent summer of 1991. The winner of the 2018 Toronto Book Awards was announced last Wednesday night at the Toronto Reference Library. This was the 44th year of the Toronto Book Awards. The annual awards offer $15,000 in

Four  Jamaican Canadian University Students Can Spend 5 Weeks In Jamaica Free, Learning About Heritage By Stephen Weir Every summer four Jamaican Canadian university students are brought back to the island to learn about their heritage.   The deadline to apply for this free five-week programme is November 30 th . The Jamaican Birthright Program (JPB) is thanks to the  GraceKennedy Company  which seeks to reconnect second and third generation Jamaicans Canadians attending universities in Canada back to their cultural roots. It provides round-trip transportation, accommodation, a stipend and an internship in Jamaica. The students will be on island from July 1 to Aug 7th 2019.   Petronilla Marchan, one of the organizers of the programme in Canada, said, “students should apply soon. Candidates must be second or third generation Jamaicans, who have never lived in Jamaica for more than a period exceeding six months,” she said. The programme is a cultural a

--> Nicole Brooks’ Obeah Opera 2019 previewed in Toronto Dance Festival   By Stephen Weir When close to 3,000 people stomp, cheer, and clap in an almost sold-out theatre, it makes for a volcano of sound.   And, for the 22 women on stage inside the downtown Toronto Sony Centre, it was an opportunity to erupt in dance and song one as they left the stage. On Friday night, the cast of Nicole Brooks’ Obeah Opera 2019, hand slapped, foot stomped, danced and sang acapella with such passion that the audience almost believed they were peeking back in time to the Salem Massachusetts  Witch Trials o f 1692 .   “ The word Obeah is a Caribbean term which is most connected to the word witchcraft,” explains Nicole Brooks, the multi-talented Canadian filmmaker, songstress and producer of the dance opera which was staged twice on the weekend as part of the week long Fall For Dance North festival. “The dance is based on the Salem Witchcraft Trial seen through the eyes and p

TruDYNASTY drives 24 hours to play Mas in Miami Trains. Planes. Automobiles. And, quite possibly Boats brought thousands of revelers into South Florida on the weekend to take part in the 34 th Annual Miami Carnival Parade & Concert .   Although revellers in Toronto and New York will vehemently disagree, the Miami event is often self-described as the " Largest  Caribbean  Carnival  in North America.” The big event, as it is in every carnival city, belongs to the mas band parade. More than 17 costume bands, 5 pan orchestras and blaring sound trucks took it down the road all day Sunday. Pictured: TruDYNASTY’s Thea Jackson Although no official announcement has been made as to how many people played mas at the city’s Miami-Dade County Fairgrounds or how many watched from the sidelines. Social media estimate 8,000 people were in amazingly skimpy costumes (much more women than men) and 100,000 took it all in from the sidelines. The local media who cover carnival ar

DAVID WINS BIG ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT Photo by: Ceta Ramkhalawansingh Story by Stephen Weir  On Wednesday night Trinidadian Canadian writer David Chariandy’s award winning novel, Brother has won thi s year’s Toronto Book Awards. David Chariandy’s book is a devastating story about the love between a mother and her sons, the impact of race, masculinity and the senseless loss of young lives in Scarborough, in the violent summer of 1991. Brother was one of five books on the City of Toronto and Toronto Library‘s 2018 Toronto Book Awards shortlist. Established by Toronto City Council in 1974, the awards honour books of literary merit that are evocative of Toronto. The 2018 shortlist  Dionne Brand “The Unpublished City“  David Chariandy “Brother“  Carrianne Leung “That Time I Loved You“  Lee Maracle “My Conversations with Canadians“  Kerri Sakamoto “Floating City“ The winner of the 2018 Toronto Book Awards was announced last night at the Toronto Reference Library. This i