CULTURE & THE ARTS
The Shell/Invaders Lesson about What makes a Great Relationship
The global oil giant, Shell and the Invaders steel band of Trinidad and Tobago provide a most outstanding example of how different elements from extreme ends of the social spectra on both sides of the world, can form and successfully evolve an enduring, productive relationship against all odds.Many have pondered on how a dominating international …
The Shell/Invaders Lesson about What makes a Great Relationship Read More »
Pan in the Groove
August is Pan month as Trinidad and Tobago celebrates the invention of the Steel Pan as the musical instrument created by renowned pan-man Winston “Spree” Simon in the late1940s.
For certain, since its emergence on the streets of Port of Spain as a crudely dented in oil drum intended to replace the “tamboo bamboo” sticks which the ex-slaves had been beating to discover their hidden spirits into a separate reality, the steel pan or “Pan” has come a very long way.
Sparrow Still Very Alive and Singing
Yes, the memory of that noble initiative to erect a statue in honour of the world-renowned Calypso bard Slinger Francisco (“The Mighty Sparrow”) at the St Ann’s Roundabout some 15 years ago, has certainly faded.
More than that, however, is the callous manner in which succeeding governments have allowed this important landmark to fall into decay, even as the celebrity himself keeps gallantly flying the flag of honour against all odds, for the cause of Calypso and Caribbean entertainment in general against all odds.
Comedy Crime Drama ‘Chee$e’ is a Delightful Time
While chatting with a member of the TT film industry about my Caribbean film industry (Cariwood) coverage for Red Mango Reviews they mentioned two shows to check out—Chee$e and Fish (sounds delicious, right?). And for this article I will be checking out the first of these recommendations, 2015 comedy crime drama Chee$e Episode 1; I haven’t seen any other episodes so I believe it’s stuck at the pilot stage.
Chee$e follows a young man named Skimma (Akil Williams) who makes and delivers cheese in his coastal community of Turtle Village, Trinidad. But his ambitions to see the world are not feasible with his small income, so he cooks up a scheme to start trafficking marijuana in blocks of cheese.
Akil Williams: Caribbean Actor, Writer, Creative
I recently had the wonderful honor of making the acquaintance of the mega talented being that is Akil Williams. A gentle and humble soul, his relevant and believable portrayal of Skimma, the lead character in Chee$e truly displayed his natural talent. With an easy and quiet confidence, he takes the audience through the reasons, circumstances and thought processes of a young man, living in a seaside village in the Caribbean, and navigating manhood and responsibility.
My Heart longs for Mausica
Every now and then, a few of the six thousand students who had graduated from the sprawling campus carved into remote farm-land at Mausica, east Trinidad, would meet by design or accident somewhere in the world.
Spontaneously caught up in nostalgic ole talk and banter about the place which made such a deep impression on their young lives, they would suddenly go silent, engulfed in a wave of fond memories that will not go away for the rest of their lives.
STATE OF THE NATION
Children of Hope
When Trinidadian 11-year-old Daniel Rajkumar, 11, received a Silver Award in the “Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021” hosted by the Royal Commonwealth Society, England, he was among a number of very young people blazing the trail of hope for a bright T+T future. Rajkumar is a pupil of Reform Presbyterian Primary School and resides in …
Open Season
With yet another not-so-merry COVID 19 Christmas out of the and Trinis champing at the bit to break out from their chains in wild release for Carnival 2022, the tropic air is highly charged with tense expectation. In this vein, many people in the know are talking out – and many others are talking out …
Tobago Hits the Big Stage as World’s Most Finely Inclined New Small Nation
Tobago House of Assembly’s new Chief Secretary Farley Chavez Augustine might have inadvertently started sounding the death knell for a future unified state of Trinidad and Tobago when he announced plans to abolish the “ridiculous” dress code at public buildings in Tobago. “Effective immediately, we will be asking the Chief Administrator to send out a …
Tobago Hits the Big Stage as World’s Most Finely Inclined New Small Nation Read More »