Culturepulse october 2016

Issue 39

October 2016

Sanell Dempster is back!

Cindy Mollineau’s

How to Rock Your Halloween Look!

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As Autumn introduces itself to us bringing with it weather that is not kind to your skin or hair or, as a matter of fact, your general well-being. Autumn means you are going to be lashed with rain and high winds, short days and long nights.

And soon the winter chill will start to bite into your bones.

With that said, Culturepulse would like to introduce you to Cindy Mollineau, our new columnist. Cindy has 17years experience in the Make Up industry. Her love for colour and vibrancy and glamour have earned her clients across all sectors of the industry. She has done work for numerous carnival bands in Europe and Trinidad and Tobago and worked on the prestigious London Fashion Week for two consecutive years (2014/15). We welcome Cindy to the pages of Culturepulse where we are sure that she would have helpful tips and bold ideas to see you ladies through those harsh winter months ahead.

We are also asking all our diasporic communities to reach out and help those affected by Hurricane Mathew that recently swept through the Caribbean wreaking havoc and causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage and loss of life. Please donate through charities that are active in the region and put the donations received into those affected. Many of the High Commission offices here in London and the Americas have excellent coordinated efforts for getting aid to these areas. It would be worthwhile checking with your nearest one to find out what they are doing to help and how you can assist.

Generally, in cases such as these; people are in dire need of food, shelter, medicines and clothing. Items such as blankets, tents, dry and tinned foods are preferred items for donating.

One of the charities working with Haiti, is Partners in Health.

Follow the link on: http://act.pih.org/hurricane-mathew here you can donate direct to Haiti’s plight.

David Kalloo Editor

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Contents First World War: War and Africa p.4 The Contemporary African Art Fair p.8 Sanell Dempster is back! p.11 Reflections, 50 yrs of NHC p.15 Teenage Suicide Increase p.28 Cindy Mollineau, P.33 Hate Crime p39 Mary Seacole p.42 Production and concept: D.T. Kalloo

Culturepulse is designed and produced by Cashewmedia ltd and published online through www.issuu.com Copyright 2016 Views and comments expressed by contributors are not necessary those of Culturepulse but of the author/s.

For all enquiries, please contact: 07738864335 cashewmedialtd@gmail.com Culturepulse list of contributors’ to making the magazine a success.

Natalie Alicia Dookie Lyndon Brathwaite, Ansel Wong, David Wears, Chris Boothman, Leela Ramdeen, Nasser Khan, Malaika Crichlow, Amos Armstrong, Soshina Stephen, David Rudder, Jimmy Kainja, Paul Ade, Akilah Holder-Stewart , Michael La Rose, Dr Michelle Yaa, Dr Juanita Cox-Westmaas, Dianne A Kalloo, Shabaka Thompson, Ron Ramdin, Rhianna Kalloo, Angelique, Dorothy Scott, Memory Pincheck, Erica Williams-Connell, Darren Lewis, Tessa Robinson, Ciny Mollineau, lair Shepherd and Afridiziak.

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South London for a session on the involvement of Africa in World War 1.

However, we must remember that the Caribbean islands were also deeply involved.

First World War: War and Africa

Some ‘15,600 men of the British West Indies Regiment served with the Allied forces. Jamaica contributed two-thirds of these volunteers, while others came from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Bahamas, British Honduras, Grenada, British Guiana (now Guyana), the Leeward Islands, St Lucia and St Vincent. Nearly 5,000 more subsequently volunteered to join up, and according to Glenford D. Howe ‘by the outbreak of war in 1914, centuries of alienation and the suppression of the remnants of African cultural practices, and the proliferation of British institutions, culture and language, had created staunchly loyal Black Britishers in Barbados and other colonies. ‘

The role of Africa and the Caribbean in the first WW has been ‘overlooked’ for many decades. I can only surmise that this was not be by accident or amnesia but by design. According to research ‘The fighting started and ended in Africa and involved over two million people on the continent who made huge sacrifices for the Europeans - with thousands losing their lives’.

‘Not since the American War of Independence had such a huge number of people of African descent been involved in fighting for Europeans’. Most of these people were ‘beasts of burden’ - many were ‘forced recruitment’ used to carry the heavy weapons and supplies needed by the Europeans. Most were very poorly fed either with substandard food - and food they were not familiar with.

‘The expression of support for Britain from the West Indian population was therefore, not surprisingly, quite overwhelming’ stated Howe. ‘Donations were made in spite of severe hardships...Gifts to the value of several thousand pounds were contributed by the colonies to the war effort; these included sugar, rum, oil, lime, cotton, rice, clothing, logwood, and nine aeroplanes. A total of 11 ambulances and adequate funds for their maintenance were donated, and approximately two million pounds sterling was given to the British government and charities. These donations were made in spite of severe hardships caused by major increases in the cost of living throughout the region which occurred with the proclamation of war’. ‘The islands donated £60m in today's money to the war effort cash they could ill afford’.

Wars are fought for several reasons however many of us now see war as an industry where huge profits are made and many lives lost, yet most of us are still rather naive about how they start - the motivation behind them - and why they start.

‘The generosity of the colonies was, however, not uncontested locally. Some liberal newspapers, like the Federalist newspaper in Grenada, had reservations

I recently had the opportunity - with others - to visit the Imperial War Museum in 4

about what they regarded as extravagance on the part of the local legislatures. Their commitment to the cause of the lower classes had to be seen by the public as equally significant as their loyalty to the British government. But the Jamaica Times argued that opposition to the war should receive no mercy under martial law. In several colonies including Trinidad, Grenada, Jamaica and British Honduras, several blacks later adopted the

dozens of the written cards with description of the people and their situations in Africa - what we saw over and over was the nascent racism of whites and the lack of any deep knowledge or understanding of what Africa’s role in this largely European escapade was.

Our visit was illuminating on several fronts. First, was the opportunity to see over 1,300 objects drawn from IWM’s First World War collections – the richest and most comprehensive in the world. These included ‘weapons, uniforms and equipment, diaries and letters, keepsakes and trinkets, photographs, film and art. Each object displayed gave a voice to the people who created them, used them or cared for them, and reveals stories not only of destruction, suffering and loss, but also endurance and innovation, duty and devotion, as well as comradeship and love’.

The ‘comradeship and love’ - so glowingly described in the literature of the Imperial War Museum appeared not to have touched on the lives of the many Africans who sacrificed their lives for white Europeans. Most of the European warfare in Africa during the 19th century had been conducted against African societies to enslave people and later to conquer territory’.

position that it was a white man's war and therefore black people should not get involved.’

The Imperial Museum through its war memorabilia tells the stories of largely white people’s experiences of modern war from WW1 to conflicts today. But what ‘truths’ do they tell us? Who is doing the interpreting of texts, whether in the form of words or artefacts collected and displayed at the Museum.?

‘A million-people died in East Africa alone during the First World War. Many Africans including Caribbean people fought in Europe, defending the interests of their colonial masters. Today, their sacrifice has been largely forgotten. ‘

At the Museum, our group of about 12 people had the opportunity to discover the story of the war through the eyes of people in Britain and its acquired empire, both on the home front and the fighting fronts. We also gained an understanding of how the war started, why it continued, how the Allies ‘won’ and its global impact which continue to today. As we thumbed through

Continuing from the European ‘carving up of Africa’ by 1905 most of Africa during the outset of WW1 was under the control of various colonial powers for trade and profit but also because of prestige. ‘The 5

duty of the Europeans in Africa was not to fight each other, but to keep control of the Africans.’ ‘‘The Berlin Conference of 1884, which regulated European colonization and trade in Africa, is usually referred to as the starting point of the scramble for Africa.’ ‘Consequent to the political and economic rivalries among the European empires in the last quarter of the 19th century, the partitioning of Africa was how the Europeans avoided warring amongst themselves over Africa and this period saw the transition from "informal

Africa) Kenya, (German East Africa) Tanzania, (Northern Rhodesia) Zambia, (Nyasaland) Malawi: (Portuguese East Africa) Mozambique, Uganda. German colonies in Africa which had been acquired in the 1880s were not well defended. They were also surrounded by territories controlled by Britain, France, Belgium and Portugal. Therefore, ‘colonial military forces in Africa were relatively small, poorly equipped and had been created to maintain internal order, rather than conduct military operations against other colonial forces’.

By Claire Shepherd Photos courtesy Imperial War Museum www.iwm.org.uk

imperialism" by military influence and economic dominance, to the direct rule of a people which brought about colonial imperialism’.

Therefore, at the outset of WW1 there were some ambiguous feelings about the involvement of Africans. Per one source some whites thought ‘it would be dangerous to train African men to fight, in case they might rise up and use it against the colonial powers’.

According to Simon Rogers in the ‘Forgotten Soldiers’ ‘Black soldiers were assigned the dirty, dangerous jobs of loading ammunition, laying telephone wires and digging trenches. Conditions were appalling. One soldier George stated: "It was cold. And everywhere there were white lice’.

Seven African territories were directly involved in the First World War and the fighting; (Belgium) Congo: (British East 6

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The Contemporary African Art Fair To coincide with Black History Month, London was treated to some of the most engaging art at the Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House. While the show was a resounding success, it’s 3-day run (Oct 6-9) at Somerset House was not enough to satiate the enormous appetite that Londoners have for art, and more so, African Art.

African Art is fast becoming a popular fixture with major galleries as African contemporary artists are making inroads into an arena that have for too long been dead-bolted to these major artists from the African continent. Last year the Foundation Cartier pour l’art Contemporian in Paris featured Beauté Congo 1926-2015 which ran from July through to November.

The Contemporary African Art Fair in London is becoming a regular fixture, however we need to see events like these running for longer. Longer runs will give schools the opportunity to organise educational trips, just for the art conscious student but also for others to embrace and understand the misguided concept of what is held about the continent. Among the many artists featured at the Contemporary African Art Fair includes: Julien Sinsogan (Benin), Zak Ove (Trinidad), Maimouna

Guerresi, Billie Zangewa (SA), Goncalo Mabunda, Boris Nzebo (Cameroon), Hamidou Maiga (Burkina Faso), Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou (Benin), Baudouin Mouandu (Congo-Brazzaville), Solkari Douglas Camp (UK based), Ablade Glover (Ghana) and Serge Attukwei Clottley (Ghana) formed part of the show that left London mesmerised by the distinguished collection of art to grace the capital. While 8

out in Somerset House courtyard to speak directly to the history of Somerset House.

According to Dr Cox-Westmass. “In the 1600s during the reign of King James 1 of England, Somerset House became the centre of English artistic and social life.

Anne of Denmark (James I’s wife) encouraged drama and put on a play in 1605, Masque of Blackness, written by Ben Jonson. Anne and her courtiers, painted in blackface, performed the play.

There was a societal shift away from the notions of black beauty towards a preference for lighter skin in the early 17th century. This formed the basis for Ove’s invisible men, reclaiming their identity, their dignity and in taking over the courtyard affirms comments on issues of power, beauty and skin colour.”

D. Kalloo Many thanks to Dr Cox-Westmaas for providing a photographs and an account of the Contemporary African Art fair.

many of Africa’s leading artists wasunable to attend and have their work displayed due to funding and visa requirements, the show was well received.

All photos courtesy Dr Juanita Cox-Westmaas.

One of the features at the African Art Fair was the two-metre high black graphite sculptures of Masked African figures based on East African wood carvings. The masked figures were set 9

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Sanell Dempster is back!

Sanell Dempster, the former Road March Queen of Trinidad and Tobago, is back!

The soca songstress who ruled the 90s soca arena is again riding high.

The Soca Queen left the stage seven years ago, now Sanell has returned to the music arena armed with four new releases for carnival 2017. The first release is a groovy number called “Washa Woman”, co-written

by Sanell Dempster, Heaven “Snakey” Charles and an anonymous writer. Her second release is a calypso; followed by a chutney soca and a power soca tune.

Judging from the response to Washa Woman the sultry-voice beauty looks set to take 2017 carnival by storm.

Sanell came to prominence in 1991 as the frontline vocalist for the band Taxi where she performed alongside the big names such as Colin Lucas and Marvin Lewis.

Blacks. In the same year she began her stint with big band Atlantik. It seemed the decade belonged to Sanell as she joined Sound Revolution in 1995 for two years before she took up residence with Blue Ventures as their frontline vocalist. In 1999 she was crown the Road March winner with her tune, ‘River’ and in 2000 she became the first Soca Queen winner. The Soca Queen also performed alongside Alison Hinds in the late 90s with a band in Barbados. Sanell is also the second female to have won the coveted Road March title in Trinidad and Tobago. The first female to win the title was Calypso Rose in 1977.

Sanell Dempster’s absence from the music arena in 2010 to focus on family was, ‘well worth it’ she said. Since her return to the music stage with her brand new band, Brass 2 the World with ‘Snakey’ and Ejay. She has been creating waves with her new single ‘Washa Woman’ and along with the

Three years later in 1994 Sanell embarked on a European Promotional tour under the patronage of carnival impresario, Sonny 11

years…Brass was the key then and it is what B2W will bring. We have a great team spirit…with ideas fused with experience to deliver on a different level.” Washa Woman certainly delivers on a different level to the modern-day soca that we have become accustomed to, there is energy and that pulsating harmonious rhythm that takes you back to an era where, when soca music was being played, it just moved you to dance.

Sanell and B2W have scored an ace and may have even set a trend where we see a new impetus to soca music going back to its roots.

band are already headlining top gigs in T&T as well as being featured on national radio and TV channels.

Fans of Sanell Dempster who loved her sultry sexy voice will not be disappointed to find out that, the new Sanell is just as sultry and sexy and sounding even sweeter.

Despite being branded a ‘male basher’ for her tunes such as; ‘Nothing’ and ‘Chances’ she is still one of the top female soca artiste in Trinidad and Tobago. However, there is another side to Sanell that most people don’t know, Sanell is a woman of many talents. She is a professional Baker and cake decorator as well. Asked about her baking skills the soca songstress replied. “If you looking for a cake with artistic flair…mouth-watering, succulent and creative that you won’t ever find in a normal bakery, check me out.”

Social media fans can follow Sanell on: facebook – Sanell Dempster – Caribbean Artist; on instagram @sanelldempster; on twitter@khalabashent Be sure to check her facebook page – Cakes by Sanell For further information and bookings contact Wendy Lewis on 756.3549 or khalabash@gmail.com

Sporting a brand new image with the new band Brass 2 the World (B2W) with members Heaven Charles and Edwin Granger Sanell is full of anticipation for the 2017 carnival. In an interview with a local newspaper Sanell said. “I have noticed significant changes in the music over the 12

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REFLECTIONS OF 50 YEARS OF THE PEOPLE’s CARNIVAL

By Shabaka Thompson Celebrating 50 years of Notting Hill Carnival dedicated over a three-year period (2014 – 2016) proves that what is labelled Europe’s largest Street Festival, is an evolutionary organic event. Perhaps this is the first such time you will celebrate a golden jubilee of an event in such a manner. Why? Is it because as Afrocentric peoples our history is still lodged in oral traditions or is it no one person or moment can be attributed to the birth of this very tamed elephant? I recall a Carnivalist referring to it to some years ago. In choosing this triennial approach to the golden jubilee, the London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprise Trust (LNHCT), the present community vanguard has taken a path that embraced the evolution of the event. In so doing they have acknowledged the various persons and efforts that contributed to making what the Carnival has become in 21st Century Britain.

Therefore, the genesis of the London Notting Hill Carnival is rooted mainly in three epochs- eras attributed to two females namely Claudia Jones and Rhuane Laslett – O’Brien and its transition led by Russell Henderson that became the eventual domination by London Caribbean community.

This was back in 2008, and even then, there were many within the African Caribbean community who had no clue who was Claudia Jones. One reason given for such ignorance according to a colleague in the Carnival circles was that “Claudia never spoke to the grassroots.

Her Carnival Shows targeted the Black middle class”. This argument holds weight considering that these Carnival showcases were held in venues such as St. Pancras Town Hall, Porchester Hall, Seymour Hall and the Lyceum Ballroom. Claudia was an activist and journalist, a brilliant African woman who believed that “a people’s art is the genesis of their freedom”. Her first show in 1959 was in direct response to the racist activated death of Kelso Cochrane and the previous riot that occurred in Notting Hill in 1958.

I recall when on reopening the Tabernacle under the proprietorship of the Carnival Village Trust, we together with the Nubian Jak Foundation found it fitting to mount a commemorative blue plaque in Tavistock Square W11 honouring Claudia Jones as “The Mother of the Caribbean Carnival”.

Despite the fact that none of the chosen venues were located in Notting Hill, the Jones’ Caribbean Carnival was always meant to be a synthesis for bridging the racial divide between the Caribbean and 15

Jones led Caribbean Carnival shows, validating Claudia’s contribution and endorsing it as the ‘mother’ reverberates today through the unifying force the Carnival has indeed become in its golden jubilee.

Unlike Claudia, Rhuane Laslett lived in Ladbroke Grove. As a community activist, she claimed having in accordance with her Native American lingo a “flambecha” – a vision where she saw a diverse crowd of people dancing in the streets together. Her role within the Notting Hill community was about community cohesion and through her dedicated commitment she helped organise community events for the local residents. One was a community street festival with objectives to entertain children, to bring local residents who lived in the slums together, to ease the racial tension perpetuated by the slogans and attacks and to generally demonstrate the power of co-operation. In 1966 Laslett determined to engage the local West Indian community in the festival invited Russell Henderson and his pan side to play in the festival. The immediate reaction to the sound of the steelpan had a pied piper effect as droves of Caribbean people came out and followed the impromptu procession behind Henderson and his small group of roving steelpan players.

However, Ladbroke Grove remained a slum that attracted the likes of Michael X, best known as a pimp and a collector of rent for the notorious landlord Peter Rachman. In his autobiography entitled From Michael De Frietas to Michael X in 1968 he wrote of the condition of Notting Hill “It was impossible to believe you were in twentieth-century England: terraced houses with shabby, crumbling stonework and the last traces of discoloured paint peeling from their doors, windows broken, garbage and dirt strewn all over the road, every second house

the host community. However, Claudia and her colleagues were associated with the communist movement, socialists who stood gallantly in defence for equality and justice for the underclass. Similarly, Notting Hill in the late fifties and early sixties was a slum where Peter Rachman rented small rooms at extortionate rents to Caribbean families faced with racist slogans that associated them with the Irish and dogs. It was the era of Mosley’s antiimmigration rants with his motto “Keep Britain White” and regular racial attacks on the community by local Teddy Boys. It is ironic however against this background in her socialist politics, Claudia emulated the concepts of the ‘master’ by including a Carnival Queen contest that was a common element of her Caribbean Carnival Showcases, especially at a time when the Mighty Sparrow had already led a Calypsonians’ boycott because of the inequality between the Calypso King and Carnival Queen competitions in Trinidad.

His calypso “Carnival Boycott” flagrantly decries this unfair treatment meted out by the then Carnival organisers on the calypsonians. It is fair to mention by the time Claudia held the last Caribbean Carnival in 1964 she had deleted the beauty contest from the event. Therefore, whether it was people’s opposition to attending or ignorance of the Claudia 16

deserted, with doors nailed up and rusty corrugated iron across the window spaces, a legion of filthy white children swarming everywhere and people lying drunk across the pavement…” You also see glimpses of ‘Life in London’ as it refers to these early post Windrush decades in Samuel Selvon’s fiction “Lonely Londoner”.

Angela Davis in the sixties had penetrated the minds of the second generation of youths proud to be Black. Artists such as Bob Marley resided within the borough that contributed to the rise in the popularity of his music.

Lovers Rock found a place in the charts that engineered the birth of an indigenous British reggae sound and powered the spread of the sound system culture. The presence of Kitchener previously made calypso music popular and it was the beginning of the golden era for West Indies Cricket. This abundance of cultural pride over spilled into Black Community politics that started sensitising and mobilising the youths in London and other regional cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff. This awareness promulgated leaders to organise and centralise the community under an umbrella of resistance and resilience. With a concentrated Black community, comprising of many Trinidadian residents in Ladbroke Grove, it was easy for the people to take reigns of the Carnival. It is clear that once Henderson was introduced, the Fayre evolved into a processional event through the streets of Notting Hill that was organic. What emerged was the People Carnival led by community leaders such as Merle Major, Selwyn Baptiste, Andre Shirvingham and Granville Price. Andre was influential in engaging Henderson initially in the street fayre with Laslett Led by the North Kensington Amenity Trust, later the Westway Development Trust that sought to set up a structure that will organise and produce the Carnival. Leslie Palmer responded to the initial call by the Trust for someone to organise the event and together with band leaders like Lawrence Noel and Peter Minshall, provided the blueprint for the Carnival we have today.

Throughout Selvon’s fiction, he expresses the profane and the sublime and shows the perseverance of the West Indian spirit against the vagaries of a Britain that continued to pout anti-immigration slogans that alluded to “Rivers of Blood”. 1966 was the year Muhammad Ali visited the London Free School led by Laslett, which was based in Tavistock Crescent. Michael X admitted in his article in the publication “The Grove” that he was asked by Laslett to invite Ali to the Grove. Ali’s iconic visit to Notting Hill in May 1966 was well attended by throngs of local people, especially those from the West Indian Community. 1966 was also the year the West Indies beat England 3-1 in a five test series. In 2011 Nubian Jack mounted a blue plaque in Tavistock Square opposite Claudia Jones’ that pays respect to Laslett’s contribution with the following inscription “Through her vision and spirit the Notting Hill Street Festival was conceived in 1965. It later evolved into Notting Hill Carnival. “During the seventies with the spread of the Black Power movement, thirty years after Windrush and having fought off their early settlement woes, the Caribbean community rallied to take control of the Carnival. This was juxtaposed by the growing confrontations between the police and the Black community. Mohammed Ali’s visit roused a sense of Black identity and fuelled Black pride within the communities across Britain. The Black Panther Movement who spearheaded visits

by Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and 17

The Amenity Trust, for many years provided the organisers with office space and rightly so considering the North Kensington Trust was set up to ensure that the local community be actively involved in determining the use of that mile strip of land under the newly built Westway.

Contribution from the Amenity Trust helped built the capacity for the Carnival to deliver a diverse event consisting of a costume parade, static sound systems and live music stages. Consequently, this gave rise to the Carnival Development Committee (CDC), who took on the responsibility as custodians for the event up until 1977 when the Carnival had two organisers, the CDC and the CAC (Carnival Arts Committee). “Knowledge is power” proved a truism within the Caribbean community in the seventies.

The awareness of self was indeed an awakening of the Black consciousness within what was perceived as a marginal community across the country and this radical knowledge was now ingrained within the psyche of the emerging Black British Youth. With attempts to organise and centralise the Carnival in the seventies, the community were faced with their own internal challenges based on trust and the capacity to best manage their affairs. It is symptomatic of the community to see their leaders as persons who are more about aggrandising their positions and hence they are usually maligned for incompetence and covert conspiracies not beneficial to the community.

Darcus Howe a CDC member and editor of the newspaper Race Today, and Frank Critchlow leader of the Mangrove and one of the victim in the Mangrove 9 affair, were instrumental in their attempts to uplift the community through culture, politics and entrepreneurship. By the mid-seventies the CAC took control of the reigns and started an era where the police became a major stakeholder due to the learnings derived from their failed strategies in quelling the uprising of 1976. Once the Carnival became an organised event, the police have been a significant stakeholder in the process. Their input makes the event unique as it does not totally rest exclusive responsibility on the community organisers. It is believed that the Notting Hill Carnival is the supreme training opportunity for the Metropolitan police in crowd control and race relations. The dynamics of managing volumes of people, mainly from a specific ethnicity, in the initial years were indeed a challenge for the Met. They can be perceived as another masquerade band in their own right given the increased in numbers of officers willing to work the bank holiday weekend.

Is it because the event offers an opportunity in understanding the pulse of the Black community? At one time the popular archetypal post Notting Hill Carnival media photo was a female reveller wining back on a ‘Bobby’. With the police in as a major stakeholder, their

The 1976 Notting Hill riot caused a chasm among the organisers and a break- away faction went on to form the Carnival Arts Committee (CAC), both vying to run the event against a backdrop of increased criminal behaviour popular among the youth at the Carnival. Leaders such as Selwyn Baptiste of the original CDC, 18

presence will automatically draw the other emergency services into that collective responsibility.

Carnival weekend. The big tent constructed in Wormwood Scrubs Park by the CAC was the original Carnival Village created seasonally to put a spotlight on the arts of the Carnival. This helped the development of the three key artforms, mas, steelpan and calypso to build their necessary capacity usually enhanced by a cache of statutory and private grant funding borne out of the need to close the racial divides ushered in by antidiscrimination and equal opportunity policies. A plethora of acronyms such as BEM, BME, and BAME codified statutory policies for the marginal migrant communities. These policies were used to push the movement forward both socially and culturally. They exposed the community to the purse strings of GLC (Greater London Council), ILEA (Inner London Education Authority), the GLA (Greater London Arts) that morphed into the LAB, now the Arts Council of England, LBGS (London Borough Grant Scheme) and RBKC (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea).

The impact on the transportation system meant that London Transport has its specific role in catering for the huge commuter demands. The seventies then was a significant period for the social and cultural development of the Black community championed through the Notting Hill Carnival as an icon for increasing race relations between themselves and the policy makers.

Throughout the last two decades of the 20th Century, the Carnival continued to evolve with structures at the most reinventing themselves. Various organs erupted out of perceived mismanagement and poor governance. It was about the politics of race and social integration - the early manifestation to what is now termed as cultural diversity. Emerging out of the seventies, Black conscious community leaders started to shape the London cultural landscape into what had now become notably Black British. All Saints Road had become a hub for grassroots culture in West London, with the Mangrove Restaurant and The People Sounds Record Shop owned by Daddy Vigo dominating the scene. In the eighties Alex Pascal OBE, a renowned and popular presenter of Black Londoner on BBC Radio London, led the Carnival Arts Committee and he contributed to internationalising the Carnival, himself being the founding vice president and national representative of the Foundation for European Carnival Cities (FECC). The Pascal leadership saw a development of the creativity of the event.

This was the beginning of grant funding that helped to shape the artistic outcomes of the Carnival and in so doing the statutory bodies wrote themselves in as stakeholders to the event. So at the end of the 20th Century the Notting Hill Carnival was being referred to as the London Notting Hill Carnival because of the capacity to attract statutory funding and in kind support that made it poignant to London. The period can be considered as the Golden Years of the Carnival.

Steelbands were established within schools across most London boroughs led by the steelpan movement. The ILEA under their Race Equality agenda made attempts to include Carnival on the curriculum that saw efforts by officers within ILEA creating cultural education as a learning outcome. The nineties ushered in the Clair

The artistic arenas received a platform to display their craft and the panorama, calypso and costume competitions became pre-carnival events as a build up to the 19

Holder era and the Notting Hill Carnival Enterprise Limited (NHCEL). Holder as Chair of NHCET attracted commercial funding for the event. Lilt (Coco Cola), Virgin and Western Union sponsorship contributed to cementing Clair Holder as a figurehead capable with her legal expertise to lead the Carnival into an era void of corruption and mismanagement. NHCET enterprising approach proved successful both on paper and in outcome. As a practitioner one will attest to this golden era that brought financial rewards as incentives to further invest in their creative development. Sponsorship, for the most benefitted the artists and concretised the structures inherent within the current governance. Although the three competitions, Panorama, the Calypso Monarch and the Costume Gala were at the time exclusively produced by the organising body with the loss of the ‘Big Tent’, NHCET had no choice but to decentralise the venue for the competitions.

The design for the three-mile footprint that covers the boroughs of RBKC and Westminster is now fixed into a circular parade route including a judging point.

The judging point was once a purposely built stage that is no longer so. Other features in the design are the many popular static sound systems, the live stage in Powis Square and numerous food stalls scattered across the footprint. It is worth noting that the stall holders can be considered stakeholders as most of them have been doing this for a very long time.

Emerging out of the growth in people power, the arenas built their individual organisation capacity that gave them a strong voice in the organising of the event.

The British Association of Steelband (BAS) was born out of the need to merge two disparate steelband organisations into one entity. As an association they were able to mobilise their members into a strong representative organisation that ensured the joint running of the panorama competition. Therefore, panorama found its new home at Horniman’s Pleasance and became a street affair rather than one presented under cover. Like Claudia Jones, Clair and her team used large exhibition halls to host the Costume Gala. The Olympia, Earls Court and Wembley Arena were spaces used in the nineties to showcase this major pre carnival costume showcase, and mas bands rose to the challenge by producing high quality work.

Many mas bands received revenue and project funding from the Arts Council to better produced their work and the Gala provided an opportunity to do just that.

Although the competitions were not new following on from the CAC, under the NHCET more bands were created and a new generation of artisans were established. Finalists of the Calypso Monarch competition were determined by competitors initially auditioning in the 20

Carnival office, some accompanied by a guitar, others beating out their rhythm on the table or a drum for the judges who were usually staff members. That final competition was staged at various venues including the Tabernacle, Dougies Night Club, at the SocaCalypso live stages and at the Yaa Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre. Most artisans will exclaim during the nineties there were financial rewards for your creative efforts either through appearance fees and prizes or both. In this era five artistic arenas dominated and today remain the key stakeholders of the event. All are established membership associations representing the collective voices of the carnival producers, namely BAS, BASS (British Association of Static Sounds), CMA (Caribbean Music Association) and the ABC (Association of British Calypsonians). However, the mas association has gone through many transitions, but it was not until the nineties that it began stabilising its position starting with LICMA (London International Carnival Mas Association), to NHMBA (Notting Hill Mas Band Association and GLIMA (Greater London Mas Association) to the current CAMF (Carnival Arts Masquerade Foundation).

their skills through costume design and construction. However, for years despite these developments, the media mostly reflected the negative aspects and outcomes of the event. Despite its growth in popularity among Londoners the success of the Carnival is usually measured by the media on the crime outcome and gets more adversative especially when there is violence, murder or clashes between the youths and police.

In this new millennium the London Notting Hill Carnival is revered as the mother of all Carnivals in Britain and lauded as Europe’s biggest Street Festival.

It is indeed London’s iconic cultural event that was included in the opening ceremony of the Millennium Dome and at the Queen 50th Golden Jubilee parade on The Mall.

Today the Carnival main organisers, the LNHCET comprised of representative of the now defunct ECCA (Executive Committee of Carnival Arenas). ECCA evolved out of the need for the artistic arenas to have a more collective approach and cohesion for producing the event.

After another reinvention from LCT (London Carnival Trust) led by Educational Entrepreneur Professor Chris Mullard, LNHCET emerged as the current community vanguard, this time powered by a federation of artistic arenas and on a wider scale the Carnivalists.

During the nineties we saw a rise in the Carnival intrusions into primary and tertiary education in London that continued throughout the beginning of the 21st Century. Individuals such as Ruth Tompsett at the Middlesex University Arts Department and Celia Burgess-Macey’s efforts at primary school level and with the PGCE course at Goldsmiths are notable attempts by educationalists to introduce the artform as a pedagogic experience.

Anthropology students made it a point of study for their thesis and helped to define it as a cultural phenomenon that brings people of different backgrounds together.

Art students were encouraged to transfer

This new governance has managed to embrace the notion that the Carnival has reinvented itself from being seemingly an insular event into one that welcomes all people of all backgrounds from across London. Ishmahil Blagrove and Margaret Busby captures this transition beautifully in their photographic documentary published as: Carnival – A Photographic and Testimonial History of the Notting Hill Carnival. Blagrove/Busby book was produced in honour of Carnival Golden Jubilee. One critic refers to the work as a 21

“Fantastic book covering the history of the Notting Hill Carnival from the early days until the present day. Amazing photos highlighting how much the area has changed.” The book is indeed a publication that will become a key resource of academic research in the future. It will also add to the ongoing discourse on the Carnival already

economy, LNHCET is still underfunded to achieve its goals as a sustainable outfit.

Funding is mainly granted by RBKC who in many ways continues to ensure the Carnival remains uniquely Notting Hill.

The RBKC since the late nineties took over the responsibility for allocating spaces to stall holders an activity once managed by the organisers. I guess this strategy allows the Council to provide the necessary grant funding for the carnival.

With the lack of sponsorship to afford financial rewards, the arenas have managed to mobilise their membership into sustaining their artistic presence, which has seen an increase in performance units. Even when it is not viable to organise the competitions of the seventies and eighties most of them have continued with minimum financial support. With the strengthening of the artistic arenas in light of decreased sponsorship, there was automatically a decentralising of the production of the competitions and in so doing the mas arena under the aegis of the NHMBA (Notting Hill Mas Bands Association) organised the Costume Gala at the Alexandra Palace for the first ten years of the millennium. Eventually the Costume Gala was not sustainable and NHMBA reinvented itself into what is currently CAMF.

perpetuated through various conferences and seminars across the country. In 2000 after a local referendum the Greater London Authority with a Mayor at the helm returned to the capital.

The GLA’s responsibility for most things London under the first administration led

by Ken Livingston decided that the Carnival was a vital part of the City. Led by the Mayor’s advisor on Equality and the Police, Lee Jasper, the GLA initiated a review on the Carnival and the LDA implemented an in-depth research to determine the economic and social Impact of the Carnival on London. According to the research, submitted by the LDA in 2003, the Carnival contributes about £93m to the London economy and supported the equivalent of 3,000 full time jobs. Since then the GLA has continued to fund the carnival mainly for the stewarding services. Despite the Carnival, according to the LDA’s report making a substantial financial contribution to the London

Long before the Costume Gala a group of designers formed the Costume Designers’ Club and produced “Journeys to Jouvay” a Carnival Theatre production at the Old Spitalfield Market in 1993. The Association of British Calypsonians led by Ashton Moore, aka the Mighty Tiger that started in 1991 and with other British based calypsonians such as Lord Cloak and Admiral Jack introduced the London Calypso Tent at the Yaa Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre in 1992 and today produces the Calypso Monarch and Groovy Calypso Monarch competitions.

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The London Calypso Tent stands tall today as the one and only such event in Europe promoting calypso music in this traditional manner. A notable contribution to the theatrical growth of the Carnival is Geraldine Connor’s Carnival Messiah performed both in the UK and Trinidad.

Mas and Steelpan especially demand appropriate spaces because of the nature of their work and volume of instruments.

Venues such as the Tabernacle and The Yaa Asantewaa Arts Centre are prominent key venues within the Carnival footprint that have helped developed the artform within their respective areas. There were many more venues used in the earlier days,

buildings today after fifty years of the Carnival is a blueprint of the possibilities that can be achieved through the spirit of partnership. The Carnival Village is a partnership of the ABC, Ebony Steelband, Mangrove Steelband and the Yaa Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre and management of the two venues has given the Carnival Village Trust the necessary capacity to provide a central space for the other arts arenas, including the main organisers LNHCET to conduct their regular business.

but the Tabernacle and Yaa Centre have survived today as the main ones earmarked for Carnival Arts development under the leadership of the Carnival Village Trust.

Both venues have a long history as local community based Centres that popularised the arts of the Black Community. The Factory, which later became the Yaa Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre were pioneers in obtaining the first Arts Council grant received by the in-house based Soucouyant mas band led by Larry Ford. The resident steelband then, the Paddington Youth Steelband was the first steelband to win the panorama competition.

The new Yaa Centre was refurbished into a purposely built building for the development of Carnival Arts and includes a state of the arts sound proof steelpan studio that is now home to Ebony Steelband. Albeit that this unique space is available to LNHCET, the Carnival organiser still functions without a full time management team necessary for building growth, development and sustainability, instead, the Trustees are being burdened with both the governance and delivery of the event. Fifty years of it coming into being, the London Notting Hill Carnival has created many stakeholders. The question of who owns the Notting Hill Carnival still remains unanswered. After years of failed attempts at building sustainable governance and operational structures for the event, the Caribbean community remains the custodians of the event. Because of its organic nature, the

Both Centres were purveyors and home of the Carnival arts as production and entertainment houses from their inception.

The Mangrove mas band found roots in the Tabernacle and their stalwart members boast of their determination to capture the old deserted church building for community use by becoming squatters. It is coincidental that a similar protest occurred by the North Westminster local community with the old taxi meter factory that is now popularly referred to as the Yaa Centre. The significant role of these two 23

creative creators have become the key stakeholders for the artistic aspects and in this respect the current governance reflects this creative collaboration between the five arenas, borne out of this need to unify the factions that create the spectacle and creative experience.

In keeping with the Trinidad and Tobago artistic style presentation an active trade in Carnival instruments, costumes, entertainment and expertise is rampant between London and that country. In essence, the Carnival is still rooted in a Trinidad aesthetic with the popular bikini, feather and beads costumes dominating the creative mas presentations and soca music remains the fuel for the parade. This is in addition to the now seasoned Brazilian baterias that have a long association as participants alongside the many Caribbean floats. The dynamics of the parade have continued to evolve and what is markedly contemporary is the volume of people now participating on the Sunday in what is termed as “Fun mas”. Hundreds of adults take to the streets on the day earmarked for the children to daub each other in mud, chocolate or multi coloured powder that have placed another dimension on the parade. This element of fun mas can be seen in the same vein as that played at the Jouvert, which was added in 2004 and is now scheduled early on the Sunday morning before dawn and prior to the start of the children parade. This dynamic of the jouvert and fun mas are dimensions that have introduced new challenges for the event, with major concerns on the potential damage the chocolate, mud and powder used have on property and clothing. One of the main victims of this experience is the police as officers’ uniforms received the major brunt of this free throwing spree of these substances.

The police and the other emergency agencies provide free services and the funding bodies namely the RBKC and GLA are key players within the frame. In order to unite with any factions, the Operational Safety Planning Group (OSPG) brings all the stakeholders together at regular monthly meetings from January to August to share information, address common strategies, encourage a united front and collective responsibility especially on public safety issues. As we move into the next fifty years there is much to be desired in making the London Notting Hill Carnival a major sustainable institution. The Carnival is yet to obtain its status as a major Creative Industry in spite of the fact that some individuals have created career opportunities and are contracted to produce the costumes seasonally on a commercial basis for a growing number of young Carnivalists.

Costume bands such as Mahogany continue to provide an annual service worldwide at times crossing over to other sectors. De CORE is a small social enterprise that delivers work for carnival outfits globally. Many mas bands and steelbands are engaged in international tours that take them to countries across the globe and there are individuals such Paul O’Donahue, Lincoln Rahamut, Andrew Rajpaulsingh, Shawn Carrington and Carlton Garcia, Carnival entrepreneurs who are contracted to deliver work for the new mas bands not keen on having an active mas camp. Rajpaulsingh currently produces the annual Carnival Expo at The Oval in Kensington.

Another major change is the responsibility of the static sound system to now register as individual licence holders to play on their designated pitches. This legal requirement is dictated by a raft of new regulations, which the Carnival had to adapt to in the last decade including noise levels, children legislation and increased responsibility of care the performing units 24

now have to adhere to. Gone are the many live stages that were introduced in the sixties and with respect to the calypsonians having a platform to share their work on the two days, Powis Square is allocated as the only official live music stage managed by the ABC. However, they work with a wide variety of artists such as Levi Roots providing them with an opportunity to play at the Carnival. With public safety being a key concern for the police, the parade is now restricted to an earlier closing time compared to the earlier years.

(BAS) 9 12 Total 174 173 *This figure represents a unit and not the number of masqueraders or players that make up a band. The other areas relates to individuals. *The figures denotes more Dj’s than mas bands as some steelbands also include Dj’s as well as some bands will have more than one.

The failure by LNHCET to attract commercial sponsorship remains a major challenge for the organisers who are making efforts to retain the branding rights for the festival. The Intellectual Property issues however can be complex due to much ownership over the creative content.

Additionally, LNHCET structure allows for consensus and equity but it may not go far enough to engender a spirit of entrepreneurship that requires a more corporate approach. For example, it is absurdly strange what is slated as Europe’s largest street festival is yet to sustain a sponsor that injects new investment in the event. In addition, if the event turns over almost £93m for the London economy, why can it command the equivalent in grant funding or at least one tenth of that figure?! After all it costs the Met about £8 million, RRBKC £500,000 and GLA £138,000. If we are to deduct the costs of these services from their 10%, the organisers will have at least £400,000 left to invest in the logistics and creative input.

It is therefore fair to ascertain that LNHCET should at least be receiving a revenue grant equal to that figure or based on an annual assessment of the income earned. At the end of the day the Carnival is indeed a London event making it a people Carnival thus the people are the greatest stakeholder. It is the people who create the content and who patronise the event. This holds true in accordance to the LDA report in 2003 as stated in the Executive summary of the report “What we discovered is that the Carnival is

The challenge for the organisers is that there is a growing interest in the increased number of performing units that put pressure on the amount of vehicle passes allocated. The fact is that the number of hours for the parade are reduced and fixed and this has to always measure up to the amount of floats that can be judged within the given timescale. Obviously, this challenge is exacerbated by the organic nature of the event that allows a band to enter from different points along the route.

In dealing with this challenge the organisers have encouraged new costume outfits to partner and collaborate with the more seasoned bands. This approach has proven very successful considering bands are unable to attract the volume of masqueraders in an atmosphere of decreased funding and a lack of financial incentives. It also assists the organisers in providing the opportunity for growth and increased involvement by the younger generation of Carnivalists who are now changing the aesthetics of the mas by providing the party experience on the road model like Trinidad. According to the 2016 figures the following were the number of performing units over the two days. Performing Unit Sunday Monday Calypsonians (ABC) 14 14 Mas bands (CAMF)*¹ 53 49 Soca sound (CMA)*² 60 60 Static sounds (BASS) 38 38 Steelbands 25

dinner “It (Carnival) is a great event which brings together everybody from every race, from every religion from the corner of the globe almost in harmony and it gives me great pleasure that this kind of thing is continuing and how lucky we are to have it in our borough.” Whether the centenary will be celebrated in the same way as the fiftieth spread over the three years 2064, 2065 and 2066, what is possible is that the London Notting Hill Carnival would continue to evolve through many manifestations into a more regulated and controlled event dominated by a thriving supportive industry.

dependent on highly resourceful Carnival practitioners who provide the Carnival’s vital ‘creative content’ and the good will of many thousands of individuals across London’s communities providing skills, labour and resources to make the Carnival a reality. It is also an important cultural event for London, enjoyed by Londoners and visitors across ethnicity, age and socio-economic background, alike”.

Perhaps with a Labour Mayor now in charge of the Capital it could be timely to re-introduce the Carnival on his agenda. If only we can get the intervention of the City to fully adopt the event as a London entity worth investment as part of Sadiq Khan’s “London is open” campaign without arresting it from the community ownership and of course with the kind

My expectation is that it remains under the reign of the Caribbean community and transforms totally into a nationally recognised festival that continues to be an epitome of unity and peace symbolic of the people Carnival.

Shabaka Thompson is a Trinidadian and a Carnivalist with over thirty years of direct involvement in the management and production of Carnival and its creatives in North America, Trinidad, Europe and Africa. Shabaka has a Masters Degree in Carnival Arts Studies from the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

permission of RBKC, then we can begin to see the much-needed innovations, enhancement and infrastructure required to make it a better, safer and entertaining spectacle. I imagine if the Mayor has to consider this a viable venture another review of the events will be necessary and timely. Fifty years after its birth there is no doubt the London Notting Hill Carnival has attained Claudia Jones’ objective and Rhuane Laslett’s “flambecha”. These achievements are confirmed by the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Elizabeth Rotherford in her address at the LNHCET 50th Anniversary 26

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Teenage suicide on the increase The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have recently a ‘released figures that show a 48% increase in teenage suicide in the UK. The statistics have given ministers cause for concern and are currently working on a ‘suicide prevention strategy’ targeting young people who are most at risk.

parents with distressed children who do not want to live should no longer be told they have to go on a waiting list.

Charities with helplines for children have also called on parents to become ‘techsavvy’ so they can monitor which websites and social networking sites their children are using. Methods of communication are constantly changing and so it is important to keep on top of the trends that teenagers are using. Parents are warned too, that they need to be vigilant on spotting the signs of cyberbullying. One leading psychologist have outlined some key points on spotting cyberbullying, they include: Looking to see if your child jumps when their phone pings and look anxious rather than excited. This could be a sign that a problem exists. If your child were often on their smartphone, tablet or laptop and they have stopped using it, this too can be a cause for concern. If they suddenly become withdrawn and irritable and stopped communicating with you, there is a strong possibility that there is some difficulty. It is important that you do not take their technology away from them or threaten to do so. This could lead to the child feeling confident enough to talk about the problem and fears that their main source of communication and entertainment would be withdrawn. It is important to encourage your child to talk, rather than demand. Encourage them to block anyone who is suspected of bullying and report it to school, social media host

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt outlined to officials recently that they “must improve on the existing 2012 strategy” and focus on those young vulnerable teenagers who are in danger. There is evidence that teenagers are struggling to cope with mental ill health, bullying and social media. The number of teenagers who took their lives in 2015 increased by 186, a 48 per cent increase over a three-year period.

According to the ONS, the last time the figures was higher was back in 1998.

The number of teenagers suffering from cyber bullying have increased significantly with the growing use of social media by teenagers which one parent described as ‘cruel and overwhelming’ after her son was driven to suicide by bullies. Many charities across the UK have welcomed the plans for an updated ‘suicide prevention strategy’ by the government. One charity slammed the government’s poor state of the mental health services for children and stressed that the government had to address tis urgently. The charity said that 28

company and where possible speak to the parents of the bully.

Children need to be assured and reassured that they are not in trouble when they come to you if a problem persists. Be prepared to listen to your child’s concerns and more importantly, take action. Seek advice if you are unsure of what route to take in dealing with a particular problem.

There are several online agencies that offered help and advice with cyberbullying.

Do you have a story to tell, an event happening in your community or just want to explore your writing? Culturepulse magazine would like to give you the platform to express that creativity.

We particularly want to encourage young people from all walks of the Diaspora to share their experiences and achievements with our readers.

By David Kalloo Some useful links to anti-bullying. www.internetmatters.org/issues/cyberbully ing www.ditchthelabel.org www.youngminds.org.uk/bullying www.standuptobullying.co.uk www.bullying.co.uk www.kidscape.org.uk

Whether you’re a budding travel writer, blogger or an aspiring journalist or simply want to explore your potential as a writer, send your story or articles to: cashewmedialtd@gmail.com

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Belize uncertain sugar economy It is hardly believable that a tiny country like Belize, 8,867 square miles is still largely dependent on a crop that was solely responsible for the enslavement of African people- sugarcane.

Despite the problems facing the Belizean sugar industry, sugar trade remains vital for Belize economy. If Belize were to lose its sugar exports it would prove a devastating blow to the country and send Belize into an economic downturn affecting the livelihood of many in the industry.

Belize economy relies on sugar cane which accounts for almost 40 per cent of the country’s GDP. The former British colony faces an uncertain future from its UK importers. Belize currently export to the EU under a tariff-free programme that allows least developed countries to access the European markets. Other sugar producing countries like Brazil and Australia for example have to pay a tariff of £283 per tonne.

The problem that Belize now faces is the threat that imports from least developed countries into EU countries will cease because the cap on domestically produced sugar (from beet) will be lifted in 2017. It could spell trouble for Belize when domestically produced beet sugar could replace cane sugar from the Caribbean.

This could also result in the price of sugar falling drastically therefore crippling the Belize sugar production with no sustainable export market.

One saving factor that could be a lifeline for Belize is the UK’s political fallout from the EU referendum which took place in June earlier this year. At present, Belize export sugar to just one EU country, with new trading agreements that will result from Brexit, Belize may well have access to other markets in the European market which some experts say could provide a ‘band-aid’ to Belize sugar industry. Once again, it seems this sweet garden is bearing bitter weed.

Belize in recent years suffered from inconsistent sugar prices, underinvestment in modern farming and climate change where seasonal rains have become inconsistent with the normal weather patterns of the region. Having to compete against other sugar producing nations that are far more technologically advanced have also taken its toll on Belize. It is particularly difficult for a small-scale sugar farming industry to compete with larger nations and survive. Food policy professor, Tim Lang from the City University in London said sugar cane: “is not a particularly good export crop for developing countries to stay in.”

David Kalloo

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18th Annual FIU Eric Williams Lecture Focuses on a Donald Trump Ascendancy MIAMI, FL. (September 12, 2016)— The 18th Annual Eric E. Williams Memorial Lecture at Florida International University’s Modesto Maidique Campus (11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida) will take place at the Wertheim Performing Arts Centre, on Friday, September 30, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.

Admission is free and open to the public.

undertaken, making Guyana one of the fastest growing economies in South America and the Caribbean with several years of consecutive growth, even through the global financial crisis of 2007-2008.

In addition to the financial arena, Jagdeo holds a number of global leadership positions in the areas of sustainable development, green growth and climate change. In 2008, he was named Time Magazine’s ‘Hero of the Environment’ and in 2010, the United Nations declared him to be one of its ‘Champions of the Earth Awardees’.

This year, the African & African Diaspora Studies Lecture hosts the former President of Guyana, the Hon. Bharrat Jagdeo. “The Caribbean and American Presidential Power: A Donald Trump Ascendancy” promises to explore the future relationship between the US and the Caribbean in a Donald Trump presidency. While the distinctions between the two US candidates may be stark, it is not clear how they would differ vis some vis their interactions with the Caribbean.

Established in 1999, FIU’s annual Eric Williams Lecture honors the distinguished Caribbean statesman, consummate academic, internationally renowned historian, and author of several other books. His 1944 ground-breaking study Capitalism and Slavery, popularly referred to as The Williams Thesis, arguably reframed the historiography of the British trans-Atlantic slave trade (and its concomitant European incarnations) and established the contribution of Caribbean slavery to the development of both Britain and America.

Baharat Jagdeo was born in Guyana of humble origins. He joined the youth arm of the People's Progressive Party at 13 years old, becoming a full-fledged member at the tender age of 16. Armed with a Master’s in Economics from the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia in 1990, he has held several high-level governmental positions, ranging from Minister of Finance to President of Guyana from 1999-2011. He is currently his country’s Leader of the Opposition.

The book has been translated into eight languages, including Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and soon-to-be, Korean.

It continues to inform today's ongoing debate and remains “years ahead of its time…this profound critique is still the foundation for studies of imperialism and economic development,” according to the New York Times. Eric E. Williams was also the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and Head of Government for a quarter of a century until his death in 1981.

He led the country to Independence from

During Mr. Jagdeo’s tenure as President, major economic and social reforms were

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Britain in 1962 and onto Republicanism in 1976.

U.S. Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell in 1998. It was named to UNESCO’s prestigious Memory of the World Register in 1999

Among prior Eric Williams Memorial Lecture speakers have been: the late John Hope Franklin, one of America’s premier historians of the African-American experience; Kenneth Kaunda, former President of the Republic of Zambia; Cynthia Pratt, Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas; Mia Mottley, Attorney General of Barbados; Beverly AndersonManley, former First Lady of Jamaica; Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Hon. Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines; the celebrated civil rights activist Angela Davis and prize-winning Haitian author Edwige Danticat.

Media Contact: Erica Williams Connell 305-905-9999 ewmc@ewmc.tt.org The Eric Williams Memorial Collection P.O. Box 561631, Miami, Fl 33256-1631, USA Tel: 305-271-7246 Cell: 305-9059999 Fax: 305-271-4160 Article submitted by; The Eric Williams Memorial Collection

The Lecture, which seeks to provide an intellectual forum for the examination of pertinent issues in Caribbean and African Diaspora history and politics, is cosponsored in part by FIU’s: Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series, Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center; Bilmor With Advertising Specialties, Inc.; Earl Christian; Mr. & Mrs. Frank Collins; Carole Cumberbatch; Mr. & Mrs. Michael Edwards; Hometrust Mortgage Corporation; Joy’s Roti Shop; Dr. & Mrs. Leroy Lashley; Lentropic Properties Inc.; Miami Dade College; Mr. & Mrs. Nesbitt; Mavis Perez; Mervyn Solomon; Linda Spears Bunton; Yvonne St. Louis; Marilyn Taylor Duncan and Welch, Morris & Associates. The Lecture is also supported by The Eric Williams Memorial Collection Research Library, Archives and Museum at the University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago campus), which was inaugurated by former 32

Cindy Mollineau

How to Rock Your Halloween Look!

Gems and glitter optional

With social media and selfies being here to stay, everyone is competing to have the most outrageous and creative looks… and Halloween makeup is no different.

Step 1: Apply white paint all over the face using a wet sponge.

If it’s scary, blood curling and dramatic then we’ve done it right! So how can you make your Halloween look stand out?

Firstly, pick your theme right!

Do you want to have the same look as everyone else? Are you more interested in what’s trending or in being original? Once you decide on your theme and preference, the rest is easy!

Add extras!

So, everyone is probably going to have blood splashed all over them, right! So how about a variation? Instead of red blood, try green… think Frankenstein or Predator. Another variation can be glitter in blood. The idea is to think outside the box. There’s no wrong way, especially with Halloween makeup so be creative and have fun with it!

Step 2: Using a black pencil or felt tip eyeliner, draw a circle around the eye from the forehead to top of cheek. Then make small petals on the outside of the circle.

Accessorise!

So, for example, if your look is Morticia, then accessorise with hair, jewellery, props and ofcourse, attitude! Embrace the role you have chosen and run with it! Nothing would make you stand out more than you bringing your character to life.

So, to celebrate, I have put together a simple Halloween look to get your creative juices flowing!

Simple Halloween Look: Sugar Skull What you need: Face paints: white, black and pink Fine tip brushes Sponges Water 33

Step 3: Fill in the circle and petals with your choice of colour. We’ve used pink in this pic. Again, apply colour using damp sponge. Apply gems in the petals if desired. Glitter can also be applied over eyelids.

Step 6: Draw lines along the top and bottom lips and extend to both sides of lips to make mouth appear bigger.

Step 4: Make swirls or tear drops or any fancy markings along your face using black paint or pencil. Fill in with colour.

Step 5: Paint the tip of the nose in black in an upside-down heart Step 7: Apply lashes if desired and you’re done!

Cindy Mollineau is a Freelance Make-up Artist. cindy.mollineau@gmail.com 34

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The Annual London Anarchist Book Fair Saturday 29th October 2016, 10 – 7pm Park View School West Green Road, London N15 3QR http://anarchistbookfair.org.uk/ 36 (Nearest station: Seven Sisters, Victoria Line)

Selwyn Cudjoe

Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian

By David Kalloo What is unique here is the fact that Cudjoe touches on literature penned by the indigenous people themselves; a fact that has been omitted from history books. This blatant omission appears to have the intent to warm readers to the idea that the indigenous people were merely savages.

Clearly, they were a people well versed in migration and possessed superior knowledge of managing their eco environment for long term sustainability.

Even today, their agricultural Cunucos system is used widely across the region and copied in western models of agriculture.

Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian isn’t just another history book. It is a history tool that enables you to examine your surroundings, to delve into your very existence and to reject the colonial elucidation that is often fed as fact.

Historians always have that tendency to evoke emotions about our past that could either leave you doubting or yearning for more. Selwyn Cudjoe’s book, Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian certainly does the latter.

The nobility and betrayal of the Amerindians by foreign impositions may have desecrated the fabric of these people.

However, Cudjoe’s Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian brings it to life again. His decades of research successfully provide the enlightening accounts of valuable narratives that pertain to the Amerindians.

This book is by no measure unique to our region’s historical data however, it can be unique to the region’s indigenous history.

Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian as the title suggests; draws on Trinidad and Tobago itself and how the indigenous people then helped to shape and retain what is predominantly unique to Trinidad and Tobago. Names, customs and our dietary habits that are an integral part of being a Trinbagonian was laid centuries ago by the indigenous people of the islands, long before Columbus realised he had discovered lands that were already discovered long before his own existence.

It is not surprising that part one of Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian uses Elma Reyes’ work, The Santa Rosa Carib Community of Arima, Trinidad, West Indies, to draw the reader into this journey.

Reyes’ work was one that first drew attention to the importance of the Carib community. For example, the reader is

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introduced to names on the island such as, Arima, in the eastern part of Trinidad to Naparima in the South. They established communities along the foothills of the Northern Range with names like; Tunapuna, Curepe, Arouca, Caura, Tacarigua, Cumuto, Matura and Guanapo all originated from the Amerindians.

the historical identity relating exclusively to the Amerindians.

Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian sheds new light, not only on the Amerindians as the first people of the nation but on the multi-ethnic origins that form the ‘national identity’ of a Trinbagonian. Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian is invaluable not just to academics or those interested in the region’s cultural and literary history, it is a book that should form part of every educational curriculum across the Caribbean region and especially so, in Trinidad and Tobago.

Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian also allows the reader to reflect on, and examine the Amerindian heritage that is still an integral part of the modern society of Trinidad and Tobago. The reader is presented with the asset that is the country’s history and of the first people of the land. Cudjoe has established and, set in motion, a pathway where the reader can no longer be blindfolded and led along the path that leads to the long-established premise that it was the Spanish, French and British who shaped ‘Kairi’, the name given to Trinidad by the Amerindians.

Selwyn R. Cudjoe is Professor of African Studies at Wellesley College.

Among the books he has written are Caribbean Visionary: A. R. F. Webber and the Making of the Guyanese Nation,[8] The Role of Resistance in Caribbean Literature, and Beyond Boundaries: The Intellectual Tradition of Trinidad and Tobago in the Nineteenth Century.

In Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago; or, Becoming Trinbagonian, Cudjoe explores all dimensions of the Amerindians presence including the interracial mixing that shaped the dynamics of the country as a multiracial and multicultural society. This, according to accounts, took root with the indigenous people of Trinidad and Tobago. Eusebio Antanasio Valerio, an Amerindian, writing (in Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian in what is believed to be the ‘only autobiographical work…of a native Trinidadian’) said. “…I have inherited a natural legacy…This legacy consists of a mixture of three strains in my blood: The Caucasian, the Indian and the Negro.”

Valerio in his book, gave a clear insight into the life of an Amerindian, however, more importantly, he refers to himself as a Trinidadian. Cudjoe seizes all these important markers to stay on course with 38

Hate Crime, Do Your Part to Help Stamp It Out! is not tolerated on London’s transport network.” The initiative by Tfl and the police are keen to liaise with communities and individuals and encourage everyone who have been a victim or know someone who has been a victim of a hate crime, be it offensive language or physical violence will be taken seriously.

Transport for London (Tfl) along with British Transport Police, City of London Police and London Metropolitan Police have teamed up to tackle the growing menace of hate crime on the transport network of London.

Since Brexit, there has been an increase in the number of Hate Crimes reported in the UK and on the London Transport Network. Hate crime is based on someone’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability. Tfl and its collaboration with the British Transport Police, City of London Police and Metropolitan Police will be hosting a series of events in October across the transport network. They will be holding talks with the public and local communities to raise awareness of the growing problem of hate crimes in the capital.

The exercise will provide witnesses and victims with information and advice on what to do should they have information or been a victim of hate crime.

Reporting a hate crime: Text 61016 Call 999 or 0800 405040 Visit: www.reportit.org.uk www.btp.police.uk

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan said. “London is a more diverse city than ever and I am incredibly proud that we don’t just accept our differences, but celebrate them. There is simply no place in our capital for hate crimes of any form.” There is calls for anyone witnessing or a victim of hate crime to come forward and report such incidents to the police or any uniformed staff of Tfl. Director of TfL’s enforcement and on-street operations said. “We are united with our policing partners to send a strong message that hate crime of any form 39

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Congratulations to the first Miss Universal Carnival Queen The first staging of the Miss Universal Carnival Queen held at the Shaw Park Centre in Tobago.

The show featured contestants representing countries where Carnival is celebrated.

The winning Queen was Oshun Mills from the host country, Tobago, with Ms Trinidad, Sonia Millington, coming second and Ms British Virgin Islands, Tichina Penn, third.

Organisers of the show promises and bigger better show next year.

Photos courtesy Ansel Wong.

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Mother Seacole’, model of selfless service

By Leela Ramdeen earned many a poor fellow’s blessings.”

Mary was a model of selfless service. Yet the journey to honour her was mired in controversy, racism and classism. In 2012, efforts were made to remove her from the National Curriculum. This failed.

Do you know about Mary Seacole (18051881), the Jamaica-born nurse who cared for wounded British servicemen during the Crimean War in the 19th century (18531856)?

Read Patrick Vernon’s article in the UK Guardian on June 21 entitled: Rubbishing Mary Seacole is another move to hide the contributions of black people.

Inter alia, he said: “In February 2004, Mary Seacole was voted by the public as the greatest black Briton of all time. After the results, the Royal College of Nursing readopted Seacole as a key champion for nursing in Britain on the same footing as Florence Nightingale. The Royal Mint and Post Office recognised her in the form of new coins and stamps.

“The National Portrait Gallery acquired a rare picture of Seacole which was strategically placed in the Victorian Gallery next to Queen Victoria and Nightingale. There were books, documentaries, plays and re-enactments of her life in museums and theatres.

University medical and humanities departments, and care homes were also renamed in Seacole’s honour. There seems a reservoir of goodwill towards the heroine of the Crimea and rightly so. So, ask yourself, why would anyone deliberately seek to denigrate a popular, blameless icon?”

She was born to a Scottish soldier and a Jamaican woman. Read her memoir, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands originally published in 1857 or any of the other books written about her.

My heart soared when I heard that after a 12-year fundraising campaign by the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal, Martin Jennings’ bronze statue honouring her was unveiled at St Thomas’ Hospital on Thursday, June 30.

It stands in the hospital’s garden, opposite the Houses of Parliament, London, and is inscribed with words written in 1857 by The Times’ Crimean War correspondent Sir William Howard Russell: “I trust that England will not forget one who nursed her sick, who sought out her wounded to aid and succour them, and who performed the last offices for some of her illustrious dead.”

“On Monday, a group of historians and Nightingale devotees, furious at the success of the campaign to erect a statue of Seacole at St Thomas’s hospital in London at the end of this month, re-sharpened their

Russell, described her as “a warm and successful physician, who doctors and cures all manner of men with extraordinary success. She is always in attendance near the battlefield to aid the wounded, and has 42

“thick” of the war.

While Florence Nightingale and her nurses were located in a hospital miles from the Front, “Mary Seacole’s independent status ensured a freedom of movement denied the formal nursing service; by June she was a familiar figure at the battle-front, riding forward with two mules in attendance, one carrying medicaments and the other food and wine. She brought medical comfort to the maimed and dying after the assault on the Redan, in which a quarter of the British force was killed or wounded, and she tended Italian, French, and Russian casualties at the Chernaya two months later” (Alan Palmer).

knives and lunged towards the greatest black Briton of all time. They could support a Seacole statue, they say, but not at St Thomas’s, ‘Florence Nightingale’s hospital’.

“To me, what’s happening seems clear, for this campaign of denigration is not happening in isolation. I see it as part of a wider tradition by an elite, particularly in academia and parts of the media, to suppress and hide the black contribution to Britain.”

She became known as ‘Mother Seacole’.

During her life, she travelled widely, for example, to the Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and Panama. Her life was beset with racism, as well as kindness from those who valued her contribution to humanity.

Lord Clive Solely said at the unveiling: “We are proud to finally grant Mary Seacole the acknowledgement she deserves for her selfless support of British soldiers and sailors.”

It is hoped that historians such as Dr Sean Lang, will one day accept that she does qualify as a mainstream figure in the history of nursing.

This article is republished with the kind permission of Leela Ramdeen. It was first published in the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, July 2016, Port of Spain Trinidad

In 1854, Seacole travelled to England and applied to the war office to be sent to the Crimea to join Florence Nightingale and a team of nurses as an army nurse. Her request was refused. She managed to make her own way there and established the British Hotel near Balaclava to provide “comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers”. She was in the 43

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Ginger Root Oil Ginger Root Oil a new hair product was launched earlier this month in London by Califa-Won. Ginger Root Oil, a perfect blend West Indian Castor Oil and Ginger Oil. According to Califa-Won Ginger Root Oil will increase the blood circulation to the scalp while strengthening the hair follicles from the root, giving your hair that strong vibrant, healthy look. Ginger Root Oil is already available in hair shops in South East London and very soon consumers will be able to pick up the product across London.

The product was developed by Won, a Loc Stylist and Natural Hair Consultant who knows Ginger Root Oil. He Has used the product for the last seven years at his Premiere Locs of London Limited where he has an extensive client base. He said.

“If it’s good enough for my clients, its good enough for the world. I have used the product for seven years myself.”

Available in a 60 ml travel size, 125 ml and a 250 ml Professional Size.

Over the coming weeks the public can have one to one consultation with CalifaWon street team where the public can discuss the condition of their hair and what products will be best suited for them.

Other media promotions have been planned including, radio appearances to talk about the product and why it was developed.

Info: Premiere Locs Of London Twitter: @premieredreadz Web: www.premierelocsoflondon.com

There has been a lot of positive feedback that can be used to market the products that are specially created for black hair and offer consultations primarily from people who have used and understand the effects of its usage according to a company spokesperson

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It’s a long winter so make the most of the autumn sunshine and get the kids out in the great outdoors…

As the nearest coast to London to have remained largely undisturbed, an area of outstanding natural beauty, famed for its food and produce, The Suffolk Coast is a popular destination for holidaymakers.

Walking in the Suffolk countryside or on the coast is always makes for a great family outing, but if you want something a little more structured why now try ‘The Magic of Minsmere’ weekend walks

The charming seaside towns provide fun and frolics for families, sweeping countryside make a playground for cyclists, broadside villages and marshland are the perfect spots for nature lovers, whilst shoppers and foodies are bountifully served by the historic market towns.

With over 5600 recorded species and a wealth of history and archaeological highlights at Minsmere, there is so much to discover. Their friendly and knowledgeable RSPB guides will take you through the sights and sounds to be enjoyed at this time of year.

Whether you want to play on the beach, sample quality local food or discover some of Britain's rarest wildlife, your journey starts here on the Suffolk Coast.

These walks are on from Saturday 1st to Saturday 29th October starting at 9.15am.

They generally last 3-4 hours and are tailored according to the season and visitor knowledge.

Places are limited so booking is essential Email: minsmere@rspb.org.uk or phone: 01728 648281.

Staying with the wildlife theme, a visit to Africa Alive! in Kessingland near Lowestoft is always a sure fire way of keeping all the family entertained!

It’s officially autumn!

The days are shorter and there’s a distinctive freshness in the air… It’s nearly half term!

Set in 100 acres and home to more than 80 species of animals from around Africa means you will have more than enough to keep the kids occupied all day.

Why not snatch the opportunity to take some days out or even a break with the family and escape to The Suffolk Coast?

There is so much on offer here – the weather is still beautifully mild, the summer crowds long gone and the out of season accommodation prices are very affordable!

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This half term, as an extra activity, the children will love taking part in a bit of detective work by following the clues to crack the code and find the hidden treasure!

Events confirmed so far include an afternoon tea with James Runcie, the creator of the Grantchester TV series; a magic act launching the new murder mystery from Elly Griffiths; music and readings with renowned poet Liz Lochhead; and conversation with bestselling novelists including Barbara Erskine, Chris Cleave, Gavin Extence and Erin Kelly.

Celebrate the steam engine at the Long Shop Museum in the Suffolk town of Leiston, which is once again marking the end of the season with a spectacular festival of steam on Sunday 23rd October.

‘Final Fling’ is The Longshop's annual steam and activity day with full size and miniature engines being demonstrated in all their working glory. It runs from 11am to 4pm and highlights how the museum’s site in Leiston’s former Garrett Engineering Works, was a hub of industrial production with the design and manufacture of a prolific and diverse array of magnificent machines. For a full list ofevents during half term check out our website: www.thesuffolkcoast.co.uk

Bring out the artistic side in your little ones by taking them along to The Tack Room, Snape Maltings on 28th October 2016 for a creative workshop of Mexican Shadow Puppets.

The aim of this workshop is to explore the Mexican festival ‘Day of the Dead’. Children will be taught how to make Shadow puppets with a performance at the end of the day.

Workshop Times: 10.00am - 3.00pm and cost £30 per person. You will need to bring a packed lunch for this one.

For more information or to book email: enquiries@aldeburgh.co.uk or phone: 01728 687110 Book worms will love the Suffolk Libraries Bookfest which is taking place during the half term week from Friday 21st to Sunday 30th October and will involve a range of talks and workshops throughout the county by authors and poets with events for younger and older readers.

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48 Zak Ove’s Invisible Men on display at Contemporary African Art Fair exhibition at Somerset House.