EAST YARD - ISSUE 3 - MARCH 2018

The Festival's Founder gives us insight into the dynamic, warm, inclusive and transformational experience that is NEW FIRE Festival.

GERRY WILLIAMS SPARKS A NEW FIRE This special issue is dedicated to NEW FIRE 2018 as we share with you some exciting things to do at this year's Festival.

DREAM, EXPLORE, TRANSFORM WITH NEW FIRE FESTIVAL A look back at some of the awesome events that have popped up at the YARD in the last few months.

MISSION BLACK SATELLITE INTERNATIONAL CONDOM DAY AND MORE

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EAST YARD A Purpose. A Place. A Publication

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Issue 3 March 2018

FREE COPY

ON THE COVER: GERRY WILLIAMS OF NEW FIRE FESTIVAL

CONTENTS 07

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Gerry Williams talks NEW FIRE Festival.

December 2017 to February 2018. A look back at the happenings at EAST YARD.

IGNITING A NEW FLAME

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NEW FIRE FESTIVAL 2018 Dream, Explore, Transform.

IN 'DE' YARD

EDITOR/PUBLISHER: Kevon Foderingham Caribbean Fashion and Arts Feature Festival EAST YARD, 27 Prince Street Arima, Trinidad and Tobago.

868-491-3684 I caribbeanfaff@gmail.com @caribbeanfaff

EAST YARD

www.caribbeanfaff.com FB: @eastyardbycfaff IG: @_eastyard EAST YARD is published monthly by Caribbean Fashion and Arts Feature Festival. All rights reserved (c) Caribbean Fashion and Arts Feature Festival 2017. No part of this magazine shall be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

L-R: Nyerere Haynes (REC Magazine), Kevon Foderingham (CFAFF/EAST YARD Editor), Alyssa Rostant (NEW FIRE Festival)

EDITOR'S NOTE

Photo: Vishala Jabar

"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall. - "Che Guevara."

What a time to be alive to witness the global flipping of the script that is taking place with cultural phenomenons like Black Panther, Get Out and A Wrinkle in Time as they change the narrative of the norm in entertainment. Things can be done differently and there is an audience eager to embrace it!

Enter NEW FIRE Festival, edition three. No longer a newcomer, arguably the Caribbean's first sustainable music festival, with a zero waste ethos, which definitely positions it as a statement maker on the regional entertainment landscape with a fierce following of firestarters who have something different to say.

How apt it is that this is also the third edition of our publication and I have the distinct pleasure of being a part of the community that is responsible for this truly revolutionary festival. As a member of the team and also with Caribbean Fashion and Arts Feature Festival, being a collaborator on NEW FIRE Festival for the second year in a row, the decision was easy to dedicate this issue to this transformational movement.

We caught up with the Festival's Founder and Creative Director, and son of Arima, Gerry Williams at the Firestarter Lime at G-Spot Food Truck a couple weeks ago where he along with other attendees was interviewed by broadcasters in training from Starr Broadcasting and Media Skills Ltd, which we pulled from to craft our offering to you our readers. We will also share with you more info on what to expect at the Festival and also look back at our most recent events at EAST YARD. As always, we thank you for the continued support and we remain grateful for the energy you continue to bring into this space. See you at NFF 2018!

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CREATING THAT SPACE FOR COLLECTIVE DREAMING.

Photography:Â Vishala Jabar

" AS YOUNG PEOPLE WE KNOW WE HAVE INHERITED A HISTORY THAT IS FILLED WITH PROBLEMS"

Starr Broadcasting team and Gerry Williams An original thinker, a risk taker and someone who genuinely wants to make the world a better place is a perfect way to describe Gerry Williams, Founder and Creative Director of NEW FIRE Festival.

Rachel Singh, Nikeisha Ramjattan and Che Simon, trainee broadcasters from Starr Broadcasting and Media Skills Ltd caught u with Gerry on February 23 2018, at the Firestarter Lime, which served as the launch of the 2018 Festival Guide.

STARR: What was the inspiration that developed NEW FIRE Festival?

GERRY: How do we move Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean forward into the direction we need to go? As young people we know we have inherited a history that is filled with problems. There are many good thing but there are many things we need to fix.

We have ideas about where we would like to go and NEW FIRE is about creating that space for conversation, for collective dreaming, collective imagining and aspirations about what is possible. It's an adventure for us to create, inspire and pursue the most sublime possibilities.

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Kevon Foderingham, Niamh Vaughn and Kimmy Stoute-Robinson

"FROM YEAR ONE TO YEAR TWO WE SAW A GROWTH OF 150%" STARR: What the growth been like thus far?

GERRY: It's been phenomenal. We're seeing that the younger generation really wants to see Caribbean society move into the 21st Century in a direction where our collective dreams can be fulfilled. Seeing everyone really getting on board with the idea of transformation has been phenomenal.

From year one to year two we saw a growth of 150% and this year we are expecting similar growth again.

STARR: What are your expectations for NEW FIRE 2018?

GERRY: Just building on the success of last year and internally just fine-tuning.

This has been a sharp learning curve for us as well.

When we started off we had all of these grand ideas, this dream. All we knew was that we had to do it. We didn't know how and the 'how' part of it has been the sharp learning curve but a success so far.

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Jean-Claude Courland (2 Cents Movement), Giselle Mendez (VCTT), Deneil Lara (TTBI/NFF)

STARR: What is your most enjoyable aspect of the Festival?

GERRY: That's a big question! I enjoy it all but definitely the spirit of community that emerges out of the Festival.

So many persons have given us their testimonials about meeting these new, amazing friends they never knew they would have met and learning all of these new things.

All of these people camping out for an entire weekend, being together, sharing with each other their stories, their food and their good vibes and sharing just happiness.

Community, community, community has been what has really stood out for me. That is the thing we want most out of this and what I hold dearest to me.

NEW FIRE Festival 2018 takes place from March 2325 at the Ortinola Estate in Maracas St Joseph. Visit www.newfireworld.com to learn more about the festival and also for details on purchasing passes.

Caribbean Fashion and Arts Feature Festival is once again collaborating with NEW FIRE Festival to provide traditional marketing and public relations support.

NFF Team Members: Yejide and Ayrid at the Firestarter Lime

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DREAM, EXPLORE, TRANSFORMÂ

EAST Photos: NH YARD Productions Captured at NFF 2017

connoisseur SLLAC ESUOH

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ECIVRES LLUF

ivinechic hair & image

23 Prince Street, Arima, Trinidad and Tobago Call (868) 385-0216 or Email divinechichairnimage@gmail.com @divinechichairnimage

en on Sundays

HELD ANNUALLY IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, NEW FIRE FESTIVAL (NFF) IS A DYNAMIC, WARM, INCLUSIVE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCE THAT PROVIDES AN EVER EVOLVING PLATFORM FOR PROGRESSIVE CULTURAL EXPRESSION. This year marks the festival’s third edition and is set to take place from March 23-25, at the Ortinola Estate in St Joseph.

NFF offers a wide array of experiences packed into what will be three memorable days. Attendees can look forward to a weekend of camping under the stars, live performances, electronic dance music experience, visual art workshops, holistic health and wellness activities, an enchanting artisan marketplace, family fun, children zone, sustainable living workshops and more!

A

Outdoors at EAST YARD

FA The festival is grounded in principles of ecological mindfulness and sustainability, demonstrating how we can develop and enjoy community while being environmentally responsible. Zero Waste means that single use plastics or other disposables will not be allowed on site. Festival goers, vendors, workshop facilitators and volunteers bring reusable items and ‘leave no trace’. We see NFF as the premier outdoor music and sustainability events in the Caribbean. NFF inspires and uplifts guests, celebrating our most positive human qualities in a spirit of love and oneness. This initiative is a trend setter in outdoor experiences, pioneering sustainable festivals in non-urban venues as tourism products in the Caribbean.

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The NEW FIRE Festival is the flagship of the non- profit organization, Trinidad and Tobago Bridge Initiative (TTBI).

One of the overarching objectives of TTBI is developing the culture, art and creative products of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, facilitating the development of a confident and resilient people with the ability to transform our society and to be a positive example to the rest of the world.

We invite you to Dream, Explore, Transform with NFF 2018.

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @newfireworld.

Email newfirefestival@gmail.com, visit newfireworld.com for full festival guide or call at 868-271-1073 for more information on festival passes and additional details.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

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IN 'DE' YARD Since our first event in September, the YARD has indeed been busy. Here we take a quick look back at Mission Black Satellite in December 2017 and Fashion Run'Way on Carnival Friday 2018.

MISSION BLACK SATELLITE What started off as an event turned into an unofficial residency in December 2017, as EAST YARD served as the platform for the launch of Mission Black Satellite, a project that aims to leverage mediated reality, social media and public art to connect the Black diaspora.

Spearheaded by American visual artist and community organiser Christopher Paul Jordan and Trinidadian photographer, designer and curator Arnaldo James.

Joining these talented creatives as headliner was the one and only Joyce Lee, a writer, poet, storyteller, performer and educator from Oakland, California.

CARNIVAL FRIDAY RUN'WAY Carnival Friday Run'way at EAST YARD presented by Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago with the support of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, commemorating International Condom Day 2018.

A beautiful day packed with activities such as a motorcade, traditional Carnival characters, poetry, fashion, Soca and of course condom distribution and free HIV counselling and testing.

Friday Run'way Photos: Mario Sargeant

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NOMADIC

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