Island Signatures Issue 10 - Dedication Edition

I SSU E #10 OC T 2019

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I s l a n d S i g n at u r e s | d e d i c at i o n E D I T I O N

CONTENTS

Editor’s Desk 6 pOEM- lena lewis 8 feature- dr. ava eagle brown 12 feature- connie chiume 18 COUNTDOWN TO GUYANA carnival 2019 20 feature- kirk brown 26 feature- curtison haywood 30 Welcome to CARIFESTA XIV REVIEW 34 Island Signatures’ Bucket List: grenada 40 notting hill carnival review 42 Highlights of st. vincent carnival 2019

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M AS Q UE RADE RESPONSIBLY - B y : N ut r i olo gy: The Health Box 52 SUNDA Y GROOVES AT HUNTE RSPRING By : B e lle Ho ld er 54 The H YATT CHOICE CARNIVAL 2 0 2 0 IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 56 culinary fEATURES 60 ADVERTISEMENTS 62 Highlights of guyana carnival 2019 68 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTs

Ke rvi n Ge or g e Ph o to gra p hy

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e lcome to t he “ D e d i c ati o n Ed i ti o n”,

t he t h ird Island S i gnat ure s 2 0 1 9 i s s u e

CONTRIBUTORS

a nd t he tenth i ssue ove ra l l. We’re g l ad th at you’re he re to ce l e brate o u r

Justin Ellis

m il es ton e!

This memora b l e i ssue i s f i ll e d w i th i n s p i r-

Publisher

i ng in dividu a l s f rom t hroug h o u t th e Ca r ibbean and i t s d i a sp ora . Sta r t w i th a p o em from B a r b a d i a n Le na Le w i s. Le a r n m o re abou t D r. Ava E a gl e Brow n , a m u l ti awa rd -win n ing i nte r nat i on a l s pe a k e r, a n d a u t hor. O u r s p e c i a l fe at ure h i g h l i g hts veteran S ou t h Af r i c a n a c t re s s Co n n i e C h iu me, from B l a c k Pa nt he r. M e e t K i r k B row n , an ent re p re ne ur w h o s e co nti n u e d ach ievem e nt s a re a l l d r i ve n by th e

Jamar Knight

dreams of a young b oy w i th a d e s i re to s in g. Th en m e e t Tor tol a Cu r ti s o n

Writer

H ay wood, wh o d i sc usse s h i s cl o th i n g b ra nd “I AM”.

For re cent eve nt s, re a d our ove r v i e w o f

Rhiannon Estwick

Aug ust ’s Car i fe st a X I V. Fi nd o u t a b o u t No t t ing H ill Ca r ni va l a nd catch th e b e s t s h o t s from b ot h t he St. Vi n ce nt a n d G uya na Car ni va l s w hi l e we co u nt d ow n to M iami Car n iva l 2019!

Chief Editor On a m ore se r i ous note, re a d a b o u t M a s qu erade R e sp onsi b i l i t y fo r Ca r n i va l

by Nutr iolog y : The H e a l t h B ox . Lo o k i n g for a place to st ay i n T & T ? C h e ck o u t th e H yat t R egen c y H ote l. I nte re s te d i n Ja z z m u sic ? Lear n m ore a b out th e Su n d ay G ro oves at the H unte r sp r i n g. Af te r th at,

Dam i en Por ter

hea d to our re c i p e s se c t i on , w h e re yo u’ l l l ear n to make Li on Fi sh Ta co s a n d Th e E xo t ica L ady.

D o n’t forget to te l l us w hat yo u th i n k a bo u t th is ed i t i on. Ta g us o n s o ci a l m e d i a w it h @islan d si gnat ure s or e m a i l i s l a n d s i gnatu res@gm a i l. com . We’d l ove to h e a r yo u r th ou ghts.

En joy t hi s i ssue !

Ju sti n E l l i s, Pub l i sh e r

Writer

I s l a n d S i g n at u r e s | d e d i c at i o n E D I T I O N

Shanice Jordan Writer

Kayla Harley Writer

Katrina King Writer

Simone Elliott Writer

O th e r Cont r i b u to r s: Lena Lew is, B el l e H o l der, K a rem a Ly n c h , N utr io l o gy : The H ea lth B ox , K e nr ife M atthia s

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D E T E R M IN A T I ON E ve r y o dd wa s sta c k ed Ag ai n s t m e a nd t he wa l l s O f t i me s eem s to be c l o sing I’m o n e ver y sid e a s ever y B i t of my reso l ve it did c hide

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I t wa s n’t ea s y it n ever i s But at l ea s t n ow I a ppreci ate Th e c h a s e, th e a dren a l ine

p t i o n s were sl im a nd th e

O ve rall o u t l o o k t r u l y d id Lo ok gr im bu t so m ehow

An d th e l es s o n s l ea r nt wi th E a c h s tep

S o me where d eep inside

L ife w il l tr y to k n o c k yo u down

I fe lt h op e fo r m ing w it hin

M a k e s ure yo u do n’t rea c h for

T h e b i g g er the o d d s, the

Th e s eco n d ro un d, by w i th E a c h pun c h a n d w ith a blow

M ore i mp o ssibl e the d rea m

Let yo ur s el f k n ow, th at thi s

Th e more I wa nted it, the

Is a l l m ea nt to m a k e yo u grow!

M o re i t s e e m ed o u t o f rea c h Th e more I fel t my ha nd s st retc h

Wr itten B y : Lena Lewi s

I s l a n d S i g n at u r e s | d e d i c at i o n E D I T I O N

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ADVERTISE WITH US

I sl a nd - S ign at u res

I sl a n dSi gn atures

is l a nd s ign aturesca r ib@gma il.co m

DR. AVA EAGL E BR OWN S peak er / Coa c h/Aut hor/ Tra i n e r/ Ph i l a nth ro pi s t Wr i t te n B y : D a m i e n Po r te r

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h e h as s ai d ‘ I’ve overco me great trauma to get to w h e re I am n ow i n my bu si n ess’ and this r i ng s t ru e fo r al l th e a dversi t y sh e has fa ce d.

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r. Ava E ag l e B row n i s a wo r l d- ren ow ned ma ste r co ac h , m u l t i - awa rd-w i n n i n g i nte r nation a l sp e ak e r, an d a u th o r a n d h a s h el pe d thousa n d s m as te r t h ei r mi n dset a n d l i ve t heir bes t li fe. Ava h as t wo M B As a n d a D o c torate in Hum a n it y an d h a r n esses h er pro fessi onal ba ck gro u n d in e d u cati o n , f i n a n ce, ma r i time, teleco m m u n icat io ns a n d bu si n ess devel op ment for t ran s fo r m ati ve ta l ks. Sh e descr ib es herself a s a J am ai c a n wo ma n th at def i es t he odds.

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s a c h il d, s h e was sexu a l l y a bu sed by her fath e r a n d was h o mel ess a n d l i v i n g o n the s tre ets of ru ral J ama i ca . L i fe wa s n o t ea sy for t h i s m o t ivat io n a l spea ker. As a l i ttl e gir l, s he h a d to s e l l m ango es o n th e tra i n j u st to mak e e n o u g h m o n e y fo r fo o d a n d su ppor t her f a m i l y. L ate r i n l i fe, sh e wa s ra ped at gunp oint i n f ro nt o f h e r th ree -yea r- o l d da u ghter, whi c h force d h e r to l eave Ja ma i ca a n d move to t h e Un i te d K i n g d o m. D r. B row n th en went to uni ve rs it y, l ate r go i n g o n to beco me a hom e e co n o m ics tea ch er. However, sh e went thro ug h a b ad d i vo rce a n d a bu si n ess deal that c a us e d h e r to l o se a su bsta nti a l a mount of mo n e y. D e p re s s io n so o n to o k ro o t but she man a g ed to p u l l h e rsel f o u t o f th at by foc using a l l h e r e n e rg y o n l a u n ch i n g h er l i n e of b od y pro d u c t s cal l e d Ch a k a i .

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hak ai is a nat ure -fr iend ly Afro - Ca r i b b e a n hair and b od y c are comp any. Where D r. Brow n lives in B elfast, I reland, t here is a l i mi te d m ar ket c ater ing to t he Afro p op ul a ce, s o s h e d ec id ed to c reate her own p rod uc t s. Us i n g Crowd fund t hat sup p or t s female e nt re p re neur s, she launc hed C hak ai from h e r h o me k itc hen. Now a fully-fled ged b usine s s, Ch a k a i m akes sust ainab le hair and sk inc a re p ro duc t s from ingred ient s t hat are all o rg a n i c, c r uelt y-free, sust ainab le, and 100% n at u ra l.

Her b ut ter is sourced exc lusively fro m We s t Afr ic a. Ava loved t he c hur ning of b u t te r a n d how c alm it mad e her. Event ually, s h e wo u l d like to ex tend t he line to shamp oo s, a s we l l a s m ake t he b usiness p last ic -free. Th e 4 2 -ye a rold mum- of-t wo has overcome unt h i n k a b l e ad ver sit y in her life, and so is confi de nt s h e will ac hieve her goal for C hak ai.

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it h C hak ai, Ava has moved from h o me lessness, p over t y, incest, rap e, and fa i l e d mar r iages to b eing a household na me g l o b ally. She has b een highlighted in t h e me di a , inc lud ing The Financ ial Times, Huffi n g to n Post and Sk y T V.

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ecent l y, s h e wa s a spea ker at I n n ovate Ba r ba d o s 2018 wi t h a th eme o f ‘N o Ca p e Ne e d e d ’. Th i s was a ver y mo mento u s o cc asio n a s s h e re to l d h er a ma z i n g sto r y o f overcomi n g h e rs e l f u rgi n g l o ca l entrepren e ur s to m a k e a d i ffe re n ce w i th th e peo pl e they come i n co nt ac t w i th , ca u se a r i ppl e ef fec t, a n d th e re by b e t h e ch a n ge yo u env i si o n. Ava truly i ns p ire s as s h e sa i d,

d ifference to 2000 p eop le eac h and e ve r y year in and around Lond on. I n t he wo r ks fo r Ava is a c har it y c alled Jam aic a S afe H o me For Gir ls, whic h will seek to c reate a re s i d ence for young gir ls, vic t im s t hat exp e r i enced ab use and p over t y, who are i n n e e d o f shelter and help. This issue is of co u r s e ve r y c lose to her hear t, as she rem emb e r s b e i n g a young gir l growing up in Jam aic a w h o h a d nowhere to go when she wanted to e s c a p e.

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va’s p ower ful stor y of her jour n e y fro m p over t y and ab use to fleeing Jam a i c a and est ab lishing a new life in t he U n i te d K ingd om is told in her t wo autob io gra p h i c al b ooks, Bamb oo and Fer n and Th e M a n g o Gir l. Present ly, her stor y is b eing o p t i o n e d into a Holly wood feat ure film . She b e l i e ve s t hat her life stor y would b e b enefi c i a l fo r p eop le to t r uly und er st and her ha rds h i p. “I wrote t he M ango Gir l to show p eo p l e t h at t hey c an overcome t he wor st d eva s t at i o n and live lives t hat are t r uly glor iou s.” – D r.

Ava Eagle Brown.

“ Yo u c a n m ak e a di f feren ce w i th i n n ovat ion on e pers o n at a t i me. Al ways remember to pay i t fo r ward !”. S h e i s a pro l i f i c sto r y teller a n d m a d e h e r s p e e ch es ver y enter ta i n ing eve n wh e n s e r i o u s.

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hi ls t o n t h e isl a n d, D r. B row n go t the cha nce to al s o s h are h er l i fe’s l esso n s on pe r seve ran ce an d su r v i va l w i th stu dents of t wo s e co n d ar y /h i gh sch o o l s o n Tu es d ay, Novem b e r 6, 2018 : Th e St. M i ch a el S ch ool, M ar ti nd al e s R o ad, St. M i ch a el, a n d th e St. G e org e S e co n d ar y S ch o o l, Co n sta nt, St. G e org e.

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rown was t h e amba ssa do r fo r Evo l ve, wh i c h i s h o m e l e s sn ess a n d co mmu nit y sup p o r t a c h ar i t y th at ma kes a real

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CON NIE CHI UME I th in k wi t h Wa k a n da o r B l a ck Pa nt her it was so nice to see t he ot her sid e of Afr i c a t h at we al ways wanted.

Wr i t te n B y : K atr i n a K i n g

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ete ran S o u t h Af r i ca n a c tress Co n nie Chi um e i s l ay in g t h e path fo r S o u th Af r ic a’s fut ure ac to rs an d a c tresses.

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t th e ag e o f 65, Ch i u me wa s ca st i n the wo r l d w id e b l o c k bu ster, B l a ck Pa nther.

She ha s al s o b e e n ca st to a c t i n th e S o ut h Afr i c a n N e t f l ix p ro du c ti o n Q u een S o n o, direc te d an d p ro d u ced by K a gi so Ledi ga and s late d to p re m i e re o n Ja n u a r y 2020.

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he award -wi n n in g a c tress, w h o se path to sta rdo m s t ar te d i n 1977 w i th th e th e at r ical pro d u c t i o n S o l a S o l a , h a s ta ken i t u p on her self to gi ve b ac k to h er co u ntr y th rough an i n i t i at i ve c al l e d Th e B u si n ess o f Ac ting.

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“ h ave b e e n t rave l i n g i n my co u ntr y, going to prov i n ce s wi t h o th er a c to rs a n d peo ple in t h e i n d u s t r y to o, f i rst o f a l l, edu cate t he you n g p e o p l e ab o u t th e i n du str y. L atel y, our chi l d re n are s o at t ra c ted to th e i n du str y, maybe b e c au s e it pu ts yo u i n th e l i mel ight a nd th e y t h in k it i s ea sy. We do tea ch the ba si c s o f ac t i n g an d ba si cs o f f i l m, bu t more than th at we te l l t h em a bo u t i ts rea l i ti es. . . .

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ur re nt l y, o u r c h i l dren j u st wa nt i n stant fame a n d yo u h ave to pu t i n wo r k to get the re. Yo u h ave to po l i sh yo u r cra f t f i rst so I wo uld e n co u rag e th em to ma ke su re that thi s i s wh at t h e y wa nt to do a n d th ey a re p a ssi o n ate ab o u t it,” Ch i u me expl a i n ed.

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hi le s h e im p ar ts h er yea rs o f k n ow led ge to upcom in g ac to r s a n d a c tresses, Ch i u m e note s th at i n d u s t r y do es h ave i ts ch a l l enges.

Wheth e r i t is H o l l y wo o d o r S o u th Af r i can, inclusi v i t y an d ag ei sm a re repeated prob lems. Th e ve te ran a c to r expressed th at as she g ot o l d e r, h e r ro l es h ave ch a n ged and she ex pe r ie n ce d t he fea r o f bei n g t y pecast.

Alth oug h S o u t h Af r i ca h a s been demo crat ic for 2 5 ye ars, d ive rse a s i t rel ates to a gi s m a nd i nc lu s i ve ro l e s ba se o n ra ce, rema in few a nd f a r b e t we e n .

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“ he old er you get, t he more you a re ove rlooked and t here aren’t a lot of rol e s fo r old er p eop le, esp ec ially old er wom e n ,” C hiume commented.

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“ hat I have not iced here is t hat mo s t of t he b lac k p eop le will wr ite b lac k s to r i e s and most whites wr ite white stor ie s . . .

H istor ic ally S out h Afr ic a is st ill sep a rate d, you st ill find b lac k p eop le in cer t ai n a re a s and white p eop le in cer t ain areas b u t mayb e t hose d em ograp hic s are why t here i s s t i l l t hat k ind of t hing. Peop le wr ite abo u t w h at t hey see ever y d ay and what t hey exp e r i e n ce in t heir own environment s,” she ad de d.

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hiume laud ed M ar vel ’s Blac k Pant h e r for ad d ressing top ic s of ageism, race, a n d gend er in “ a nice and enter t aining ma n n e r ”.

N inet y-t hree -year- old ac t ress D oro t hy Ste e l st ar red in t he movie as an eld er, w h i l e ac t resses Lup it a N yong’o, Danai Gu r i ra , a n d Let it ia Wr ight were p ower ful b ut co mp l ex fem ale c harac ter s.

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“ t was exc it ing to see how it was e di te d and seeing Blac k Pant her not only a ddre s s ing t he issues of race, b ut also ad dre s s i n g t he issues of gend er. M ost of t he wo me n t hat were t here p layed b ig and sign i fi c a nt roles. I t hink it also ad d ressed t he i s s u e o f ageism b ec ause we had a lad y t here w h o wa s one of t he eld er s who were ab out 9 0 - s o me t hing year s old whic h says you are n e ve r to o old to get an op p or t unit y.”

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la c k Pant h e r was a spel l bi n di n g di spl ay of fi c t i o n al Af r i c an tr i bes bu t sh owca sed t he fines t ta l e nt s o f t h e Af r i ca n di a spo ra f ro m Euro pe, th e Car ib b ea n , N o r th Amer i ca , a nd Afr ic a . Th e i m m e rs i on o f cu l tu res i n th e fic tiona l co u nt r y o f Wa k a n da expressed th e hope s a nd p o s s ib il iti es o f w h at th e co ntinent coul d b e.

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hiume also said t hat Blac k Pant he r wa s a necessar y c hange to t he Afr ic an nar rat i ve – a nar rat ive t hat usually consist s of fe at u re stor ies of slaver y, war, and famine.

Co n n i e Ch i u me, D a n a i G ur ira, John K ani, Lup it a N yong’o

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“ e wi l l co nt i n u e to te ll th e s to r i e s of s l ave r y an d al l of that, but I t h in k t h at we h ave o t h e r s to r i es that a l so n e e d to be told. Sto r ie s o f s l aver y nee d to b e to l d beca use we s h o u l d n’t forg et w h e re we are comi n g f ro m , an d a lot of i ss u e s h ave no t bee n res o l ve d wh e n it co m e s to i n e q u al i t y of b la c k p e o p l e, b u t I th i nk w it h Wak an da or B l a c k Pant h e r i t wa s so n i ce to s e e the o th e r s i d e o f Afr i c a t h at we al ways wa nte d.

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fr ic a should always b e p or t raye d i n a p osit ive manner b ec ause most o f t h e t ime, we have only seen Afr ic a a n d o t h e r count r ies of t he d iasp ora p or t raye d a s t hese st ar ving, d isease -infested a n d war-infested p laces. Wit h Blac k Pa nt h e r, we saw t his innovat ive and p rogre s sive count r y t hat we want to see Afr i c a p or t rayed as,” conc lud ed t he lege n da r y S out h Afr ic an ac t ress.

Co n n ie C h i ume a n d Lu pi ta N yo n g’o

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KIRK BROWN “ I d o n’ t gi ve u p, n ot in my D N A! “ Wr i t te n B y : Si m o n e E l l i o t

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u l t i face ted i s th e wo rd th at comes to m i n d at t h e m enti o n o f th e n a me K ir k B rown . Th i s h u m b l e a r ti ste ro se to f a m e as a resul t o f h is f i rs t l ove: si n gi n g. B rown’s tal e nts ran g e f ro m si n gi n g a n d D Ji n g to a c t i ng to e ve nt pl a n n i n g, a n d h i s repe r toire spa n s ac ro s s t h e enter ta i n ment a n d b usin e ss f i e l d wh e re h e excel s i n ea ch do main.

Th e B a r b ad i an - b or n entrepren eu r credit s h i s cont i n u in g ac h i evements to h i s i mm ac ulate ly m an agi n g h i s ti me , bei n g a bl e to stay org an ize d, a n d keepi n g h i s eyes on his d re a m s to e n s u re ma xi mu m su ccess.

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i r k B rown’s p assi o n fo r mu si c sta r te d at th e St. M i c h ae l S ch o o l. As a bra ss i n str um e nt s p e ci al is t, B row n wa s a member of th e sc h o o l b an d a s wel l a s i n th e B a r b ad os N at i o n al Yo u t h Orch estra . Th o u gh B rown pur sue d b u s in e s s a n d co mpu ter tech nology stud i es at R ye rs o n Un i versi t y i n Ca n a da, he d i d n o t gi ve u p hi s l ove fo r mu si c. I n 2005, h e m a d e h i s way o nto th e pu bl i c scene, wh e re h e m ad e gu est a ppea ra n ces a n d p erfo r med cove rs in cl u bs l i ke S h i p I n n . I n 2 0 0 9 , h e re l e as e d h i s f i rst so l o tra ck M ake it R i g ht, wh ich h e n o tes ref l ec ts h i s l i fe and th e co n s t ant b at t l e o f ba l a n ci n g l i fe and wo r k . Th e t rac k proved i tsel f a h i t a s i t was well re ce ive d by th e B a r ba di a n a u di ence a n d K ir k h i m s e l f wa s mo re th a n pl ea se d w i t h h is f i rs t o f f i ci a l wo r k .

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i s ras py vo ice i s w h at gra bbed a u d ie n ces an d h as h o o ked th em ever si n ce.

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n th e ye ars to fo l l ow, B row n co nti n ued to re le as e t rack s i n cl u di n g I n credi bl e Gir l, Tro ubl e, St il l J ammi n’, D e Ch a l l en ge ( pro d uced by D wain gero u s) , a n d Yo u’re M y N um be r O n e ( p ro du ced by D e R ed B oyz).

H i s co nt r i b u t io n to th e mu si c festi va l is h e av i ly ant i c i p ated a s h e i s k n ow n fo r his swee t m e l o d ie s wh i ch prov i de pa r t y goer s wi t h sm o o t h wi n i n g sessi o n s. H i s h i ts are

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p layed all t hroughout t he year and a re s u i tab le for any event--You’re M y Numb e r On e is freq uent ly req uested for wed d in g s.

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n fac t, You’re M y Numb er One ha s t ravelled far. This song was remixed fo r a n o ffi c ial sound t rac k by inter nat ional p ro du ce r, R ob Wells (from D egrassi). This t rac k ju mp st ar ted his soc a tour ing t hroughou t 2 0 1 5 - 2016, and even ear ned him a t hird p l a ce in t he DJ com p et it ion in Tr inid ad. I t h a s gained inter nat ional recognit ion, fu l fi l l i n g Brown’s goals of p rovid ing listene r s w i t h q ualit y music wit h whic h t hey c an co n n e c t.

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ir k ad vises not to b ecome too p re di c tab le wit h your for mula and p rovide mu s i c for ever y mar ket, whet her c atered to t h e lad ies or t he “d r inker s”. This allows a n a r t i s t t he ab ilit y to t ap into a mar ket t hat may not b e well rep resented. I t also all ows t h e ar t ist t he op p or t unit y to connec t w i t h a d ifferent genre, showing t heir flui di t y. H i s 2019 cont r ib ut ion For m ula d oes exa c t l y t hat as it comb ines d ifferent musi c a l fl avo r s and rep resent s t he soc a genre as we l l a s reggae. He ad d s t hat collab orat ing w i t h ar t ist s out sid e of your genre also h e l p s, and gives you t he c hance to b e he a rd by new aud iences.

B

rown’s music al c areer as a solo a r t i s t allowed him t he op p or t unit y to wo r k wit h some of t he greatest inter nati o n a l ar t ist s. He has shared st ages wit h t h e l i ke s of R ihanna, Fay-Ann Lyons, Bunji G a r l i n , B eenie M an, Lil Wayne, R ic k R oss, N e -yo, Baby C ham, Fat Joe, Ashant i, and Ja Ru l e, to nam e just a few.

B

ut Brown is not just a solo ar t is t. Brow n found ed “St rategy t he Energy Band ” n ow k nown as (“ The St rategy Band ”), w h i c h he b oast s was one of t he fir st and t h e b iggest b and s in Bar b ad os. They q u i c k l y grew and t heir success gar nered t h e m t he t it le of youngest and hot test Ba ja n

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live ba n d, “ b o as t i n g a so u n d a n d a n i mage to r i va l any i nte r n ati o n a l a c t.� Th ei r su ccess resul te d in to u rs and per fo r ma n ces n o t only in B a r ba d o s an d t h e n ei gh bo r i n g Ca r i bb ean islan d s, b u t w it h fu r th er gl o ba l rea ch to t he U ni te d K i n g d o m . H owever, h e rea l i zed t hat the n i g htc l u b e ra wa s f a di n g a n d th i s me ant that t h e l ife s p an o f th e ba n d wa s sh o r tened, thus ma k in g i t n e cessa r y fo r h i m to h ave to revamp h i s p u b l ic i ma ge. As a resu l t, B rown b ega n to l o o k into a rea s to di versi f y h i s care er.

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e e i ng p e r fo r m an ce a s h i s pl atfo r m, h e step pe d into ac t i n g. He pl ayed th e l ea d ac tor in o n e of t h e i s l an d ’s bi ggest f i l ms, Vi gi lante , wh i c h e ar n e d h im a n d awa rd fo r B est Ac tor at t h e B a r b ad o s Vis u a l M edi a Awa rds i n 2 0 1 7 . Th e m ovie g a i n ed i nter n ati o n a l rec ogni ti o n . I t p re m i e red i n Lo s An gel es, N ew Yor k a nd M i am i an d wa s even di str i bu ted at the Ca nn e s Fi l m Fe s ti va l. He recentl y pl ayed a ro l e i n an o t h e r l o ca l f i l m ca l l ed Heat, dire c te d by inte r n ati o n a l di rec to r M en elik Sha ba zz.

I

n Apr i l 2010, Brown to o k a ch a n ce o n the tur nta ble s wh e re h e qu i ck l y o bta i n ed a position at 9 8 . 1 Th e O n e. H i s po pu l a r i t y a mongst the li ste n e rs q u i c k l y grew a n d h e l ater got his own b re ak fas t s h ow K i r k B row n L i ve on t h e Ed g e. K i r k h a s si n ce moved o n a nd

cont inues to keep t he air waves fre s h o n ra di o at his new home Cap it al M ed ia HD 9 9 .3 FM, t he only HD st at ion in t he island loc ate d i n Limegrove Lifest yle Center on t he We s t Co a s t.

Here, he also has his own show Capi t a l H i t z whic h r uns weekd ays 2: 00- 6: 00 p m.

N

ot sat isfied, Brown realized t hat t h e mar ket for DJs was b ecoming sat urate d a n d t hat he need ed to find anot her nich e to st ay on t he mar ket and always in b u s i n e s s.

He t ur ned his foc us onto b ecoming a n MC, a job whic h would highlight his vo i ce a n d his ab ilit y to interac t wit h t he c rowd. Brow n c an b oast of host ing event s in t he p re s e n ce of Bar b ad ian icon R ihanna as well a s e ve r y major soc a and reggae show. He ha s h o s te d major shows loc ally, regionally and i nte rnat ionally, inc lud ing his most recent involvement wit h t he FLOW c am p aign television gam e show.

F

rom host ing it was a shor t step to p rod uc ing t he event s. M any of t he major event s on t he island have eit her b een hosted /and or co -p ro d uced by K ir k . He sat on t he commit tee and hosted t he nat ional p resent at ion

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for i nte r n at i o n al p o p sta r a n d Cu l tu ra l Amb assad or for Bar b ad os, R obyn “R ihanna” Fe nt y. H e ha s wor ke d wi t h C h u m FM , Fu n L a n d Creat ion Circ us, S oc a On D e H ill, The Bar b ad o s M u s i c Awa rds, Th e R e g g ae Festi va l, Hen n essy Ar t ist r y, and Car ib b ean Prem ier League ( CPL ). As a pro m ote r, h i s g o al i s to h el p o th er a r ti s t s, whet her it b e by p ut t ing on event s t hat wo u l d give t h e m ex p o s u re o r so meth i n g a s si mp le as help ing t hem wit h inter views.

B

rown d o e s n o t o n l y h el p o th er a r ti sts as he is keen on help ing ever yone to succe e d. As a mot i vatio n al s p e aker, h e u ses h i s pl atfo r m to encourage asp ir ing ar t ist s and t he co mmu n i t y in ge n e ra l to s t r ive fo r excel l en ce a n d p er fec t t heir c raf t. He has b een invited to s p e a k at bus i ness fo ru m s, to th o se i n h o mes a n d t he less for t unate and even to p r isoner s i n Ba r b a do s’ pr ison .

K

i r k B rown e n j oys th e ma ny ch a l l en ges in his c areer, p ar t ic ular ly t hose of music. H e desc r i be s t h e p re s ent scen e a s “exci ti n g” and at t r ib utes it to t he heav y soc ial medi a i n fl u ence on t h e m u s i c ma r ket. N ow, h e n o te s, ar t ist s are p r ivileged wit h more avenue s to exp o s e the i r m us ic to t h e pu bl i c, rath er th a n relying solely on lab els and rad io st at ions. Acco rdi n g to B rown , t h is h as da mpen ed th e spi r i ts of ot her ar t ist s c ausing some to even give u p, b u t his unrem i t t in g n atu re wo u l d n o t a l l ow him to ab and on his p assion wit h q uoted a s s ayi n g “I n e ve r give u p, n o t i n my D N A ! I’m a c reator !”

B

u t h ow d o es B row n f i n d th e time to manage his sc hed ule? From wor k ing i n Ca p i t a l R ad i o to s in gi n g i n th e stu di o a nd even t ravelling on t he occ asional tour, i t i s s a fe to say t h at h e stays bu sy. B row n says he owes his sanit y and well- organized life to h i s t im e m an agement, a sk i l l w h i ch he p ic ked up living over seas.

K

ir k B rown i s a h a rdwo r k i n g a nd humb le ind ivid ual who cont inues to p rove t h at e n d u ran ce i s pati en ce co n ce nt rated. None of his success was gar nered ove rn i g ht b u t it ca me th ro u gh co n si stent d ed ic at ion to all of his c raf t s. He p us h e d h i m s e l f b e yo n d th e l i mi ts o f h i s end urance and was ab le to successfully c re ate a b ran d fo r h i msel f th at n o t o n l y re cognizes him as a p ar t ic ip ant wit hin event s a n d p e r fo r m an ce spa ces, bu t a s a creator.

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C urtison haywood Th e b ran d ’s u n i qu e fo cu s a n d emp hasis on t he p ower of a sim p le yet d eep p h ra s e, ‘I Am’ as o n e o f th e ma i n rea so n s th e b rand has successfully est ab lished and p rove n i t s e l f d i f fe re nt f ro m th e pa ck .

Wr i t te n B y : Ja m a r Knight

I s l a n d S i g n at u r e s | d e d i c at i o n E D I T I O N

I am

. Th ese t wo si mpl e wo rd s co nt ain e d th e pro fo u n d i dea l that Cu r t i so n H ay wo o d, CE O, a n d fo u n der of t he I AM c lo t h in g co m pa ny, wa nted h i s bu sine ss to re f l e c t. Created o n M a rch 25th, 2019 th e bran d, w h i c h fo cu ses o n a ppa rel b rand in g f rom u n is ex te es to dresses, h a s be en ste a di l y g ai n i n g t ra c ti o n .

C

ur t i s o n c re d i te d th e bra n d ’s u n i qu e foc us and e m p h as i s o n th e power o f a si mpl e ye t d e e p p h ras e, ‘ I Am’ a s o n e o f th e m ain re a son s t h e b ran d h a s su ccessf u l l y estab lished an d p rove n i tsel f di f ferent f ro m t he pa c k . “ I f we u n d e r sta n d th e power o f t his lit tle p h ras e ; ‘ I AM ...’ th en we k n ow w hat it is c a pab l e o f. it ’s a bra n d o f a f f i r mati on. I t ’s de ep a n d s i m p l e bu t i t spea ks vo l u mes.”

T

h e e nt re p re n e u r a l so stated th at h i s mot ivat i o n was n e ce s s a r y fo r h i s su ccess i n b ot h cre at i n g an d m ainta i n i n g h i s bra n d. When ask e d ab o u t s aid mo ti vati o n s, Cu r ti so n desc r i b e d an d e m ph a si zed a va r i et y o f s ources t h at p u s hed h i m to create h i s co m pa ny an d in c rea se h i s ow n di sci pl ine.

Th e se in c l u d e d h i s ow n desi re to create a ta ngi bl e l e g ac y an d empi re th at co u l d b e le f t to h i s s o n , h i s u n dersta n di n g o f the s tor i e s o f gre at men o f th e pa st l i ke Thomas Ed i so n an d An d re w Ca r n egi e, a n d sel f -help b o ok s l ik e N ap o l e o n H i l l ’s Th i n k a n d G row R ic h . H e al s o c re d i ted h i s pra c ti ce o f med itat i o n , wh ich h e d i scovered th ro u gh soc ial m e d i a - - s p e ci fi c al l y th ro u gh a mi l l i o n aire’s tra i ni n g wo r k s h o p o n Fa cebo o k .

T

h e l i fe o f an entrepren eu r, h oweve r, is n ot j u s t t h e g l i tz a n d gl a mo r th at many pe opl e b e l ie ve it i s. Cu r ti so n stated that th e re are m any c h a l l en ges to be f a ced by a spi r i n g n e wco m e rs, especi a l l y mo n et ar y is sue s’ an d s t re s s e d th at i t wa s i mpo r tant to k now wh at yo u r mo n eta r y i nvestme nt wa s do in g. H e al s o emph a si zed rema i ning

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hum b le in t he face of ad ver sit y, e s p e c i a l l y since t here are many p eop le who wo u l d t hink negat ively ab out t he wor t h o f yo u r m onet ar y invest ment s. “ You have to k n ow and und er st and t hat it ’s t he p eop l e c l o s e s t to you who are t he ones who t r y to ma ke sure your invest ment fails. Those a re t h e ones who say t hat t hey are just t r yi n g to keep you safe from losing ever yt hi n g. I de a l wit h t hese sit uat ions t hrough faith , me di t a t ions, and und er st and ing t hat G od do e s n o t give us more t han what we c an b e a r. Wo r k , have fait h and d o not mur mur, wor r y n o r fret.”

H

e also offered some ad vice for u p co ming b usiness owner s. “B e b old. Th e o n l y l i mit at ions you have are t he ones yo u c re ate.

We are ab und ant and we have eve r yt h i n g we need to t hr ive, it ’s all in t he st ate o f m ind. For ever yt hing we ask of life i n t h e sp ir it of fait h, life will surely p ay. R i s ks b uild t he fut ure, t hat ’s how p lane s g o t h e re, t hat ’s how b oat s got here, railways, t ra i n s, etc. There are going to esp ec ially fro m t h e p eop le around you i. e. fr iend s, p a re nt s, e tc.

Step out on t he led ge and see what yo u r m ind and p osit ive energy c an and w i l l do for you. Last ly, always rememb er t h at e ve r y failure b r ings wit h it an eq uivalent s e e d o f success, so d on’t b e d ist ur b ed by t h at. R i s e again, t he b est t hings in life are o n t h e o t h e r sid e of ter ror. G o find it.”

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hen he was asked ab out what h e t hought t he b rand ’s more not ab le a c h i e ve ment s were since it s incep t ion, Cu r t i s o n rep lied “ The b rand took on a life o f i t s ow n .

I t ’s moving in a d irec t ion t hat is h e a di n g toward s great ness from a single i de a . I t ’s t he lit t le t hings t hat we are sup er grate ful for, b ut let us see in t he nex t s i x mo nt h s, and t he p eop le c an d ec id e on t ho s e n o t a b l e ac hievement s.”

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C ARIFESTA XIV- RE VIE W Wr i t te n B y : K ay l a Ha r l ey

T

h i s ye ar fo r t h e sh ow o f a l l cu l tu ra l s hows, I t rave l e d to sweet T& T a mo n gst the fleet of su r ro u n d in g i sl a n ds i n th e Ca r i bbean for th e ti me o f ce l e b rati o n , cu l tu ra l recl amati on a n d exch an ge o f a r i ch h i sto r y th at ma k e s th e s e co u nt r i es i r resi sti bl e. Fo r t wo week s, at te n d e e s wou l d co -mi n gl e, sh a re, discuss, a n d c re ate on e co mmu n i t y o f pe op le thro ug h t h e ar t s : m u si c, da n ce, cu l i n a r y ar t, craf t s, f a s h io n , f i l m , l i teratu re, ch i l dren exp o s i tion s a n d m o re. N ews medi a co mes f ro m a ll over t h e wo r l d fo r th i s exper i en ce ca l led Ca r ifesta XI V t h u s d e mo n strati n g i ts so phisticat i o n , growt h , ex pa n si o n , a n d a bi l i t y to u s e th e a r t s to co n n ec t even f u r th er w i th one a no th e r- - to l e rati n g, i f n o t a ccepti n g t he differen ce s b e t we e n co u ntr i es even mo re.

Thro ug h o u t t h e d ay, th ere a re a c ti v i ti es s uch a s wo r k s h o p s, a n d a f f a i rs ta k i n g pl ace thro ug h ou t Tr i n i d ad to gi ve yo u a rea so n to b e co me fam il iar ize d a n d l ea r n ed a bo u t t he ways o f Tr i n b ag o n ia n s. As a n Amer i ca n , I was ecs t at i c to ex p e r i e n ce Ca r i festa XI V bei n g full of exc i te m e nt an d a nti ci pati o n to sh a re my ex per i en ce s b ac k h ome w i th f r i en ds, fo l l ower s a n d a udi e n ce s wh o may be wo n der i n g...where

is she off to nex t ?

B y t ak ing p ar t in t he fest ival as a s o c i a l me di a sp ec ialist and comment ator, I got to g o i n s i de and ex p er ience b ehind t he scenes o f e ve r yday life of my Car ib b ean p eop le only to di s cove r t here aren’t too many d ifferences b e t we e n u s.

That t he b lood of M ot her Afr ic a wil l a l ways p ulse t hrough our veins b ut what we h ave d one as a result of colonizat ion is to t a ke our sur round ings and rep ur p ose t h e m to fi t our need s of ad ap t at ion to t he env i ro n me nt

and b ec am e ver y p roud of it. S o t h at w h at we c reate wit h our hand s, envision in o u r h e a r t s and share wit h one anot her, b ecome s t h at nat ionalism and owner ship we long fo r a s a p eop le.

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We hea r s o m u c h abo u t th e ter ro r a n d negativ i t y d u e to d ru g tra f f i ck i n g a n d th e v iolent a c t i v i t y t ak i n g p l ace a cro ss th e bo rder. I t def rays u s fro m wa nti n g to devel o p real relatio n sh i p s wi t h t h e ver y peo pl e w h o se cult ure we a dm i re, rave abo u t, a n d o cca si o n a l l y b uy tr ink ets to s to re i n o u r memo r i es l i ke the fr id g e m agn e t s i n o u r h o mes. Th e mo re I was entre n c h e d in t h e depth a n d r i ch n ess of t he cul ture, t h e m o re I beca me awa re o f w hat I wa s m i s s in g, a p ar t o f mysel f th at I k n e w by a sso c i at io n e ve r y now a n d th en . I wa s t aught

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ab use or neglec t. This is t he c ase w h e n di s c ussing t he d ynamic b et ween d ar k/ fa i rsk inned Afr ic an-Am er ic ans. One mi g ht co n sid er t he genet ic makeup and c ultu ra l i n fl u ences of a p er son and who t hey are : fo r inst ance, a fairer sk inned /light /c rè me b r û l é e sk in-toned female wit h c ur ly silk-l i ke text ured loc s might b e consid ered a mi xe d, a mulat to, oc toroon or c reole. I t ’s vi e we d a s a p lus when you d iscover t hat t he y i n de e d are Creole, to just ify a more d ynami c c u l t ural influence t hey have in langu a g e, t ra d it ion, an up b r inging t han just b e i n g a b l e to “p ass for white” in t he ear ly his to r y o r b eing “ t reated b et ter, k ind er. . .” or s e e n a s “m ore at t rac t ive”--t he many p syc ho l o gi c a l sc hemes t hat have p lagued our so c i e t y fo r generat ions.

But t r ut hfully, t he Creole exp er ie n ce i s mo re t han just an exot ic Am er ic an mix o f Sp a n i s h , Frenc h and Por t uguese p eop le. I t ’s mo re t han M ard i Gras or t he Essence Fe s t i va l i n

that bei n g Bl ack- -wa s j u st to o mu ch fo r peopl e to to l e rate a n d i s a po o r represe nt atio n of a n ad van ced o r ci v i l i zed h u ma n b eing a nd th at I h ad to prove mysel f ci v i l i zed by dista nc in g mys e l f f ro m th e exper i en ce and ver y ex i s te n ce o f i t.

I u nde r s t an d n ow, th at my Af r i ca n Her i tage is a Gi f t, h avin g b e en ta u ght th e so ph i s t icated m e as u re s o f i ts’ exi sten ce beyo n d an occ a si o n al Afr ican da n ce cl a ss, “a go o d ole eye - rolli n g n e c k t u r n i n g empath i z i n g conver sat i o n am o n g s t si sta s”, th e B l a ck Power fis t pump in p u b l ic o r ‘ Wa k a n da Fo rever !’ a r m c ro s s g e s t u re. O u r cu l tu re i s expressive, a live, re al an d s e l f -va l i dati n g!

Co lor i sm ap p e ars to be a u n i versa l i ssue for pe op l e wh o are n o t w h i te. S o me fee l i t s e f fe c t s by way o f a bru ta l ca ste syste m t h at is o l ate s peo pl e f ro m a l i fe of pove r t y an d s h am e. Wh i l e o th ers exper ien ce un d e r l y i n g h i nts o f i t th ro u gh exclusive soc i e t y, s ys te mati c ra ci sm, cu l tu ra l

t he S out h. Creole b egins in t he isla n ds o f t h e Car ib b ean, Hait i to b e ex ac t when H a i t i a n slaves migrated to t he Louisiana Pu rc h a s e ter r itor y seek ing asylum and in se a rc h o f a new life. These were t he more aggre s sive -m ilit ant Afr ic ans hold massac re d p l a n t at ions fight ing off Europ ean slave h a n d ler s and master ’s to live a free life. I re c a l l Afr ic an-Am er ic an Aut hor, Poet, and S c h o l a r, N t zoke Shane’s c hore p oem ‘ For Co l o re d

Gir ls’ ....wi t h L ad y i n.... ta l k i n g to a n i mi tat i on Tous s aint L’O ve r tu re boy pu f f i n g o u t his c hes t a bo u t n o t t ak i n g n o stu f f f ro m Wh ite Folk s!

I be li eve wh at Car ifesta di d wa s h i gh l i ght t he a spec t s o f t h e Af r i ca n D i a spo ra , n a m ely Car ibbean c u l t u re t h at we h ave h ere i n the U.S. at a m i n i m al exper i en ce i n cl u di n g a few Jer k Ch i c k e n s h ac k s, th emed i sl a n d n i ght s i n th e c l u b / b ar, a h an df u l o f Festi va l s & Fa irs i nc lu d i n g o u r ow n Ca r i festa du r i n g t he sum m e r.

D ur ing Car ife s t a, t h e Fren ch Creo l e Co u nt r y n ight wa s o n e o f my f avo r i tes. I fel t co n n ec ted to t h e M u s i c - th e spi c y su l tr y and l i vely m u s ic! The wo men wo re br i ght smil e s a n d t h e s avo r y di sh es so l d i n th e M ar k e tpl ace. . . . s o l d o u t! Ever y n i ght! A wom a n a m o n g s t o ur gro u p, f ro m th e B a l let Creole Fa m il y, D j e n ni e L a gu er re spo ke a b out h er l i fe as a d e d icated Ar ti st a n d Pl ay w r ight.

S he h a d b ro u g ht h er da u ghter a n d mo ther alon g f ro m Can ad a to sh a re i n th e exper ience o f t h e c u l t u ral festi va l representi n g H a it i wi t h h e r.

I loved th e s o u n d o f h er vo i ce, fo r so me re a so n th e Fre n ch accent reso n ates w i th m e we ll an d wi t h e ase do th e so u n ds make sens e to my s o u l. The Fren ch ten d to be ver y sure an d ex p re ssi ve peo pl e -- a n d I as an Am e r i c an l im i te d to o n l y S pa n i sh 101 and I ta l i a n as an e l ec ti ve co u rse i n Ju n i or H ig h S c h o o l, am f as ci n ated by bi l i n gu a l peopl e. S h e s h are s her dedi cati o n to l i fe as a Creat i ve an d k e p t me o n my to es w h i l e I was t here. Wh i l s t t ak i n g pi c tu res, v i deo s, mak ing n ote s for my b l o g - - I fel t va l i dated by h er presen ce in a crowd o f peo pl e w h o h a d no i dea w h o I was. . . I a m gratef u l.

I n add i t io n , S p an i s h - spea k i n g/L ati n o cult ure s were re p re s e nted du r i n g Ca r i festa’s Lati n/ Ca r ib ce l e b rati o n sh owca se at th e Littl e Ca r i b Th e at re a n d du r i n g S u per Con cer t N ig ht w h i c h mo st peo pl e mi ght have

assum ed t hat it was ab out p op ular s t a r s : C hut ney, Nailah Blac k man, M ac hel M o nt a n o, and Shaggy--b ut it was Guad elop e’s M u s i c Band K assav t hat stole t he aud ience’s h e a r t.

Finally, I had a c hance to c atc h up w i t h Canad ian-b ased d ance comp any Bal l e t Creole who would b e p er for ming t h ro u g h out Tr inid ad d ur ing t he fest ival. The y b rought influences from mult i- d im e n sions of t he Car ib b ean inc lud ing b u t n o t limited to Afr ic an, I nd ian, Hait ian, Bra z i l i a n , Tr inid ad ian and Cub an Folk lor ic mu s i c a n d d ance. Sp ir it ual, S ound and d eep ly s t u di e d and researc hed t he content of t he wo r k c a n b e recognized all over t he wor ld.

On t he Day of t he C losing Ceremony, Ar t i s t i c Direc tor, C horeograp her and Accomp a n i s t Pat r ic k Par son were inter viewed by a major Cub an Television net wor k sha r i n g his jour ney from life as a d ance st ude nt i n Tr inid ad to b ecoming a p rominent da n ce figure in t he Ar t s and t he Cult urally r i c h Afr ic an Diasp ora Communit y.

H is p r inc ip al d ancer and found ing co mp a ny memb er : Yuhala G arc ia is from Cub a a n d t ranslates b et ween Pat r ic k and t he re p o r te r.

Par son sp eaks on his c hoice of d ance r st at ing t hat t he age, ap p earance, etc. do e s not mat ter for him when selec t ing da n ce r s.

I t is t heir p assion, commit m ent to t h e wo r k and d eep und er st and ing of sp ir it ua l i t y t h at mat ter s for him . Yuhula, coming from ‘Ba l l e t Folk lor ico d e Cub a’ had t hat foc us a n d dr i ve, t he k ind of d isc ip line t hat would se t a s t a n d ard for his wor k when collab orat ing w i t h ot her d ance ar t ist s, p rograms and s c h o o l s.

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I s l and Si gnat u re s’ B u c k e t List

GRENADA

Wr i t te n B y : Sh a nice J o rda n

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e l co m e to Gren a da , th e S pi ce I s land of t he Car ib b ean! I n Grenad a, you c a n fi n d ma ny d e l i c i o u s s p i ces i n cl u di n g co co a , nut meg, c innamon, ginger, and c loves. I n fa c t, Grena d a i s t h e s e co n d-l a rgest pro du cer of nut meg in t he wor ld. But t here’s more to Grena d a t h an j u s t d el i ci o u s spi ces...rea d on!

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re n ad a i s l o c ated n o r thwest o f Tr ini d a d an d To b ago, n o r th ea st o f Ven ezue l a an d s o u thwest o f St Vi n cent a nd th e G re n ad in e s. Th e i sl a n d i s a mere 1 3 4 .6 sq u are m i l e s a n d h a s a n esti mated pop ulat i o n o f 112, 003 perso n s. Gren a da is m a de u p o f t h e ma i n i sl a n d Gren a da a nd si x o t h e r ‘s p ice i sl a n ds’, w h i ch a l i e nor th of t h e m ain isl a n d. Th e n ati o n a l bird is th e Gre n ad a d ove a n d i t ’s o n e o f th e wor l d ’s m o s t c r i t ica l l y en da n gered doves.

Gren a da’s n at io n al di sh i s Oi l D ow n a n d is ver y pop u l ar am o n gst th e l o ca l s. Th i s ta st y treat c a n b e fo u n d i n ma ny resta u ra nts a roun d th e i s l an d. Oi l D ow n co n si sts o f a one -p ot meal t hat inc lud es coconut milk , s a l te d meat, c hi c k e n , d u mpl i n gs, brea df ru i t, callaloo, and ot her veget ab les.

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St. George’ s

t. G e org e’s is t h e ca pi ta l o f th e i sl a n d and it is t he cent ral area for many at t rac ti o n s s u c h a s St. G e org e’s Bay, Th e Ca reen a ge, th e N ational Cr ic ket St ad ium and t he loc al shop p i n g ma r ke t, whe re yo u c an f i n d del i ci o u s l o ca l vegetab les, fr uit s, and (of cour se) sp ices.

H i stor ic For t M at t hew

Y

o u c a n al s o vi s it H i sto r i c Fo r t M atth e w, whic h was once was a b at t leground an d t h e n l ate r a menta l as y l u m . Visi t th e u n dergro u n d t unnels and I magine your self as a sold ier de fe n ding Gre n ad a l o n g ago. I nterested i n l ea r ning more ab out Grenad a’s her it age? Then vi s i t t h e Grena d a N at i o n al M u seu m, f u l l o f h i sto r ic ar t ifac t s and stor ies.

N at io n a l Cr i cket Sta di u m

Grand Et ang Nat ional Par k

I

SpiceMa s

f yo u’re an o u tg o i n g perso n , Gren a da has wond er ful soc ial event s for you to enjoy. L i ke ever y Ca r ib b e an n ati o n , Gren a da i s hy pe d on soc ial event s and fetes, b ut in Grena da , t h e s e have a ve r y u n iq u e f l a i r.

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ren a d a Car n ival, k n ow n a s ‘Spi cema s’, is usually celeb rated by many loc als and to u r i s t s alik e. Th is ye ar, t h e cel ebrati o n wa s h el d from 8t h - 12t h August 2019. The c ar niva l h o s t s a n ama zi ng s e t o f e ve nts fo r ch i l dren a n d ad ult s, inc lud ing C hild ren’s Car nival, Panora ma (Ste e l Pan Event ) , J ’o u ve r t, Pa gea ntr y, Ja b Ja b p ar t ies, and Final Lap Car nival Parad e of Ba n ds.

B

ut wh at i s J ab J ab? Th e ter m co mes f rom t he Frenc h “Diab le (whic h is p ronounce d ‘Jab le’ ),”, meaning ‘D e vi l ’.

M asq uerad er s usua l l y u s e t a r to p aint t heir sk in b l a c k a n d ar m t hemselves wit h c h a i n s and rop es. This ac t o f Ja b Ja b t akes you b ac k to t i me s w h e n Afr ic an enslaved p e r s o n s were c hained and re s t r i c te d from p er sonal free do m. As Jab Jab, masquera de r s s h owc ase ac t s t hat t he o r i gi n a l enslaved p er sons b e l i e ve d were d one by t hos e l i ke t h e d evil him self. The ma s q u e ra der s da n ce an d p ara de i n th e street f ro m mor ning into t he night in t heir Jab Jab o r Ca r n i va l attire a nd i t ’s t ru l y a si ght to see! Th e a c t ion-p ac ked fest ival is one of t he b iggest p a r t i e s o n the Ca r i b b e an Car n i va l scen e a n d sh o u l d d efinitely not b e missed. S ee you nex t ye a r !

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ren a d a is a Car ibbea n wo n der. Th i s small group of island s is am azingly d iver se a n d fi l l e d with ton s o f co l o r f u l a rch i tec tu re, rel a xi ng Car ib b ean vib es and am azing c ult ure. Th e Sp i ce I slan d s to g e t h e r h ave spec ta cu l a r bea ches, r ic h histor y, fr uit ful t rees, d elic ious c u i s i n e, a n d vib ra nt p e o p l e. G ren a da i s a pl a ce th at you should ex p lore.

W

P oint A to P oint B

i t h a l in e u p o f da i l y a c ti v i ti es to exp lore, it ’s ap p arent t hat you should p lan how to move from Po i nt A to Po i nt B. Here we brea k down t he for ms of t ransp or t used by loc als a n d to u ris ts to e n s u re yo u get to yo u r da i l y pl a n ned ac t ivit ies a good t im e. I n Grenad a t he l o c a l c u rrenc y i s E as te r n Car i bbea n D o l l a r( $EC ) , an ap p rox im ate conver sion rate is USD$1 = E C$ 2 .7 0 .

T

ra nspo r t at i o n in Gren a da ra n ges f ro m p ub lic b uses, water t ax is, fer r ies, t ax is, and c a r renta l co m p an i e s. Th e mo st po pu l a r way for visitor s is usually by t ax i. These nor m a l l y h ave a licen se p l ate s t ar ti n g w i th ‘H’. Ta xi s u sually cost b et ween USD$7 -USD $40 and yo u c a n always a s k a fr i e n d l y l o ca l ta xi dr i ver fo r a tour of t he island. These c an cost around U SD $ 6 0 fo r th e d ay. R e m e mber to a l ways chec k yo u r d r ive r fo r rates befo re mak i ng a n agre e m e nt fo r th e tr i p.

W

h i l e t ax i s are co nven i ent, th i s way of t rave l i n g is a bi t l i mi ti n g.

I f yo u wante d, yo u co u l d rent a ca r. Ca r R e nt al co m p a n i es u su a l l y cha rg e a ro u n d U S D $50 per day, a nd yo u wo u l d h ave to travel w i th you r loc a l l ice n s e c a rd a n d fo r m o f ins ura nce.

I

f yo u’re m o re ad ventu ro u s, yo u ca n tr y p u b l ic t ran spo r tati o n whic h c a n co s t any wh ere bet ween EC($ 2 .5 0 ) o r U S D ( 0. 93) a n d a s h i gh a s EC ($8. 00) or USD ($2. 96). Buses d o t ravel reg u l a r l y bet wee n t h e h o u rs o f 7 a m – 7 pm a n d of cour se t ax is are availab le out sid e t hese h o u r s.

I

nte re s te d i n t ravel i n g by water? Fer r ies are a fun way to get around to t he ot he r i s l a n ds of Ca r r i a co u an d Peti te M a r ti n i qu e. Th e Osp rey Ex p ress Ltd offer s a mod er n- d ay fe e l o f a high - spee d cat am ara n . I t depa r ts f ro m the Carenage in St G eorge. The fer r y ser vice p rovi de s a websi te w it h rate s, ti mes a n d du rati o n for eac h t r ip. Last ly, Water Tax is are a fun b o at t r i p a nd a conve n i e nt way to get i n a n d o u t of St G eorge’s hassle -free. These c an b e fou n d n e a r the Ca ree n ag e as wel l, n ea r th e bea ch o r near by visit ing c r uise ship s.

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I s l a n d S i g n at u r e s | d e d i c at i o n E D I T I O N

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NO T T I NG H I L L CA R N I VA L 2 0 1 9 I

W r it ten By: Soyi ni M at t he ws

Wr itten by : Ken r ife M atth ia s

n t he wo rds o f Al s to n B ec k et Cy r u s, “Car nival is ma s a n d music! Car nival is c al y ps o ! Car nival is m as and s teel - b a n d !

Car n ival is peace! ” As an innate m u s ic l over, my fo nd n e s s fo r S o ca a nd Car nival o n a w ho l e trans cends the revel r y o r “g o o d t ime” t hat m o s t m ay identif y w ith. I have a penc hant a p p re c i a t io n fo r the c ar nival ar t-fo r m ; the s weet s o c a v ibes, d i ve r s i t y o f co st umes and par tic u l ar l y the inc l u s ive har m o ny.

On t h e 8th Au g u s t, 20 19 I received a no tif ic at io n f ro m Facebo o k that I’d b een tag g ed in a po s t by my fel l ow co m pat r io t in Lo ndo n – Ianna Parso ns (w ho m I fo ndl y call I P) s tating that “ Tr inis in Lo n do n” w hic h is a media ho u s e in Lo ndo n, was lo o k ing fo r “ vo l u nteer ” p ho to grapher s. I had n o DSLR c am era and have o n ly had am ateu r pho to g rap hy exper ience bu t w ith a dete r m ined and o ptim is t ic o ut l o o k I dec ided that I was g o ing to give this a s h o t ( n o p un inten d ed). I im m ediatel y s ent o f f an em ail deno ting my i nte re s t h igh lighting my f iel d o f wo r k being a Freel ance Wr ite r a n d wa s in st antl y co ntac ted abo u t the pro s pec t. Yes, this wa s NOT a p a i d en gagem ent bu t the o ppo r tu nit y to give my s er v ice to s uc h a rep ut a bl e m ediu m and have my ef fo r t no ticed and fe at ure d wa s mo re than I co u l d have ho ped fo r. As I had recentl y s t a r te d my b lo g a nd s o u rc ing m ater ial, I rec k o ned that the bes t way to s e e t h e ba nds was to ac tu al l y be in the bands and that wa s p o s s i b l e as I wa s prov ided w ith a N o tting H il l Car nival “Acces s Al l Are a s” p ass a cc redited by The O u ts ide Org anis atio n w hic h a l l owe d m e to go into the var io u s bands to tak e pho to graphs.

I t was in this m o m ent that I was rem inded by the word s a r t i c ulated by o ne o f my as s o c iates – Cal ver t J o nes w ho m I h o l d i n h igh re g ard, “Avo id g o ing to “ hu nting” events to tr y to m e e t great p eo pl e, yo u w il l m o s t l ik el y k eep attrac ting th e d e s perate and o ppo r tu nis tic t y pes. I nvo l ve yo u r s el f in a c t i vi t ies and events l ik e vo l u nteer gro u ps o r co m m u nit y p ro j e c t s wh ere peo pl e w ith great hear ts and the bes t s pir its s h ow up…

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G e ne ra lly, the be tte r we all beco me at givin g is the m o re we are availa b l e to ga i n.”

With refe re nce to volunteer in g On e’s t ime, one o f my f avo u r ite m oti vat i o nal s pe a ke r s/aut h o rs – Les B rown opined that “ There is a pres e n ce wi thi n you wh ere yo u can f in d joy, co m fo r t and inner stre n g t h to gi ve you th e capacit y to h an dle w hatever yo u are f acing. Yo u have s omet h in g sp ecial. Yo u h ave G RE AT N E S S w ithin yo u ! ! ” Fo r t h o s e of you who do n’t k n ow me, I am a s o c aho l ic at hear t; so ca m u si c e pi tom i zes t h e p ower f ul yet sweet ef fec ts that s o c a m u s i c ha s on m e.

D a nc i ng to s oc a i s my escape… my release – I am s u re tho s e o f yo u who h ave s e e n me can at test to h ow t h e m u s ic em braces my e n e rg y a nd e nga ge s t h e f ull emb o diment o f my zeal o u s g y ration s b u t t hi s ac tua li t y h ad to be cur bed as I was dedic ated to my de vo i r. R e gard le s s o f t h at, it ’s t h e un it y o f l ove that f il l s the at mo s p h ere whi c h m ak es me co me alive, cre ating a cer tain t y pe of v i b e t h at ma ke s m e love Car n ival!

N ott i n g H i ll Ca r ni val 2019 sh owcased a sp ec tac u l ar pro du c tion o f m as, conne c ti n g a co mmun it y o f un it y, expl o ding w ith the vi b ra n c y of s oc a music t h at excites yo u to j u m p and wave in ha r mo n i c r hy thm, tant alises wit h t h e euph o r ic s teel -band awake n in g t he jambore e sp ir it o f visito rs an d lo c al s al ik e. And the che r r y o n top was the dazzlin g ar ray o f sp ec tac u l ar co s tu m es on di sp l ay a s i t tr uly dep ic ted t h e k aleido scope o f co l o u r and cu l tu re o f c ar ni val i n t h e diasp o ra. No t o n ly were the s ens es of s i g ht a nd he ar i ng excited b ut t h e exo t ic aro m as o f m o u thwater i n g Car i bbe a n delicacies def in itely h ad a no s tal gic and invit i ng end e a r me nt.

Lo o k i n g fo r t h at s p e c i a l o u t f i t ? Th e n l o o k

I n a n u t she ll, N otti ng H ill Car n ival 2019 was bo th a s c ience fo r m u l a a n d ar t a s i t was seaso n ed, mixed o r co o k ed pro p e r l y i nto t he me lti ng po t t h at it is to day. I t is w ith thes e var iabl es t hat the ar ti s tr y o f No t t in g H ill Car n iva l co u l d ver y wel l b e the B i gge s t and H ot test Car n ival in t h e wo r l d g enerating ove r £ 9 3 mi lli on a nd a reco rd 2. 5millio n peo p l e in attendance!

M y ex p e r i e nce was overall a wo n der f ul o n e a nd a great o ppo rtu nit y to ne t wor k and en joy t h e fest ival. To Al ex, J o e, K r is tian & Gh in o Pa r ke r, Fanc y, Fran z, B en Pester, Sh ire en Fenner and Ianna Pa r s o n s t ha nk you ALL fo r mak in g my f irst N o tting H il l Car nival ex p er i ence one that I’ ll always remember!

no f ur t her ! Si m p lic it y Co utu re caters to all si zes wit h a wi de var i et y o f ladies clothing to c ho o se f ro m . Lo o k i ng for convenience, they ’ve got you covered. View online, select your outfit and they come to you.

Just

relax and sho p. Si m p lic it y Cou tu re, Simply beautiful, Simply elegant, Simply you.

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Wave E l e me nt

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MASQUER ADE RESPONSIBLY Wr itte n B y : Nu t r io l o g y : The H ea l th B ox

F

o r t h o s e wh o l ive i n th e Ca r ibbean , p l ay i n g ma s’ ca n mean d i f fe re nt t h i n gs. S o me lik e th e p o m p an d co stu mes a nd som e j u s t l i k e th e r hy th m a nd v i bes. An d, q u i te f ra n k l y, s o me j ust l ik e t h e al l - day s t ree t pa r t y an d t h e f reedo m of it a l l. Wh ate ve r yo u r mo ti vati on for h it t i n g t he ro a d i n the bl a zi n g s u n an d gy rati n g to th e late s t cal y p s o tu n es a s you t re k d own t h e hi ghway, t wo th i ngs are fo r s u re: th ere will be h e at an d t h ere w i l l be a lco h ol. We s e e m any peo pl e ma k e a b - l i n e fo r t he gy m mont h s b e fo re to g ea r u p fo r the bi g j u m p, b u t t hey a re jus t a s many w h o d o n’t h ave the ti me to p re p t h e i r bo di es for t h e tas k . R e g ardl ess o f that, e ve r yo n e s h o ul d pay close at te nt i o n to a few thing s. N o o n e wants to be

th e n ex t YouTub e sensat ion fo r th e wrong reasons. S o we’ve put toget her a few t ip s to ma ke sure you enjoy t he ma ss a n d have a c hance to ma ke me m or ies on t he road.

suc h as …

• Dr y lip s, mout h , a n d e ye s • Dizziness and light head ed nes s • Fat igue

1.

Wh en we t hink of ju mp - u p d ay or K ad oom ent day a s i t is c alled in Bar b ad os, we h ave to t hink of t he b lister i n g h e at t hat accom p anies th e mo st memorab le st reet pa r ti es i n t he Car ib b ean c alen da r. And heat means sweat.

Wh en you sweat, your b od y l o ses water and if not ad e qu atel y p rep ared, could c ause yo u to b ecom e d ehyd rated.

D ehydrat ion is d efined as “a dro p b elow nor mal levels o f water in t he b od y.” Wit h dehydrat ion c an come many u n pl ea sant sid e - effec t s

• St rong smelling u r i n e • D ec reased ur inat i o n I n ord er to avoid t h e s e unp leasant sid e - effe c t s, b e sure to d r ink a few c u p s o f water b efore you b e gi n to p lay mas’ and keep a b o t t l e of water in hand so yo u c a n t ake frequent sip s a s yo u c h i p d own t he road.

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2.

D ehyd rat io n ca n a l so mea n th at you are los i n g m o re wate r th a n yo u ta ke i n . Th o se color f ul t as t y s h o t s, creati vel y du bbed coc ktails, a n d s p i r it s s er ved o n th e ro a d, a c t ually a c t a s diu re t i c s. Th at i s, th ey w i l l ca u se you to p ee m o re fre q u e ntl y th a n u su a l. Al cohol reduces t h e h o r m o n e i n yo u r bo dy w h i c h tell s yo u r k id n e ys wh en to rea bso r b water. S o if you a re d r in k i n g qu i te a bi t a s yo u sh uffle down t h e ro ad, p i c k yo u r dr i n k ca ref u l l y.

D on’t tr y to d r in k as ma ny a l co h o l i c bevera g es a s yo u p o s s ib ly ca n w h i l e yo u pa r t y and fete. I n ste ad o f s p ace o u t th e dr i n ks a n d limit you r se lf. Co u p l e t h e a l co h o l w i th a few c up s of wate r an d s ip frequ entl y a s yo u en j oy t he r hyt h m an d wu k .

3.

H e av y d r i n k in g ca n a l so l ea d to vo m iting. An d vo m it i n g ca n n o t o n l y l ea d to a messy m as s b u t t h i s to o ca n l ea d to dehyd ration. I f yo u are d r i nk i n g h eav i l y a n d vo miting f req u e nt l y, c h an ces a re yo u w i l l becom e dehydrate d. Lu c k i l y mo st ba n ds w i l l provid e eme rg en c y s e r vice s, bu t th e best o pti o n is to avo i d vom it i n g e nt i rel y. S o k n ow yo u r l im it.

D o no t tr y to o u t- dr i n k yo u r f r i en ds. K eep the pa ce o f yo u r d r i n k i n g sl ow a n d stea d y a nd avo id b e co m i ng dru n k . I f yo u k n ow t hat more th an a ce r t ai n n u mber o f spi r i ts send you r un n in g to t h e bath ro o m, l o o k fo r ot her bevera g e c h o i ce s. Th i s way yo u en joy the ma s’ a nd e ve r yo n e h a s a go o d, u n i nter rup ted time.

4.

Foo d p rovi d e s th e f u el yo u r bo dy need s to c a r r y o u t it s d ai ly f u n c ti o n s. Pl ay i n g masque ra de i s o n e o f t h e l o n gest wo r ko u ts you will e ve r o p t- i n o n . S o w h en deci di n g to p lay mas, be s u re to f u e l u p fo r th e pa r t y. D r iving a ca r o n “E ” m ay n ot get yo u ver y f a r, a n d the sa me g o e s fo r yo u r bo dy, especi a l l y on the bi g d ay. H ave a sen si bl e ba l a n ced breakfa st on th e d ay o f th e j u mp - u p. Th at means

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set t ing t he alar m c loc k and p ossibl y s k i p p i n g t he p revious night ’s fete in ord er to h ave enough t im e to wake up and p rep a re t h at m ost im p or t ant meal of t he d ay. Tr y a b ow l of cereal and fr uit or even eggs p re p a re d wit h veget ab les, a b it of toast and s o me fr u i t, b efore you r ush out to join in t he fu n . Avo i d any op t ions high in fat and st ic k w i t h t h e whole grains, low-fat d air y, veget a b l e s a n d fr uit for t he b est end result s. Take a l o n g a n ex t ra ap p le or b anana and use it ju s t b e fo re your b and assem b les. The c ar b ohydrate s w i l l p rovid e t he fuel for your b od y to e n joy t h e wuk on t he road.

5.

I f you have an ex ist ing cond it i o n s u c h as ast hm a: Ap ar t from p ac k ing t he ce l l p hone in your p ouc h, rememb er yo u r t r u s te d inhaler. B et ter yet, have your d oc to r w r i te a p resc r ip t ion for a new one just b efo re t h e b i g d ay to ensure t hat you have enoug h me di c a t ion should you need it.

6.

Post jump up, d o not seek ou t mo re alcoholic b everages b ut look for a t a s t y me a l to refuel your b od y. You’ve just t ak e n yo u r b od y t hrough q uite a wor kout and n ow i t i s t ime to rep lenish what has b een de p l e te d.

Grab some gr ub and avoid fr ied fo o ds. Lo o k instead for t he st all whic h offer s gr i l l e d fi s h or c hic ken. Balance t hat p late wit h s o me c a rb ohyd rates and a salad unaccom p a n i e d by a generous ser ving of mayonnaise, a n d di ve in. Your b od y will ap p rec iate it and yo u w i l l recover from t he st ress of t he hour- l o n g wor kout.

Nut r iology : The Healt h B ox encoura g e s yo u to masquerad e resp onsib ly.

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I s l a n d S i g n at u r e s | d e d i c at i o n E D I T I O N

S UNDAY G R O O V E S AT HUN TER SP R I N G

W RIT TEN BY: B EL L E HOL DE R

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he m e l o d ic s o u n d o f h er vo i ce f l owed from a bove, t h e n o tes seemi n g to en ci rcle eve r yon e t h e re, and a s th ey ga zed u pward she beg an h e r d e s cent. Fo r t y-fo u r steps could n o t s t an d b e t ween j a z z si n ger K ellie Ca d og a n an d h e r wa i ti n g a u di en ce o n the Gul l y D e ck b e l ow at Su n day Gro oves.

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cco m p an i e d by a ccl a i med mu si ci a n R oger G itte n s, K e l l ie’s s e t i n cl u ded a tr i bu te to RPB wit h a n o r igi n al j az z treatment o f h i s pop ular B oat R i d e ; h e r re n d i ti o n wa s u n expec ted, u ni q ue an d d e l i g ht f u l.

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he Hunter sp r ing venue is now h o me to Sund ay Grooves, a mont hly jazz s e r i e s d esigned to showc ase young t alent s h a r i n g t he st age wit h veteran music ians.

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ust ask Kofi Gilkes and his fellow K l o u d 9 teenage b and mates, who got a live ma s te r c lass when t hey were joined on st a g e i n a sur p r ise p er for mance by guit ar vir t u o s o, Ia n ‘ Eyan’ Alleyne.

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usi c i s n o t t h e o n l y u n expec ted a n d refresh i n g as p e c t o f th i s n ew mu si c ser ies on the eve nt cal e n d ar. Th e ven u e i tsel f i s also a n aweso m e t al k in g po i nt. Hu sba n d a n d wife team R o r y H u nte & Ca r l a Spr i n ger co n cep t ua lized a n d t ran s fo r med th ei r ba ck ya rd gully into H unte rs p r i n g at Edgeco mbe i n St. Philip.

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h e i r e ffo r t s h ave n o t go n e u n n o ti ced.

M in i ste r o f Cre at i ve Eco n o my, Cu l tu re & S po r t s, J o h n K i n g bel i eves, “ Th i s i s a n exa m pl e o f t h e creati ve eco n o my at i ts b est !

You ta k e a b ac k yard gu l l y a n d repu r po s e it and n ow ar t i s te s h ave th i s n ew aweso m e ven ue i n w h i c h to sh owca se a n d best o f all it is i n St. Ph i l i p.”

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“ was told Ian Alleyne was good, b u t when he c am e on st age and st ar te d p l ayi n g and I got to ex p er ience it live, it wa s to t a l l y m ind -b lowing!” The 19-year- old sa xo p h o n ist ad d ed, “I t was a wond er ful op p o r t u n i t y to grace t he st age wit h suc h an am azi n g mu s i c ian, M r. Alleyne has mot ivated us a n d s h ow n us how we too c an elevate t he mu s i c by b eing d ed ic ated to our c raf t.”

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tr ue g u it ar p h en o men o n , I a n Al l ey ne d id n’t hesit ate to wow t he luc k y aud ience, w h o watc hed i n awe and screa med th ei r a pp rec iat ion as he raised his guit ar to his face a n d p layed Pr i n ce’s Pur pl e R a i n w i th h i s tee t h! For his p ar t, Alleyne st ated, “I t hink it i s re fre s h ing to h ave ve n u es l i ke th i s w h ere we c an showc ase t alent b ot h young and old.”

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hile Eyan, as he is affec t ionately k now n , h a s toured wit h Ed d y Grant, UK b and R oac hfo rd a n d singer D es’ree, Crop O ver 2019 has mar k e d t h e emergence of a new singing p er for mance mo n i ke r for him , Sk ung Yung. This new moniker h a s b e e n luc k y, as he has b ecome one of t he four te e n fi n a l ist s, and has led him to Sund ay Grooves “I’ve p l aye d all t hree Sund ay Grooves in t his fir st ser i e s, t h e fa c t t hat I get to interac t wit h t hese d ifferent mu s i c i a n s is ver y sp ec ial and an ex p er ience t hat I c a n’t re a l l y get any where else and I look cer t ainly loo k fo r wa rd to more.”

Ak a n n i M c D owal l, I a n ‘Eya n’ Al l ey n e , M i n i s te r Jo h n K i n g

M ar i e l l e B a r row,G a i l Co l l y m ore, Careen Leyshon, B elle Hold er ( S u n d ay Gro oves Ho st/M C )

The H yatt Choice Car nival 2020 in Tr inidad & Tobago Wr it ten B y : K ayla Har ley

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’ve g o t g o o d n e ws fo r yo u ma squ era d er s com e Car n i val 2020…. yo u ca n h ave it all. All n ig ht l o n g ! Th e Lu xu r y Travel er m eet s Bacch a na l in S T YL E.

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lth oug h t h e H yatt R egen c y Ho tel Wor ld wi d e is s e t u p a s a bu si n ess h o tel, the la nds c ap e o f t h ei r l o cati o n i n Po r t o f Sp a i n, Tr in id ad h as a cco mmo dati o n fo r all.

They ’re lo cate d in t h e h ea r t o f dow ntow n area a c ro s s fro m t h e M i n i str y o f Fi n a n ce and ju st a few b l o c k s away f ro m th e ma i n square whe re yo u c an p u rch a se f ru i t, cl o th i n g and merc h a nd is e, c atc h a bu s o r ma xi to a ny p ar t of t h e i sl an d o r h o p o n th e fer r y to i ts t win island Tob ag o. Th e mu l ti pl ex bu i l di n g pro v ides top o f t h e l in e ro o ms a n d su i tes for com for t, acce s s ib il it y a n d en joy ment. They a re wi l li n g to p l e as e a n d prov i de fo r th e ir g ue sts i n a way t h at su i ts th ei r n eeds co m pletely. I t c an b e i nti mi dati n g co mi n g i nto a new co u nt r y an d s tay i n g i n a to p - ra n k ing hote l, wh i l e m o n e y spea ks fo r i tsel f — the qu a l i t y th at yo u p ay fo r sh o u l dn’t pu t a cap on yo ur f u n .

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“ eopl e’s t rave l aspi rati o n s a re ch a n ging, a n d t h is i s t ru e th ro u gh o u t th e ma r ket.

The new d e fi n i t io n o f l u xu r y i s n o l o n ge r a 6-sta r h o te l wi t h f l un keys a n d ba n qu ets and

ever more exquisite sp as, b ut is an exp e r i ence c reated for your own p er sona l p re fe rences t hat comb ines enr ic hm ent, e n joyme nt and ed uc at ion, wit h t he t im e to app re c i ate your sur round ings at a p r ice t h at re p re sent s value for money. I t is ind ividu a l t rave l c reated out of t he wealt h of op p o r t u n i t i e s on t he inter net, economic const rai nt s a n d a growing sense of resp onsib le t rave l t h at

allows us all to lear n and d iscover a n d c h o o s e to count b at s in M ongolia or go fis h i n g i n C hina — and gives us somet hing to re a l l y b oast ab out when we get home.” — S e l i n a Jac kson, Direc tor, R ead yC lic kAnd G o Ltd. Ar t ic le from : ht t p s: //w w w. aluxur y t rave l b l o g. com/2013/03/26/so -what-is-lux ur y- t rave l /

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h e H yat t R e g e n c y Ho tel i n Po r t o f Spa i n says ye s to t he festi v i ti es ea ch ye a r. S o, wh e t h e r yo u’re co mi n g i nto town a s a fo re i gn e r to pl ay ma s ( j o i n a ba nd to p arad e in co stu me a ro u n d th e infamo us S avan n ah ) o r j u st sto ppi n g thro ug h fo r a we e k en d getaway ya Pa n , ya Powd e r, ya G l it ter, ya Feath ers a re welco m e ! Eve n we l l th ro u gh th e n i ght the pa r t y d o e s n’t h ave to en d. Wh i l e mos t h ote l s m ig ht o pt fo r qu i et h o u rs a f te r 1 0 p m , i n Po r t o f Spa i n th ere j u st is no sle e p in g. Af te r th e fete ( pa r t y ) yo u ca n com e i nto t h e l o bby, respec tf u l l y s i t o ut on t h e l owe r rea r deck n ea r th e wate r a n d co nt i n u e to L I M E ( h a n go u t/l o unge) wit h your fr iend s. Sweet D eal.

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o how d oes full-ser vice hosp it alit y co mp a re to say a B&B or an Air b nb ? Well, t he a dva n t age of st aying in a home usually lays w i t h t h e access to a k itc hen, cook ing am eniti e s a n d t h e int imate sp ace of a home scene temp o ra r i l y.

However, t he convenience and leisu re t h at a hotel offer s makes for a m ore a lib e rat i n g exp e r ience, esp ec ially if you t r ip is one o f t h at o n t he GO! Few snac k item s c an easily b e s to re d i n t he small refr igerator and suc h, b ut yo u’re i n Tr inid ad to t he food is p romising en o u g h t h at yo u’l l li k i n g yo u r s p o o n . Th ere sh o u l d h ard ly b e any need for storage or reheat. I f a nyt h i n g, enjoy yo u r fre s h f ru i ts f ro m th e M a r ketplace like: C hanut ’s *like grap es*, M ango, Wate r me l o n , R ed Plum s, S u g ar Ap pl es, Water mel o n Sl ices, or C how *sp iced fr uit slices*. At t he H yat t R eg e n c y in Po r t o f Spa i n th e k i tch en stays op en well into late night /ear ly mor nings s o t h at men u i te m s can b e del i vered to yo u r do or. No need for Pent house Suites. Ever yone re ce i ve s s pec i a l tre at m e nt.

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t th e e n d o f e ach day o r retu r n to yo u room af ter adve nture s, yo u c an l o o k fo r wa rd to a f resh st ar t !

Li Tao n c of i s s h

I N G R E D I E N TS 1lb lion fish O i l fo r d e e p f r y i n g 2 limes 1 cu p f l o u r 8 f l o u r to r ti l l a s ¼ h e a d ca b b a g e ½ re d b e l l p e p p e r 1 gre e n be l l p e p p e r 1 g o at p e p p e r 2 cl ove s g a r l i c ½ cu p f re s h ci l a ntro ½ cu p s o u r cre a m

I s l a n d S i g n at u r e s | d e d i c at i o n E D I T I O N

I N STRUC TIONS

1. Preheat dee p f r ye r oi l to 3 5 0 d e gre e s.

2. Wash lion fi sh a nd c ut i nto 8 fi l l e ts.

3. M a r in ate fill e t s i n l i m e j u i ce, s a l t, a n d p e p p e r.

4. Co at fillets i n f l our, t he n d e e p f r y u nti l g o l d e n brow n.

5. Shre d th e c a b b a ge a nd j u l i e n n e pe p p e rs.

6. Co m bin e wi t h ga r l i c, c i l antro, a n d s o u r cre a m .

7. S eason with sa l t a nd p e p p e r to ta s te.

Pl ace on e fille t a nd 2 t a b l e s p o o n s o f ca bb a g e m i x o n o ne flou r tor t i l l a .

8. Spr in k le wi t h ex t ra l i m e ju i ce, i f d e s i re d.

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Ex La ot d yi c a

I N GR E D I E N TS 1 1/2 oz. M o unt G ay XO 1 oz. Jim B ea m 2 oz. Ch er r y Sy r up 1/2 oz. Lim e Juice 1/2 oz. S im pl e Sy ur p

I N STRUC TIO N S 1. Ad d i ce to g l a ss c u p a nd po ur over gin a n d coco n u t water b efo re a dding sweeten ed co n dens e d mi l k . Stir wel l.

G a r n i s h wi t h m a ra sc hino C her r y D R INK R ES PO N S I B LY!

M i xo l o gi s t: Je ff re y Jo rdan S e a B re e ze B e a ch Ho use

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w w w. g t v i be s. co m

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Out N ow

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