Caribana Belongs to We

[Queen Macoomeh]

     I am aware the festival cannot run on sentiment or a sense of Diaspora Caribbean culture. However I do not believe I should be silent while my festival is appropriated and mis-branded.

     Whatever fight the Caribana Arts Group has with the Festival Management Committee and the City of Toronto will be heard in the court of law. I have no control there. I was a member of the Caribana Cultural Committee around 1989-1994 and saw the cronyism and ugliness and I laughed. I thought it was funny. I dismissed it as a few greedy, shortsighted people messing around with my one day jump-up. I will take the blame for not speaking louder against the mess that accompanied each festival over the later years when I developed a voice as a journalist in the community. I still did not fully grasp that it was more than a few greedy people and that my one day jump-up was turning over hundreds of millions of dollars to the various levels of governments, the hotels, the restaurants, the taxis and all who were at the trough.

     I feel raped when I think of the money the government hands over to the festival then turns around and claws back in fees for permits, police and other items so that what they boast of “giving” the festival is far far less than the reality. It means that I am wearing the Emperor’s New Clothes - even less than the beads and underwear that now pass for costumes.

     So, despite our world renowned reputation for having a carnival mentality and for being only intelligent enough to lime and drink, I am protesting the insult in this, my 44th Caribana – yes CARIBANA, festival.

     I am going to wear a shirt saying Caribana Belongs to We. It may do nothing more than earn me a dismissive glance from those who feel the dollar they give in sponsorship of my culture somehow gives them the right to own something that my ancestors created, but...

     If you wish to get a tee shirt, email me at Macoomeh@hotmail.com. The shirt will cost me about $6.40 to prepare. It will cost you $6.40 plus postage from the US. My profit is zero, my determination is 100%. I would like to get the shirt in your hands before the official festival launch date of July 12th. I would like you to wash and wear it everywhere you go this summer – every launch, every fete, every boat-ride. Wear it and when people ask, explain why. Write a letter to every newspaper in the city too please. You have a voice, use it for more than singing “Wotless”.

     Tell them call meh name. I go take de blame.

     I will order 10 shirts tomorrow - June 11th, 2011. Some large, some XL.

     The shirts will say "Caribana Belongs to We".

 

Let's see if we're really only about the party.

[Controversial]

when you say belongs to we, what do you mean?

we as in trinidad and tobago or the caribbean?

[weary1969]

Queen

U real upset 2mor is June 11th 2011.

[Queen Macoomeh]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

[Controversial]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

i strongly disagree, it belongs to TT not the wider caribbean community and many TT ex pats share my sentiment, this s the reason why the festival has been a failure, because too many non trinis are trying to run the festival and are failing at doing so.

[Queen Macoomeh]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

i strongly disagree, it belongs to TT not the wider caribbean community and many TT ex pats share my sentiment, this s the reason why the festival has been a failure, because too many non trinis are trying to run the festival and are failing at doing so.

The old CCC was made up of Trinis many of whom are at the root of our current embarrassment. The people I saw that irked me and ran the thing into disarray were TT. The folks who screamed in my face that they will take me to court for writing about the mess they did were TT.
Be that as it may. I'm concerned with the corporate and government disrespect. We can interpret the "we" any way that suits you but let us do something, yes?

[palos]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

i strongly disagree, it belongs to TT not the wider caribbean community and many TT ex pats share my sentiment, this s the reason why the festival has been a failure, because too many non trinis are trying to run the festival and are failing at doing so.

Interesting point.

It might rub many people the wrong way and to be honest...the Canadian Government or whoever provides public or even private funding for the festival is unlikely to support anything other than a diverse Caribbean organization.  But there are hose in the Caribbean community who have always been envious of T&T's festival.

Caribana was started as a T&T parade.  It was organized by Trinis and became something larger. Nothing wrong with that because it have greedy and selfish Trinis too.  Lord knows it have enougha dem.

But try having a Jamaican event with anybody other than Jamaicans and see how it go.

[TdotTrini]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

i strongly disagree, it belongs to TT not the wider caribbean community and many TT ex pats share my sentiment, this s the reason why the festival has been a failure, because too many non trinis are trying to run the festival and are failing at doing so.

Interesting point.

It might rub many people the wrong way and to be honest...the Canadian Government or whoever provides public or even private funding for the festival is unlikely to support anything other than a diverse Caribbean organization.  But there are hose in the Caribbean community who have always been envious of T&T's festival.

Caribana was started as a T&T parade.  It was organized by Trinis and became something larger. Nothing wrong with that because it have greedy and selfish Trinis too.  Lord knows it have enougha dem.

But try having a Jamaican event with anybody other than Jamaicans and see how it go.

Well we spoil it for ourselves, with idiots like Elseworth James involved. Yes they organize the thing from the start but, can't competently run the event. 

[ProudTrinbagonian]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

i strongly disagree, it belongs to TT not the wider caribbean community and many TT ex pats share my sentiment, this s the reason why the festival has been a failure, because too many non trinis are trying to run the festival and are failing at doing so.

agree 100%
that's why I have a tough time at Caribana.  All these other islands acting like they run it when they don't even know what they doing
Last year I with my Trini Flag and ah old white woman ask me "what flag is that?"
I say "It's Trinidad & Tobago, the country that invented this"
She tell me "i thought it was Jamaica"
I said "No! but them and the rest of the islands like to act like is their festival"

Ah also see a whole bunch of Ghana and Nigeria flags...

I say to myself buh wha de a$$ going on here.  All I can do it continue to wave meh flag high cuz everyone playing "we" as in Trini music, playing "we" instruments as in Steelpan and watching "we" artists at the fete.

So it is we as in Trinbagonian.  Let the others fend for themselves.

[Dutty]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

i strongly disagree, it belongs to TT not the wider caribbean community and many TT ex pats share my sentiment, this s the reason why the festival has been a failure, because too many non trinis are trying to run the festival and are failing at doing so.

Interesting point.

It might rub many people the wrong way and to be honest...the Canadian Government or whoever provides public or even private funding for the festival is unlikely to support anything other than a diverse Caribbean organization.  But there are hose in the Caribbean community who have always been envious of T&T's festival.

Caribana was started as a T&T parade.  It was organized by Trinis and became something larger. Nothing wrong with that because it have greedy and selfish Trinis too.  Lord knows it have enougha dem.

But try having a Jamaican event with anybody other than Jamaicans and see how it go.

Well we spoil it for ourselves, with idiots like Elseworth James involved. Yes they organize the thing from the start but, can't competently run the event. 

Thank yuh!! I could kinda see wit Palos and contro sayin BUT....when yuh walk in to them meetings (at least long time) and  see de constant squabblin and it have so called senior people replyin with acerbic virtiol " wuh de ass indian know bout kanaval" etc etc... dais dem own T&T countrymen dey gettin orn so wit?

Yuh does really hadda say let some other island man run it oui

My solution was always pull de plug  for one year...when people pocket does get cut be millions of dollars is amazing how dey does pay attention

[Queen Macoomeh]

any of you who care to "friend" me on FaceBook and bring your point of view. feel free..

As for the nationalism argument. Looking at the shambles it was in even before "others" joined, I'm afraid it sounds silly to me. We couldn't even keep our T&T Association together. My mother was a member and as a child I saw the same faces in the CCC bringing it to ruin.
The number of "them" who volunteer year after year, and sew those costumes and build those kings and queens and play "our instrument" with nothing but sheer love and appreciation for something "we" allowed to be abused..well...count me out of the flag waving for the moment while I try my best to see through the mud.

The blame game is tired. There is enough to go around.

[Controversial]

any of you who care to "friend" me on FaceBook and bring your point of view. feel free..

As for the nationalism argument. Looking at the shambles it was in even before "others" joined, I'm afraid it sounds silly to me. We couldn't even keep our T&T Association together. My mother was a member and as a child I saw the same faces in the CCC bringing it to ruin.
The number of "them" who volunteer year after year, and sew those costumes and build those kings and queens and play "our instrument" with nothing but sheer love and appreciation for something "we" allowed to be abused..well...count me out of the flag waving for the moment while I try my best to see through the mud.

The blame game is tired. There is enough to go around.

when fellahs like dalma hill a non trini tell yuh in a public setting carnival is his culture and he run the festival into the ground, its very hard for me to accept that and support a caribana committee that is not run by trinis

however, i know what you are talking about, the past trinis were terrible but there are people with tt background that are 100 times more capable and just, that care about the festival and actually have business sense

them clowns before were the worse but they replaced them with people who don't know a damn about carnival and tt culture

like dutty said they need to shut it down and and get all the mas men and promoters on the same page, sitting and agreeing at the same table, agreeing on a select few who can run the festival who know about carnival

[Controversial]

Controversial, "We" as in the Caribbean community in Canada.

Thanks Weary.

i strongly disagree, it belongs to TT not the wider caribbean community and many TT ex pats share my sentiment, this s the reason why the festival has been a failure, because too many non trinis are trying to run the festival and are failing at doing so.

Interesting point.

It might rub many people the wrong way and to be honest...the Canadian Government or whoever provides public or even private funding for the festival is unlikely to support anything other than a diverse Caribbean organization.  But there are hose in the Caribbean community who have always been envious of T&T's festival.

Caribana was started as a T&T parade.  It was organized by Trinis and became something larger. Nothing wrong with that because it have greedy and selfish Trinis too.  Lord knows it have enougha dem.

But try having a Jamaican event with anybody other than Jamaicans and see how it go.

Well we spoil it for ourselves, with idiots like Elseworth James involved. Yes they organize the thing from the start but, can't competently run the event. 

Thank yuh!! I could kinda see wit Palos and contro sayin BUT....when yuh walk in to them meetings (at least long time) and  see de constant squabblin and it have so called senior people replyin with acerbic virtiol " wuh de ass indian know bout kanaval" etc etc... dais dem own T&T countrymen dey gettin orn so wit?

Yuh does really hadda say let some other island man run it oui

My solution was always pull de plug  for one year...when people pocket does get cut be millions of dollars is amazing how dey does pay attention

totally agree, seen that garbage and heard it also from toronto all fours association to caribana, thats why it turned me off, too much of that nonsense in the community

if the mas men pull out, there is no parade and if the trini promoters stop, there is n fetes, but try getting them idiots on the same table and see if they can agree on a committee to unite and make the festival a success

[jahkingdom]

Last year I with my Trini Flag and ah old white woman ask me "what flag is that?"
I say "It's Trinidad & Tobago, the country that invented this"
She tell me "i thought it was Jamaica"

come on man, you should already know that Trinidad is unknown. i thought it was actually a Caribbean festival "Caribana", put together by Caribbean people, did not know it was Trinidad. but what i know is that allot of the media outlets that give it is popularity in the Caribbean community are run or owned by Jamaicans example "New york links". i think you guys should just start a petition or protest, or has you say pull the plug, i don't think Jamaicans will have a problem not returning, or have a problem not supporting it in any way on any of thier media outlets. take actions people and protect your think .

[ProudTrinbagonian]

Last year I with my Trini Flag and ah old white woman ask me "what flag is that?"
I say "It's Trinidad & Tobago, the country that invented this"
She tell me "i thought it was Jamaica"

come on man, you should already know that Trinidad is unknown. i thought it was actually a Caribbean festival "Caribana", put together by Caribbean people, did not know it was Trinidad. but what i know is that allot of the media outlets that give it is popularity in the Caribbean community are run or owned by Jamaicans example "New york links". i think you guys should just start a petition or protest, or has you say pull the plug, i don't think Jamaicans will have a problem not returning, or have a problem not supporting it in any way on any of thier media outlets. take actions people and protect your think .

It's not that Trinidad is "unknown."  Most people know, but there is still a lot of ignorance, remember this same white woman probably when she thinks Jamaica is Bob Marley and drugs.  Ignorance not unknown.

But you make some sense re: actions should be taken.
and wha de a$$ is new york links?

[jahkingdom]

So did she said she know jamaica because of drugs and Bob marley?.....o well  

[Queen Macoomeh]

when fellahs like dalma hill a non trini tell yuh in a public setting carnival is his culture and he run the festival into the ground, its very hard for me to accept that and support a caribana committee that is not run by trinis

however, i know what you are talking about, the past trinis were terrible but there are people with tt background that are 100 times more capable and just, that care about the festival and actually have business sense

them clowns before were the worse but they replaced them with people who don't know a damn about carnival and tt culture

like dutty said they need to shut it down and and get all the mas men and promoters on the same page, sitting and agreeing at the same table, agreeing on a select few who can run the festival who know about carnival

Dalma Hill didn't run it into the the ground by himself. That is impossible. He had help and many of those who helped were born and bred Trinis. So again, this business of blaming "them" doesn't hold water.

What we need isn't an executive who "knows about carnival and tt culture". We need business minded people - sharks even. Because the BUSINESS of Caribana isn't a mas/pan/calypso thing. It's wheeling and dealing and knowing the laws of the land and making the deals on the golf course and knowing the language, nuance and the backstabbing decisions that are part and parcel of doing business. We don't need we pardna, we don't need a nice fella. Caribana is no longer just a jump-up. There are over 450 millions reasons why it isn't.
So if the suited shark we need is Jamaican or Guyanese or Kittian, or Serbian or Pakistani so be it.

As for the woman asking if this was a Jamaican thing. Well, we all know that level of ignorance. Most of us, at least once in our life has had to school someone about the Caribbean. But for the moment, I'd like us to concentrate on insuring that in a decade or two, that woman's granddaughter doesn't ask if Caribana was created by Scotiabank.

[Queen Macoomeh]

I asked around and it was brought to my attention that original creators of Caribana were NOT exclusively Trinidadian. So the argument above is moot. The festival was based on the Trinidad carnival.

I am trying to locate the actual names of the persons who started this wonderful festival so that we can give credit where due instead of rewriting history.

bear with me...

[Queen Macoomeh]

Controversial, here is what I was told. It was sent to me by one of our elders and I will do what I can to confirm it with other elders in the community.

There was..."Charlie and Helen Roach (Trinis)
Romain Pitt (Grenadian and a retired judge in Canada )
Peter Brantford ( Jamaican)
Aubrey Minshall (Trini) and quite possibly a relative of Peter Minshall.
These folks had owned a popular West Indian club on Yonge Street in the late 60's ...early 70's. There were six owners in all. The club was well known for its dances.

The majority of the persons in the list went to U of T. They invited music bands from New York to perform at the club.

Out of that club's success , the owners decided that a 'street affair' could be launched along Dundas and Yonge area, to introduce and celebrate the Carnival they left behind.

The picnic at Center Island also started around that period of time.
The musicians from New York spread the word and thus started the entry of West Indians from Buffalo to Brooklyn to New York City.

The authorities at the time co operated with the young Caribana committee. But knowing the race relations at that time I guess that they were guarded."

If anyone has information to confirm this, or to the contrary, do let me know.

[pecan]

Queen

You could start with editing the entry in Wikipedia.

Scotia Bank already put their brand on it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotiabank_Toronto_Caribbean_Carnivalhttp://

History begins in 2004

lol

Carnival developments

    In September 2004, the consul general of Trinidad and Tobago pledged to work more closely with the city of Toronto to jointly promote Caribana and to provide direct-knowledge on how Toronto can more effectively grow the festival.[9] Trinidad and Tobago holds an annual Carnival celebration of their own from December until Ash Wednesday, on which Caribana was originally based. Industries and sectors which stand to benefit from more collaboration with Trinidad and Tobago include Toronto's tourism product, the hotels, storeowners, caterers, airlines, transport services and the business community.

    In early 2006, Toronto municipal government did not renew the funding for the Caribana Cultural Committee (CCC) which has organized the festival in past years citing recurring accounting problems. Instead, the funding was given to the Toronto Mas Band Association which organized the festival in 2002. Due to an ongoing dispute about the ownership of the trademark "Caribana", the 2006 festival is being promoted as "the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana)". This distinction seems unimportant to most Torontonians, who continue to call the festival simply "Caribana." To many the festival will always be "Caribana" The people own the name,no one else.

    In April 2010, a panel for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ruled that Scotiabank, as the sponsors of the Caribana festival, did not have grounds for being awarded the domain name caribana.com from its current owners the Working Word Co-operative.[10]

    In May 2010, Caribana occurred under a new initiative created to involve post-secondary schools. The only college to participate was Centennial College School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture, where they created a costume theme of the Tropical Amazon.

    As of September 1, 2011 New Management took over the Festival Management Committee(FMC) which names Denise Herrera-Jackson as CEO/Chair of FMC and Chris Alexander as CAO.

    In May 2011, Caribana Arts Group (CAG) sued FMC over Caribana name where the Ontario Superior COurt of Justice ordered that the festival to get a new name, as such a new name will be announced on May 25[2]

[Queen Macoomeh]

*sigh*
 

[Dutty]

*sigh*
 

lol!! dem folks doh waste time oui

and even if you go and edit the wikientry....technically it's accurate, so it go stay jus so

[Queen Macoomeh]

*sigh*
 

lol!! dem folks doh waste time oui

and even if you go and edit the wikientry....technically it's accurate, so it go stay jus so

all yuh laughing? I love a good laugh but for the life of me, I can't find the humour in this.

________________________________

The protest tee shirts are at the printers. I will have them in my hand by this Friday. Email me at macoomeh@hotmail.com to order yours. This is NON PROFIT.

[pecan]

*sigh*
 

lol!! dem folks doh waste time oui

and even if you go and edit the wikientry....technically it's accurate, so it go stay jus so

all yuh laughing? I love a good laugh but for the life of me, I can't find the humour in this.

________________________________

The protest tee shirts are at the printers. I will have them in my hand by this Friday. Email me at macoomeh@hotmail.com to order yours. This is NON PROFIT.

well you could edit it by adding more to the history section, pre-2004.

I have a Wikipedia account and will do it for you.  But I need the 'copy' to add to the site.  Or you could start your own page under "Caribana".

I am not invested in the issue as you are so I don't feel the urge to start up a page.  But this is an option that you and others could exercise to complete the story.

[Queen Macoomeh]

well you could edit it by adding more to the history section, pre-2004.

I have a Wikipedia account and will do it for you.  But I need the 'copy' to add to the site.  Or you could start your own page under "Caribana".

I am not invested in the issue as you are so I don't feel the urge to start up a page.  But this is an option that you and others could exercise to complete the story.

sorry to hear Pecan.

[pecan]

well you could edit it by adding more to the history section, pre-2004.

I have a Wikipedia account and will do it for you.  But I need the 'copy' to add to the site.  Or you could start your own page under "Caribana".

I am not invested in the issue as you are so I don't feel the urge to start up a page.  But this is an option that you and others could exercise to complete the story.

sorry to hear Pecan.

maybe another time and place

right now, my candle being burned at two ends and the middle.  No energy to take on another project or activity.

this board allows a welcomed modicum of diversion.

I still trying to figure out where my cousins in Toronto does find time to fete every weekend, go on every boat ride and still pay their bills.  I wonder what I doing wrong.  I think I know, my pardnar tell me I  have to stop promoting "Economic Outpatient Care"

[Queen Macoomeh]

I quite understand.

I don't know how your cousins do it either...

[Dutty]

"Economic Outpatient Care"

Nice

[pecan]

"Economic Outpatient Care"

Nice

your turn coming unless your prodigy (i meant progeny) does get high SAT scores and scholarships

[pecan]

I quite understand.

I don't know how your cousins do it either...

I sent your email to dem.  Maybe they will rise to the occassion