Tropicalfete celebrates Caribbean American Heritage Month
By Nelson A. King
The Brooklyn-based Tropicalfete
J’Ouvert Appeal for funds to aid singer
“J’Ouvert City International
is no different in this regard,” it
added. “And so, though we are
saddened by the reality that we
are unable to hold our customary
J’Ouvert parade, we are happy to
announce that the day will not go
unmarked.”
On the morning of Monday,
Sept. 7, J’Ouvert City International
said it and its affiliate organizations
will host a press conference
and breakfast to honor its heroes.
“These include our essential
frontline workers, cultural stalwarts
who were victims of the
coronavirus, as well as some of the
young leaders currently engaged
in the national protest movement
against the scourge of systemic
racism in this country,” it said.
J’Ouvert City International
said the honorees will include 15
essential workers drawn from a
pool of nurses, aides, homeless
shelter advocates, MTA workers
and the Mayor’s Crisis Management
System.
Several J’Ouvert masquerade
and steelband groups who participated
in the 2019 parade will
also be among the awardees, the
organization said.
In addition, it said special
honor will be given posthumously
to Martin “Dougie” Douglas,
Hansel “Hanny” Leon and Oscar
Williams — “three icons of the
J’Ouvert Steelband movement
who we sadly lost to the coronavirus,
Caribbean L 24 ife, JULY 3-9, 2020
as well as Mr. Neville Jules
one of the notable pioneers and
innovator in the steelpan community
(who) died in early February.”
“This year, 2020, we have
decided to honor our heroes
— essential workers who have
worked tirelessly at the forefront
of this battle with our faceless
enemy called coronavirus,” said
Trinidadian Yvette Rennie, president
of J’Ouvert City International.
“We have seen them cry, we
bear witness to the battle scars of
the mask lines on their faces; and
yet, they have not given up.”
“Simultaneously, in the fight
against the other pandemic of
racism and police brutality, we
have seen our young people fill
the streets in peaceful protests,”
Rennie added. “In recognition
and appreciation of all these
heroes and their outstanding,
unselfish diligent effort to our
community, we will proudly
honor them on J’Ouvert morning.”
Continued from Page 23
the last four decades, it is only
right that we, in turn, give back
to him our financial support in
his time of need.”
“The Friends” said that their
appeal was officially launched
on Sunday, July 5, at 8:00 pm on
a daily Vlog, owned and hosted
by Doyle.
But they noted that the
Gofundme account was already
active.
“So, feel free to begin
your support,” the “Friends”
appealed. “All funds raised by
the Gofundme benefit will be
transferred to Winston as the
only beneficiary.”
The “Friends” said that the
goal is to raise US$50,000 for
Soso.
In a separate post, Bailey said
Soso recently suffered from kidney
failure and that funds raised
will “significantly assist him in
meeting his day-to-day living
expenses and general health
needs.”
Yvette Hackett, who donated
US$300, said she was “so
sorry to hear about Mr. Winston
Soso.
“He has contributed so much
to us, the people of St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, and has
participated for over a decade
with pure talent, love and pride
to Vincy Mas and for his performance
all over the world,”
she said.
“So, with great pleasure,
I have to make a donation to
the Gofundme page,” Hackett
added. “I pray that the Almighty
God will touch him from the
crown of his head to the soul of
his feet, and he will be healed
from all ailments.”
In donating US$100, Kenny
Sylvester said Soso is “a national
icon, who deserves all the help
he can get.”
Sherrill-Ann Mason-Haywood,
chair of the Brooklynbased
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Diaspora Committee of
New York, Inc., said: “We are our
brother’s keeper.
“Calling the village to support
this worthy cause,” she urged.
“Winston Soso has been a major
Vincentian cultural icon and
ambassador. Let’s support him
in his time of need.”
Continued from Page 23
celebrated Caribbean
American Heritage Month with
its annual cultural reading program,
according to the group’s
St. Lucian-born founder and
president, Alton Aimable.
Aimable told Caribbean Life
over the weekend that the community
was invited to join the
organization as its interviewers
explored the world through
the eyes of various Caribbean
authors.
To cultivate a love for reading
and to encourage more
support for Caribbean authors,
he said the organization created
a “Read a Book a Day
Challenge.”
Aimable said the producers
of the event recommended 60
books by Caribbean authors
covering a wide variety, such as
children, adult, and fiction and
non-fiction books.
The list of books can be
found at https://tropicalfete.
com/readjune2020/
Aimable said board member
Keran Deterville “did a live
broadcast online to give readers
some highlights of the books.”
He said Barnes and Noble
has been Tropicalfete’s “loyal
and trustworthy partners since
2012 for this fascinating program,
‘Authors Connecting.’”
Aimable said Amazon links
were added to this year’s program.
“Tropicalfete is connecting
with the authors and the audience
remotely, and the readings
and interviews will be streamed
on multiple platforms online,”
Aimable said. “This was an
exciting adventure allowing the
participants to meet the Caribbean
authors first hand and
ask them about the books they
have written.”
He said Geltown with his
puppets, Kamla Millwood, Tilsa
Wright, Samuel Archer and
Nandi B. Jacob did readings
from their books, and were also
interviewed.
Millwood, the founder and
chief executive officer of her
own publishing company, Palatial
Publishing, LLC, urged
anyone who wants to pursue
their dreams to “never ever give
up, and believe their dreams in
order to achieve their dreams.
“We should not hold ourselves
back, but we ought to be
our biggest cheerleaders and
know that adversity will come,
but obstacles and challenges are
to be faced and climbed over as
mountains,” said Millwood, the
author of a books series that
includes “Peach in Paradise”,
“Peaches Pet Pug Paulo”, “A
Peach on the Beach”, “Peach’s
Princess Party” and “Peach’s
Passion for Fashion.”
Aimable said another author,
Samuel Archer, was also highlighted.
Archer – an entrepreneur,
producer, songwriter, singer
and musician – publishes
“Hybrid Executive: The New
Terminology and Responsibilities
of Today’s Indie Artists.”
“The book is a must have
of all artists, because it teaches
artists how to protect their
music, forces artists to ask
themselves the difficult questions,
etc.,” Aimable said.
With the plight of nannies
always going untold, Aimable
said, thanks to author Nandi
Jacob, “the trials and tribulations
of nannies are spoken
about in her novel ‘The True
Nanny Diaries by Nandi Key’”.
Aimable said that, every last
Sunday in June, for the past
seven years, Tropicalfete has
produced a Caribbean Cultural
Showcase, with all the cultural
disciplines taught at the organization.
This year, he said the organization
continued with tradition
and featured the Damage
Band.
Aimable said the audience
was “taken on a musical journey
involving soca, reggae,
zouk, kompa, calypso, jazz,
dance-hall and hip-hop.”
He said Tropicalfete closed
out Caribbean Heritage month
with ventriloquist Geltown.
Tropicalfete’s performers and artists on stage. Tropicalfete
Winston Soso (left) and Adrian Bailey. Adrian Bailey / FB
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