Von Chase’s ‘Favorite Girl’ Buju Banton
Continued from Page 29
Caribbean Life, D 30 ECEMBER 18-24, 2020 BQ
wins Best
Reggae Act
at MOBO
Awards
“I thank the MOBO Awards committee,
but, most of all, I thank
everyone who has supported me and
continues to support me,” said Banton
on receiving the award. “Let’s
continue to allow music to do its job
as the great healer, teacher, comforter
and, above all, the restorative
force that propels human beings to
higher heights.”
His manager Joseph “Budafuco”
Louis said: “It’s an honor to be on
this journey with Buju Banton and
sharing this moment of recognition
for his exceptional contribution to
Reggae music this year. We thank
you.”
Destine Media said the MOBO
Awards is United Kingdom’s biggest
celebration of Black music and
culture, and was live-streamed for
the very first time on YouTube and
broadcast on the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) One, with
highlights available on BBC iPlayer
and supporting content in BBC
Sounds.
“The quintessential artist celebrated
his return to the worldwide
stage following his performance at
Kingston’s Famed National Stadium,”
Destine Media said. “’The Long
Walk to Freedom Concert’ was one of
the biggest music events in Jamaica’s
history and was the launching pad
for the tour of the same name.
“His subsequent announcement
that he had signed with Roc Nation
followed by releasing two brandnew
songs ‘Steppa’ and ‘Trust’ and
accompanying music videos energized
his impressive global audience,”
it added.
Banton’s last studio album, “Before
the Dawn,” was released in 2010.
He has been described by Associated
Press as “one of the most
respected acts in reggae,” according
to Destine Media.
It said The FADER goes further
describing Banton as “a national
hero,” stating that Buju Banton, who
was born Mark Myrie, is “more Jamaican
than jerk chicken, Red Stripe
beer, and a croaking lizard combined.
He’s as much a singer as he is
a hallmark of Jamaican culture.”
Relive the monumental moment
from the history-making “Long Walk
to Freedom Concert” at https://bujubanton.
me/lwtf
just COVID-19, with abuse incidents on
the rise,” she said, adding that “stay-athome
orders caused by the pandemic
are preventing opportunities for victims
to speak out.
“Remaining quarantined may be a
strategy to prevent community spread,
but these precautions trap victims
alongside their abusers, with no option
to leave or ability to get help,” added
Van Chase, stating that, with women of
color being disproportionately affected
by domestic violence, she is striving
to inspire her community through her
artistry.
Van Chase’s latest single, “Crush on
You,” also shows the many shades of
her womanhood.
“Just because I have a crush on a
man does not mean I can’t stand on my
own two feet,” she said. “Women need
to know how to protect themselves and
know when the energy is right. Protect
your energy, ladies.”
Adrian Stupica, account executive,
PlaybookMG, the prominent, Brooklyn
based entertainment company, said
Von Chase “brilliantly showcases the
duality of her strength and femininity
in the video for the mid-tempo track.
“Female artists, like Reyna Von
Chase, who use their talents and platforms
to advocate for their communities,
are catalysts for change,” he told
Caribbean Life.
“As society continues to adapt and
evolve in these unprecedented times,
the conversation surrounding topics
like female empowerment and domestic
abuse is changing,” Stupica added Rising Haitian Amerircan artist Reyna Von Chase. Leelu Kateland Digital
Continued from Page 29
City stars in ‘Beat of the Boroughs: NYC Online’
By Nelson A. King
In celebrating the diversity of cultural
traditions in New York City, the Center
for Traditional Music and Dance (CTMD)
has launched its online series, ‘Beat of the
Boroughs: NYC Online,’ highlighting the
artistry of 54 of the city’s leading immigrant
performers from around the world.
The program continues into the winter
with performances on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays at 5:00 pm.
CTMD said the artists — including
several National Endowment for the Arts
Heritage Award fellows — represent the
strength and diversity of the cultural
sector in the city’s five boroughs, with
traditions hailing from Bulgaria, China,
Colombia, Gambia, Haiti, Iraq, Japan,
Mongolia, Ukraine, and West Africa,
among other areas.
The series is presenting up-close profiles
of the life and work of leading artists,
including these slated for December:
Andean musician Andres Jimenez
of Inkarayku (Dec.18); Rafael Leal
Ramirez leading a Colombian drumming
workshop (Dec. 23); and Algerian-American
dancer and teaching artist Esraa
Warda (Dec. 28).
“New York City’s traditional and folk
artists have been particularly impacted
by both the pandemic and the anti-immigrant
political climate in our country,”
said Peter Rushefsky, CTMD’s executive
director. “Amid the pandemic, many of
these artists have structural impediments
including the digital divide and language
barriers to access federal relief funds or
private sources of funding.
“Now more than ever, we need to support
these artists, who have suffered losses
because of canceled concerts, performances,
exhibitions, and other events,” he
added. “It is imperative that we come
together as a city to support and celebrate
our immigrant communities, and ‘Beat of
the Boroughs: NYC Online’ will showcase
the immense talents of our artists and
further the public’s understanding and
appreciation of their work during these
trying times.”
Organizers hope the series will build
more support for the artists and for
CTMD, particularly as the nonprofit continues
to highlight the artistic diversity
within New York city, where millions of
Americans can trace their immigrant
ancestors. CTMD encourages donations
at https://ctmd.org/donate/.
CTMD said it will highlight three artists
or ensembles each week, on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays. Audiences
can tune in on those days at 5:00 pm to
CTMD’s YouTube channel, https://www.
youtube.com/user/CTMDProgramsConcerts
or Facebook page https://www.facebook.
com/CTMDnyc.
“Through workshops, lectures, demonstrations,
and streamed live performances,
a stellar cast of musicians and
dancers presents their personal stories,
remarkable traditions, and pandemic
experiences,” said Andrew Colwell, Ph. D,
project director and staff ethnomusicologist.
“Their voices — whether through
music, movement, or the spoken word
— will serve as a powerful platform for
continued advocacy for traditional arts in
our city of immigrants.”
After each broadcast, CTMD said the
performances will become part of a collection
of combined voices, which will
remain available online on its website
at www.ctmd.org.
/CTMDnyc
/lwtf
/lwtf
/
/www
/CTMDnyc
/lwtf
/CTMDnyc
/www.ctmd.org
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/www
/www
/www.ctmd.org
