On December 3rd, Venezuela will hold a referendum to decide whether to formally claim Essequibo, a region long disputed with Guyana, as a Venezuelan state. Should they decide to move forward with the claim, Guyana would lose over 70% of its territory, much of which has been the source of the nation’s newfound wealth.
Hello and Happy 2023!
I can’t believe how much happened in 2022. We came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mia Mottley secured a second 5-year term as Prime Minister of Barbados, Russia started a war with Ukraine, and Herschel Walker lost the Georgia election - but so did Stacey Abrams. You know, yin… yan. The same was true for DysChick. Despite personal tragedies, I was able to be outside like garb – nope. I refuse to make that a phrase.
So what’s my plan for 2023? Rest.
If you’ve been following DysChick, you know that I have a fear of flying; however, I have a greater fear of missing out on an epic event. Tipsy in Miami announced that it would feature the King of Soca and the King of Afrobeats and the FOMO was just too real.
Machel Montano has been making the rounds this year promoting his brand, encouraging nations to “Save the Soil,” and making sure that you know he is still the King of Soca after 40 years in the business. Burna Boy is the most popular Afrobeats artiste right now with his hit single “Last Last” reaching over 6 million streams on Spotify.
With these two heavyweights on the bill, you know DysChick had to fly to fete! Yet despite having the top artistes, the event was not E-P-I-C.
So let's recap America’s first six months of 2022:
Over 250 mass shootings including the Buffalo massacre, the elementary school shooting in Texas, a gunman opening fire on a crowded NYC subway, and the attack on a church in California
The number of deaths from COVID-19 surpassed 1 million
Eric Adams becomes Mayor of New York City (smh)
Are we great yet? No? Okay, how about this, we just decided to revoke a woman’s right to chose when and if she wants to become a mother.
We released our second episode of Season 6 of the Rant and Rave podcast. In this episode we talk about Machel Montano and Indian super yogi Sadhguru’s campaign to “Save the Soil.” The campaign has already resulted in six Caribbean nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, and Barbados) signing the Memorandum of Understanding and pledging to adopt long-term policy to safeguard soil and promote ecologically-friendly initiatives. We RANT about what this means for Caribbean tourism, the economy, and what we can do to reverse the climate crisis. But who is Sadhguru?
Every year over one million people flock to Toronto for the largest street parade in North America. This celebration of West Indian culture and pageantry, commonly called Caribana, takes time and money to put on. That's why it was upsetting to see so many non-masqueraders climb over the fence, cross the stage with masqueraders, and actually want to fight for food they did not pay for.
Memorial Day Weekend kicks off the summer party season for New York's socaholics. However, with Brooklyn venues threatening to shut out feters, there is uncertainty as to whether or not the summer season will be as festive as in past years. This weekend, I got to sample some new and some familiar locations
While the rest of New York City was tuned in to the season finale of "Empire," scores of socaholics flocked to Liberty Theater in Midtown Manhattan for Trucked to relive the Trinidad Carnival experience. The concept was ambitious, but Jay Upscale and THC Promotions pulled it off.
“Deanna, why are you heading north in the winter?”
Sometimes it is hard to explain why I feel compelled to fly from New York to Toronto, especially during the winter. This time it was easily explained: Dr. Jay and Machel! How is that not worth booking a flight, finding a hotel, and buying new fleece-lined earmuffs? Okay, maybe it’s just me.
Sometimes I am really surprised by how many parties, carnivals, and fetes I attend over the course of one year. I have spent a lot, done a lot, and seen a lot all in the name of soca. While I did get to experience some epic events, there were also the parties that never were. Check out this overview of my year.
My Brooklynites and socaholics know that this summer was full of disappointments. Parties were cancelled, shut down, or just plain awful. As a fete junkie, I found myself hesitating to purchase tickets to events because I was unsure as to whether or not the event would go off as planned. Luckily, Labor Day weekend had so many good parties that I tried to go to all of them.
Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana)
I have been to Toronto many times for many reasons, but my favorite reason for venturing to T-Dot is Toronto's Caribbean Carnival (better known as Caribana). This year, I resolved to not only sit on the sidelines and watch the parade from behind a giant fence, but to don the revealing costume and play mas.
AWAKE 3.0 Boat Ride
“Who goes to a party at 7am on a Sunday morning?”
“Umm... I do.”
At a friend’s wine & cheese housewarming in the Bronx on Saturday, I told my friends that I needed to call it an early night as I had to get up early to go to a party. The facial expressions cannot be captured in print, but suffice it to say they seemed concerned for my sanity. Yes, although I do not usually party on Sundays (aside from Carnival getaways), I decided that Freeze International’s annual morning boat ride would be worth the penance.
