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?
Recently, Machel Montano made waves in the Trinidadian soca community by stating that soca no longer belongs to Trinidad, but to the entire Caribbean. The idea that trying to own soca would only limit the growth of the genre resonates with two of the hottest Bahamian artistes who are looking to take their music to the world.
2019 was not supposed to be a particularly significant year. It’s not an even number and it does not mark the beginning of a new decade. However, this turned out to be a historic Trinidad Carnival year. With a shakeup in the Soca Monarch leadership, pan bands taking each other to court, and Trinidadians fearing the loss of their culture, the long season was fraught with controversy. But then again, what’s Carnival without bacchanal?
What is Carnival without rum? The two go so well together that songs have been made touting this symbiotic connection. From Lord Invader’s “Rum and Coca Cola” to Machel Montano’s “Bottle of Rum,” there is no denying that rum is as integral to Trinidad’s history as soca is.
During my recent trip to the land of rum and soca, I toured The House of Angostura® in Laventille.
In our first live-stream show, Garvey Campbell of Carnevale Network and I discuss the effect of the generational information gap on Caribbeans abroad. Stay tuned to my Flicks & Pics for more videos from our chats.
2018 had some amazing moments! “Black Panther” blew away audiences around the world. Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. fought at the Harper’s Bazaar Icons party. Democrats took control of the House of Representatives. Buju Banton was released from prison! I mean, this was an epic year. In the soca world, we also had some iconic moments. Below are my top 5 events of 2018.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I am concerned about the state of the soca scene in Brooklyn. I believe that with the lack of venues and deejays opting to forego the 100% soca parties, the scene is on life support. However, Thanksgiving weekend gives me hope that there are those committed to reviving the soca fete experience.
For 34 years Miami Carnival has been the main autumn event for socaholics. However, the increasing popularity of cruises and international events seemed to be attracting the interest and wallets of West Indians stateside. However, if the turnout at this year’s events is any indication, Miami Carnival is not going anywhere.
That being said, there are some improvements that promoters and organizers can make to ensure that this is indeed a can’t-miss event.
The West Indian American Day Carnival Association (say that three times fast) is responsible for producing events throughout the summer that showcase our culture, culminating in the annual Labor Day parade in Brooklyn. However, this year, it was glaringly obvious that many Brooklynites have chosen to avoid the celebration and are, in fact, questioning whether or not WIADCA needs to be dismantled.
Since the Association refuses to engage with anyone, let me anticipate their objections.
