​Did you know that the * CUARTRO " is the National Musical Instrument of Venezuela?
My sister Rosemarie’s favourite musical instrument when she was alive was the cuatro. In fact on our very first trip to Margarita she bought herself an authentic Venezuelan Cuartro which she became quite versatile in playing .It was her cuatro hanging on her bedroom wall and the photo of little Angelo playing his cuatro at age four which inspired me write this article.
The predecessor of the Venezuelan cuatro was the four-string Spanish renaissance guitar which was brought to South America by the Spanish conquerors. From the guitars brought to the New World by the Spanish "conquistadores"emerged the 4-stringed cuatro invented in Venezuela in the early 19th century .Since then the cuatro has become Venezuela's national instrument, lending its distinctively highly pitched sound to every style of music such as the joropo, castellan and merengue.
This four string musical instrument found its way to Trinidad in late 1800s when hundreds of peons from neighbouring Venezuela were brought to Trinidad to serve as seasonal workers on our cocoa estates. These Venezuelans brought with them several Spanish traditions one of which was Parang Music.
The term Paring is derived from the Spanish word parranda, which means a spree or a fête. Initially it meant a group of four or more men who went to give a parranda at an event - a christening or a birthday celebration.
At Christmas Time the parranda navideña, group would go from house to house entertaining members of the communities such as Paramin, Lopinot, and Arima where they settled. These visits involved singing while strumming their cuatros and dancing as a form of celebration of the birth of the Christ child. The traditional lyrics of parang which was sung in Spanish were mainly Religious and Christian songs.
Today Parang music, mixed with a calypso flavour has found itself deeply rooted in the culture and landscape of Trinidad and Tobago.
While the cuatro continues to be the prominent musical instrument used by Parang Bands,, over the years other musical instruments have been added to the mix resulting in a whole new revolution to parang music.
(Source: Patricia Bissessar, Angelo Bissessarsingh Virtual Museum of T&T, Nov 9, 2022)

​STEP INTO MY PARLOUR : THE EARLY BEGINNINGS
- Taken from Historian Angelo Bissessarsingh Archives.
James Cummings, in his seminal work on The Barrack-Yard Dwellers’ said "for the people of the barrack-yards, the sun just HAD to rise tomorrow". By this he meant that decades of economic penury in the post-emancipation urban space, leading up to the massive slum clearance exercises of the 1950s, had made the dwellers of the poorer parts of the Port-of-Spain, masters of coping with poverty. In the areas of Queen St. and Charlotte and Quarry St. where the barrack-yards proliferated, there were the occasional wooden cottages owned by more 'respectable' coloured persons, Venezuelan refugees fleeing political unrest, and white persons of reduced means. Many of these people would be on the verge of not knowing where tomorrow's bread would come from. One coping strategy was to open a small 'one door' shop in the front premises of one's house.
This could be in the porch or as a wooden extension. The stateroom in the front a house is commonly called a parlour. Since these makeshift shops often occupied the aforementioned space, the enterprises themselves became known as parlours. Few if any Trinidadians are aware that this was how these vital community establishments came to be called thus. The parlour, in urban and rural areas, became a focal point of social interaction where people, young and old , could meet and exchange the latest gossip.
Parlours of yore were places where the fare was manufactured almost entirely by local hands and where simple treats meant so much. They were tenuous businesses where tiny profit margins made their proprietorship more a community service than a get rich quick enterprise. For children of yesteryear, there could be few pleasanter places. Large glass jars would be filled with sugar-coated paradise plums, kaisa balls, tangy tamarind balls, molasses-dripping toolum, pink sugar cake and paw-paw balls. A huge block of ice, delivered by a cart in the early morning, would be resting on a piece of sacking, swaddled in straw to keep it from melting too quickly. This ice of course, would be vigorously shaved, rammed into a metal cup and then covered in sweet, red syrup for a penny, and for another copper, laced with condensed milk to result in that much-relished treat, snowball.
Outside of the city and in the countryside, there were parlours too, mostly run by “celestials with pig-tails and thick-soled shoes grinning behind cedar counters, among stores of Bryant's safety matches, Huntley and Palmer's biscuits, and Allsopp's pale ale”…………this according to Charles Kingsley, writing in 1870 about a Chinese parlour in the deep countryside.
The country parlour often was the oasis of rural travelers according to one account from 1914:
“Restaurants are rare in the West Indies, except in the principal towns, but it is generally possible to obtain something of a simple kind, which on this occasion consisted of that nice aerated drink called kola, together with buns from a stall at the entrance of the same shop.”
So then, this is the origin of the parlour, a small-business model which still thrives today.
First photo :Very early (1908) photo of a parlour in east Port-of-Spain, where the business model developed. In addition to jars of pickles and sweets, this little wayside emporium also sells a variety of fruit and vegetables
Second Photo : Typical Village Parlour in Trinidad.
(Source: Angelo Bissessarsingh Virtual Museum of T&T, Nov 26, 2022)

In November, the Holy Name Convent Secondary School in Port of Spain celebrates 120 years since its founding!
According to archival records, Holy Name Convent traces its history back to November 1902, when a volcanic eruption of Mount Peleé in Martinique (Photo 3) led to the arrival in Trinidad of an orphaned Martiniquan child, Leonie Marie Raynaud, who the French Dominican nuns in Trinidad decided to care for.
These nuns had first arrived in Trinidad on March 26th, 1898 to manage patients at the Leprosarium which was located in Cocorite at that time, before its relocation to Chacachacare in May 1922.
Upon their arrival, they lived at the “Maison Bolivar College” (Photo 1) which consisted of a convent and small chapel around the Queen’s Park Savannah, next to the Colonial Hospital. This location was eventually renamed “Holy Name Convent” in 1889. Here, the nuns began their private tutoring of the Martiniquan child, Leonie Raynaud, which soon got the attention of parents in Port of Spain.
These parents petitioned the nuns to provide a French education to their daughters, and consequently, a private school named “Holy Name Convent School” was formed next to the convent in a building named “Pavillon Notre Dame”. Over the years, the high standard of education offered by the school led the government to award it the certificate of “Approved Secondary School” on June 27th 1949 (Photo 2) followed by the status of “Government Assisted Secondary School” in 1957.
The foundations for the school as it is today were laid in the late-1930s by former principals Sister Jeanne Emmanuel and Sister Bernadette Robert. In 1954, the Notre Dame building was replaced with the “Marian Hall” - named after the fact that 1954 was a “Marian Year” in the Catholic calendar - while the Northern and Southern wings were also constructed. They also started the annual Christmas Bazaars in 1946 to raise funds for the school, which lent to the reputation of Holy Name as being one of “self-help, dedication and hard work”.
To commemorate this milestone, the Holy Name Convent Past Pupils Association is having a reunion event, “An Evening of Light” on November 26th!
Photo 1 showing the original buildings of Holy Name Convent and its Chapel (right) is courtesy of the book, “Called to Serve” by author and archivist Sister Marie Thérèse Rétout. This book is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Reference Collection.
Photo 2 is courtesy of the Port of Spain Gazette Newspaper, June 28th 1949 and Photo 3 is courtesy of the Catholic News, December 12th 1902. These newspapers are part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.
References: “Echoes of Mount Pelee.” The Catholic News, 12 Dec. 1902.
“Holy Name Approved For ‘A’ Certificate.” The Port of Spain Gazette, 28 June 1949.
Rétout, Marie Thérèse. Called to Serve: A History of the Dominican Sisters in Trinidad & Tobago, 1868-1988: Congregation of Saint Catherine of Siena O.P., Etrépagny, France. Paria Pub. Co., 1988. (Source: National Archives of Trinidad & Tobago, Nov 25, 2022 and the Virtual Museum of T&T)

This story is being reposted as author credit was previousy omitted.  

In 1988, Trinidad-born Andrew Madan Ramroop became the first man of colour to own a business in London's prestigious Savile Row.
The achievement came 18 years after he had migrated to England from his home at Maingot Road, Tunapuna, where he was born on November 10th, 1952.
In 1970, Ramroop left Trinidad aboard the luxury liner Northern Star and headed to England with hopes of beginning a career as a tailor's apprentice.
He, however, was turned down for many jobs on Savile Row.
"In those early days, my accent wasn't what it is now and I was applying for jobs to be at the front of the shop to cut and to fit and to meet clients," Ramroop told the BBC.
"People wanted to protect their own businesses and they were being realistic in saying this guy won't suit the front of the shop," he said gratiously.
Ramroop began his London training as a backroom trainee for a Savile Row institution, Huntsman & Son.
In 1974, he found a position as an assistant cutter with Maurice Sedwell—the only shop on Savile Row that would hire a non-white tailor.
Ramroop mastered his craft, and worked his way to the top, becoming managing director of the business in 1982 and then buying the company in 1988.
In the early days, Ramroop was confined to making alterations. The big break came when a client personally asked for him to oversee an entire fitting.
Ramroop's reputation was soon sealed through personal recommendations - and at one point he was dressing half a dozen British cabinet ministers.
Famously, he also designed the cashmere jacket worn by Princess Diana in her infamous 'Panorama' interview on British television.
Over the years, Sedwell sold Ramroop shares in the business, until he had accumulated 45%.
The crunch time came in 1988 when Ramroop wanted to leave to set up his own business.
Sedwell eventually persuaded him to stay and sold him a further 45% in the business.
Eight years after taking over the business, Ramroop expanded the premises from 500 to 3,000 square feet.
Located on London’s Fleet Street, Maurice Sedwell Ltd. grew from a gold medal-winning tailor shop to one of the UK’s best known names in Bespoke Tailoring.
Today, he owns and runs Maurice Sedwell on 19 Savile Row, making bespoke suits for customers around the world.
Ramroop has been featured in a BBC 2 documentary on Black Firsts. He has been named by 'Complex' as one of Britain's Greatest Designers.
Among other accolades, Ramroop was the first tailor to be awarded a professorship at the London College of Fashion for distinction in his field in 2001 and, in 2005, was awarded the Chaconia Medal Gold by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
In 2008, the Master Tailor founded the Savile Row Academy (SRA) to train the tailors of tomorrow, and was also handed an OBE honour from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. (Source: Dominic Kalipersad,  Nov. 6, 2019)

MokaCreations is a local Ottawa craft site offering gifts at reasonable prices.  We offer free delivery in the National Capital Region for all sales over $25.  100% of the sales goes to charities in support of education on the various caribbean islands e.g. The Marco Depestre Foundation of Ottawa; and here in Ottawa in the form of a scholarship to the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Ottawa via SERVIAM.
We do custom orders, so if you have something specific you would like to see printed on one of our products, please do not hesitate to contact us by email.
Visit our website at mokacreations.ca
Thank you in advance for your support.
​

Trinidad and Tobago has made National Geographic's annual list of superlative destinations for travellers to visit next year.
The list, which features 25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023, was split into five categories including community, nature, culture, family and adventure.
The 'Best of the World 2023' list is as follows:
Community: Where conservation benefits everyone

• Greece — Visit the Dodecanese Islands where women-led ventures are leading the charge in sustainable tourism.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Spend a long weekend in a vibrant Great Lakes city that celebrates its cultural community as much as its breweries.
• Alberta, Canada — Experience how long-held traditions and contemporary perspectives intersect with Indigenous tourism outfitters.
• Laos — Board a new high-speed train that makes lesser known regions accessible to tourists and brings economic opportunities to locals.
• Ghana — Explore Black heritage and hang out with a fashion-forward crowd in the capital, Accra.

Nature: Escapes to wild, beautiful places 

• Botswana — Marvel at the biodiversity as well as the programmes to rehabilitate endangered species, create wildlife corridors, and develop community-owned tourism projects.
• Scottish Highlands — Linger in the place where a rewilding movement is aiming to restore the original landscape and native flora and fauna.
• Slovenia —  A longtime leader in sustainable tourism, set off on new gastrotourism biking routes that visit farms, vineyards, cheesemakers, and other food producers.
• Big Bend National Park (Texas, United States) -- The park brings to life the frontier legend of Texas but the landscape will also surprise you.
• Azores, Portugal — Applaud award-winning sustainability programmes that conserve the natural wonders of this volcanic archipelago known for whale watching and thermal springs. 

Culture: Places where history and heritage rule

• Egypt — Visit King Tut’s new home at Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum and see Luxor’s Avenue of the Sphinxes.
• Busan, South Korea — Visit the nation’s second-largest city.
• Italy’s Appian Way — Make a pilgrimage through Europe’s ancient "superhighway".
• Charleston, South Carolina — Explore culture and history - with a side of Low Country cuisine - at the International African American Museum.
• Longmen Grottoes — See one of the world’s largest assemblages of stone statues at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Henan Province, China.

Family: Inspiring journeys for all ages

• Trinidad and Tobago — Help save the turtles in one of the most important leatherback turtle rookeries in the world.
•  Switzerland — Ride the rails to quaint Alpine towns for chocolate, hiking, and skiing.
• San Francisco, California — Gather around a campfire with Golden Gate views at Presidio Tunnel Tops and hike the urban Crosstown Trail.
• Colombia — Go birdwatching in the avian paradise that is also the enchanted land of Disney’s Encanto. 
• Manchester, England — Visit the playing grounds of a storied soccer team and be inspired by the city's art scene.

Adventure: Adrenaline-pumping outdoor excursions

• Choquequirao, Peru — An isolated Inca site that’s under the radar but soon to be more accessible.
• New Zealand —  Rekindle your sense of adventure post-pandemic in the country that invented bungee jumping.
• Utah, United States of America — Get your adrenaline rush in less visited areas of the popular adventure state.
• Austria — Hike the cross-country Bergsteigerdörfer network of mountaineering villages to sample local culture.
• Revillagigedo National Park, Mexico — Its protected waters boast the largest aggregations of sharks and manta rays in the world. (Source:  The Loop, October 26, 2022)

Several cocoa entrepreneurs will be able to take their businesses to the next level after being successfully matched with investors, said InvesTT.
In a statement the state agency said the Trinitario Cocoa Webinar Series, done in collaboration with the European Union, came to a conclusion on September 28, 2022.
The organisation said the grand finale of the three-part series, entitled “The Cocoa Pitch”, was designed as a ‘Shark Tank’ styled business pitch event.
Two youth start-ups and five medium-sized cocoa SMEs were given the opportunity to present a robust business pitch to investors, resource providers and key industry players with the aim of accessing technical, financial and capacity-building support and mentorship to start-up or scale their cocoa business operations.
EU Ambassador Peter Cavendish said the EU was proud to have been part of this venture.
“The Trinitario Cocoa Webinar Series has become a rich carnival, caravan tour of Trinidad and Tobago’s cocoa and chocolate producers. This heritage industry is moving forward to find and delight consumers worldwide with what every Trinbagonian knows, that the best chocolate is close to home – and the European Union has been proud to be a part of this dynamic.”
Trade Minister Paula Gopee Scoon said the sector is "a strategic commodity with the potential to generate foreign exchange and contribute to economic diversification.”
"The exports of primary and value added cocoa products increased by 31% over the period 2020 to 2021, from approximately TT$93 Million to over TT$122 Million. Of this increase, the European market accounted for 41%.”
“There is a clear demand for our products, however, what is needed are innovators to create new products and experiences, and entrepreneurs to ensure that these products are made available.” 
Sekou Alleyne, President, InvesTT said the venture will aid the local cocoa industry.
“The success of episodes 1 and 2 and the execution of The Cocoa Pitch event have enabled us [InvesTT] to fast forward the cocoa business agenda by facilitating investor matchmaking opportunities among European chocolatiers, investors and local cocoa stakeholders.”
Pramilla Ramdahani, Vice President, Investments, InvesTT also shared that the Series aimed to increase bean to bar opportunities and joint venture/FDI opportunities.
With 750 attendees in Episodes 1 and 2, and 244 attendees in Episode 3, representing over 32 countries worldwide inclusive of the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Singapore, Ghana and Jamaica, Mrs Ramdahani expressed confidence that the outcomes of the webinar series will contribute towards the development of a thriving and collaborative cocoa ecosystem.
The organisation said two youth start-ups;  GEM, owned by Giselle Mills and 19-year-old youth cocoa entrepreneur Oshun Matthews, owner of Tamana Mountain Chocolate both delivered strong business cases.
Three SMEs presented their pitches next; Ashley Parasram, founder of the Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company, Tobias Schulze Frenkling representing the Original Trinitario Cluster and Vanessa Moses, Director at Caribbean Roasters.
At the end of each pitch, the distinguished group of panelists comprising Crisen Maharaj, Manager of Capacity Building and Funding at ExporTT, Michael Mcquilkin, Manager, Investment Banking at Republic Bank, John Hadad, Group Co-Chief Executive Officer, HADCO Group, Sandy Roopchand, CEO/Managing Director at Royal Castle and Markus Mann, Producer-Artist-Entrepreneur, shared thoughtful comments and invaluable insights on how each entrepreneur/enterprise can advance their cocoa ventures through various grant funding programmes and partnership and/or mentorship opportunities.
The panellists also posed a series of questions to each pitch presenter which enabled presenters and the live virtual audience to gain firsthand insights into the requirements for a compelling, investment-ready business case.
Next on the agenda was a special presentation made by Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan, Director at the Cocoa Research Centre, UWI, where he highlighted the Chocolate Island initiative, a cocoa, carbon and community innovative project which seeks to attract Impact Investment into the cocoa sector in Trinidad and Tobago, and contribute towards building sustainable cocoa based supply chains.
All attendees were then given a sneak peek into a short film entitled “Trinitario – On The Edge”, produced by filmmaker Denise Speck, who joined from Europe to introduce the trailer video. The documentary explores the storyline of the world-famous Trinitario Cocoa, birthed right here in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Cocoa Accelerator Network was highlighted after, whereby the live virtual audience and all pitch presenters would have been edified on various opportunities to access resources and/or funding required for business growth, such as the Shaping the Future of Innovation project, the Linking Farmers Platform and Government’s Grand Fund Facility, the latter allowing individuals to access up to a maximum of TT250,000 to finance 50 per cent of the cost of acquiring new machinery and equipment.
Albada Beekham, Director of Research at the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to support cocoa agri-entrepreneurs through the Agriculture Finance Support Programme, among other initiatives.
All three episodes in the series were moderator by Jessie-May Ventour, a seasoned broadcaster and media professional who effortlessly managed the conversations and ensured a seamless, interactive, informative and enjoyable experience for all. (Source: The Loop, October 3, 2022)