People are hard at work in vacation places. Fortunate are those who vacation and are allowed into other working lives, other enterprises. Pat Ganase visits Charlotteville, centre of the Northeast Tobago Man and the Biosphere Reserve.
It is late August in Charlotteville. The rising sun lights up Campbleton. Rainbows from the misty horizon dance over Booby Island. The sea is a pond, calm, clear to the bottom; its channels of sand shimmer between boulders and bouldering corals.
This is our holiday place on the northwest coast of Tobago, where the water is warm, the rainforest resplendent and the sunsets startling. Here is the heartland of northeast Tobago, as different as can be imagined from southwest Tobago.
Walk along the beach from the Man-o-War Bay Cottages to the village. Check the heron keeping an eye on you while chasing a crab on the sand. Pass the end of Bay Road, looking for what the sea washed up overnight: maybe a sea urchin, maybe polished sea-glass chips. Duck under ancient almonds whose roots sip the briny earth and branches hang heavy over the shore.
Fishermen are at their boats, some returned with redfish from a night of banking, some gassing up to set out. At the fishing depot, you are told come back later.
Maurice the calabash artist is at work on some new gourds, gifts from friends in Central Trinidad. Priya always has early customers at her vegetable shop; she procures breadfruit, silk fig, dasheen from the area.


There’s another knot of villagers at the junction of jetty and grocery. Now repainted bright blue, the tiny supermarket has everything you need: bread and beer, rum and rice, cheese and ice cream.
Look up towards the hills and you’ll see a village laid out with purpose. The plantations of sugarcane and cocoa circled the pleasant bowl that became the town at the edge of a natural deepwater bay. A grassy park is the centre of the village; on one side are police station, health centre, nursery school, churches and cemetery. The Charlotteville Public Library is a welcoming oasis in any not-very-busy day, offering newspapers, books and magazines and free Wi-Fi. 
If you continue where the road rises above the curve of the bay, you’ll cross a forested patch – look out for Trinidad motmots – and arrive at Pirates Bay, one of the pristine beaches that encircle northeast Tobago. Beaches are ephemeral places requiring nothing but your presence.
Another day, we’ll take the kayaks across the bay. Paddle between the sailing boats and yachts anchored at the moorings placed there by the foresight of the Environmental Research Institute of Charlotteville (ERIC), which piloted the proposal for the designation of the Man and the Biosphere Reserve conferred in 2020. 
We come here to the Man-o-War Bay Cottages because only the beach separates us from the sea. The accommodation is rustic but sufficient for rest and leisure.
There is leisure here even among those hard at work. Leisure is everywhere in the understated, methodical delivery of tasks, the sanitation worker resting on his rake while clearing the beach, the artisan tooling his calabash, the fishermen scaling and filleting fish.
Sharon Benjamin, owner of a respected homestyle restaurant, hangs over her balcony to tell the story of her daughter, for whom Sharon and Phebs is named. No hurry, but her homemade ice cream is fabulous.
Yes, people do work in Charlotteville. We meet the librarian, Althea, walking under her umbrella from Campbleton. 
The fishermen pulling the seine bring in a trough of young cavalli, great for a fry-dry, they say.
Now there is a growing cadre of researchers and scientists fostering other activities here. We meet a crew – Hannah, Lanya and Anjani – from the Institute of Marine Affairs who are creating a nursery for coral babies. Incredible and amazing, they are part of a team working on the MARIN programme to restore degraded reefs with coral spawn collected from healthy reefs.

Shortly after full moon over the last four months, the researchers were diving to see which corals are spawning, a magical night-time underwater event like sparklers going off in a snowstorm.
The relatively pristine coasts around the north of Tobago hold special interest for the MARIN (Marine Resilience Initiative) project. Funded by bp (uk) through local partners bptt, MARIN aims to build marine resilience in Tobago in the following ways: to manage marine ecosystems against a future of unknowns (climate change); to restore coral reefs and seagrass; and to foster ocean awareness and advocacy in villages and communities. 
Local partners include the THA, Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries and marine monitoring and engineering firm Coastal Dynamics Ltd. ERIC is the community adviser and partner in the northeast. All partners benefit from training and information sharing in the coral-rearing and seeding process.
A significant consultant is Secore International, which is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of coral reefs – creating and sharing the tools and technologies to sustainably restore coral reefs worldwide. The MARIN Tobago team is working with Secore scientists from Curacao, developing experimental techniques to safeguard Tobago’s endangered coral species, among them the boulder star corals, of which the most famous must be the giant brain coral off Speyside.
The MARIN Tobago team selected northeast Tobago reefs for their relatively healthy species populations, and aim to plant viable coral babies on some sites that are not too affected by chronic conditions of water pollution. 
On the other side of the island, some coral reefs off Speyside suffered considerable coral die-off from the 2010 bleaching event; many reefs have not recovered. Some of the seeded coral units will go to these sites. It’s a long-term project, since coral spawning happens in the warmer months; and the season may be over for this year.
Curtis Antoine’s fishing vessel has been converted into a research vessel, apartment accommodation into a lab. And the beach is the doorway to the ocean for the study of the coral reefs and research into the regeneration of corals.

The project is funded for five years, but coral regeneration – ecology, habitat research and education – must continue for as long as it takes to grow harmony between land and sea dwellers. In the process, more and more people must come to appreciate ecosystems that extend from ridge to reef, and why Tobago needs corals.
The outreach to random walkers on the beach, fishermen, and especially to children and their families in the village has only just started. The project also expects to develop the protective network made up of marine resource users, government and management agencies collaborating on response planning for climate-related disasters such as heat stress or disease outbreaks.
At the end of the day, we walk on the beach, bathed in the light of a glorious sunset, ignorant of how the daily cycle, the tides and currents and humans affect the significant life underwater. (Source: Newsday, Sept 12, 2024)

For just over seven months, the Eagle Eye project has been working to help deter and detect crime, and stakeholders are focusing on expanding the network nationally.
Although based primarily in North East and Eastern Trinidad, the joint project between the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GTCIC), the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council (TPSCC) and the police service has a network of some 400 cameras which feeds directly to the police command centre.
President of the TPSCC and director of the GTCIC Neil Boodoosingh said the project focuses on putting cameras in locations not typically covered by the national security services' network.
These, he said, are placed at businesses and in communities. The monthly cost for businesses is $199 for two cameras and for residential customers, $99 for one camera. He said it also comes with signage, which has been working as a deterrent for criminal elements.
With its heaviest concentration of cameras in Tunapuna, Boodoosingh said reports from police indicate a significant increase in crime detection and deterrence there since the project was launched in February.
"That speaks for itself."
Giving an example of the effectiveness of the system, which is not used for financial gain, TTPS liaison for the project Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Richard Smith said police were recently able to use it to identify a body.
"We found a body in the Arouca district and we found a receipt in the pocket of the deceased person. We were able to track back where the person went and purchased some stuff and get the footage. We got a still shot from it and we were able to place it on Beyond the Tape and other social media platforms and we found the relatives.
"That is just some of the successes. We also have it for robberies, larcenies and all these things. Even with vehicles that might be passing on the roadways that might be stolen. We have ways of identifying these vehicles as well and even tracking where they came from."
Boodoosingh believes one of the project's biggest advantages is that those who sign up help monitor the network, which allows for almost immediate reporting of faulty cameras.
"If they wake up in the morning and on their smartphone they not seeing the camera working, they can now highlight it to us and we'd have it back up and running in 48 hours.
"The government system, because it is almost impossible for somebody to look at all the cameras at the same time, it's only when they go to use the camera when an incident happens, then they realise it not working."
The latest entity to sign on is the Owner Dealers' Association. President-elect of the group, which represents the interests of gas station owners and the property they are built on, Reval Chattergoon told Newsday the group signed on to the project as crime poses a serious threat to their businesses. 
He said the association signed on as a proactive approach to combat the scourge. Gas stations have also fallen victim to criminal elements. Earlier in September police killed a bandit in a shootout after he robbed a 24-hour gas station in Charlieville.
"It's like almost having a police officer in your station all the time, 24 hours. The larger perspective is that should any crime occur in your street or community, it could give the TTPS an advantage to log on to see."
ODA was formed in August and currently represents 18 of 57 owner dealers in the country.
Chattergoon said seven dealers are expected to instal Eagle Eye cameras in the coming week and two gas stations, which don't qualify to be members, are also interested in it.
With gas stations often operating 24/7, Boodoosingh said having the association on board will bolster the project's strength.
"It is an asset to the Eagle Eye Project and a great encouragement when you have these associations coming onboard."
ACP Smith described gas stations as "watering holes" which would be crucial in tracking criminals through the network.
"You hunting in the forest, where is the most common place animals will stop? To drink water.
"If you use that analogy to vehicles, vehicles must go in gas stations, so it's a good area where we could have these cameras placed so we can capture vehicles."
Boodoosingh and Smith also encouraged people to come on board to help build a more robust security network.
"We look forward to what is happening in Tunapuna to take place throughout the country," Boodoosingh said.
"Eagle Eye has been working in Tunapuna. We have been getting the element out of Tunapuna. The problem is, Tunapuna has now become a hard-target city and the element is going to go into the more vulnerable areas and we intend to make every area in this country a hard target."
He said negotiations are ongoing with the Couva and Chaguanas chambers of commerce, East Gates Mall and Republic Bank Ltd. Greater San Fernando Area Chamber of Commerce head Kiran Singh told Newsday he met with the Southern Division's senior superintendent last week to discuss introducing the project among its members.
TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Kiran Maharaj said the chamber supports any initiative that would positively affect the reduction of crime, improve detection rates and result in convictions given the spiralling crime rate. While she said the chamber believes it's a good initiative, it is also critical that action is taken to take the perpetrators into custody and subject them to the law.
Boodoosingh said he hoped the government could also invest in the project. He said for $1 million a month, 5,000 cameras can be installed across the country and, unlike those under the Ministry of National Security, they would be monitored and maintained. (Source: Newsday, Sept 15, 2024)

TEKEL SYLVAN head is literally in the clouds these days, having been declared the first King Moko Dance Champion 2024 on August 30, followed by an opportunity immediately afterwards to perform at the Apollo Theater, New York, in celebration of Trinidad and Tobago’s 62nd anniversary of Independence.
Winning the local competition with his own costume design and make-up as a skeleton, while demonstrating mad skills by removing one side of the five-foot stilts, while in motion, and dancing with only one stilt, was an amazing feat for him and validates his belief “that I am the best.”
That daring act of being about 13-14 feet in the air, precariously balancing, put him ahead of his competitors. 
He said before the competition, “I would be bringing the trophy home” – and knew he had to do something extraordinary to achieve this.
He has performed at Machel Mondays in the past, and alongside other artistes, but being one of two TT moko jumbies on stage at the iconic Apollo with top artistes at the calypso night, was beyond his wildest dreams.
“It was an amazing feeling to be part of that production. I have performed with calypsonians and soca artistes before, but seeing all of them on one stage, communicating backstage, the vast audience – that was mind-blowing.”
The experience was even more astonishing, he said, as he was told he was one of the first of two moko jumbies to perform at the Apollo.
Sylvan and Earl Ward were the two invited by the NCC to participate in three nights of calypso music, when infectious Caribbean rhythms were on full display. 
He said on September 3, he performed at the Apollo with Machel Montano, Crazy, Olatunji, Kurt Allen, Lord Nelson and others. On September 6, he travelled to Canada to showcase his skills at the Toronto carnival.
“This is not my first carnival, though. I have been to Grenada and Miami carnivals and Brooklyn Labor Day.”
The San Fernando father of two said stilt-walking saved his life.
Growing up in what he termed “the ghetto,” in a single-mother household, his father was imprisoned when he was just three. He said his life could have gone downhill as he did not have the acumen for academics.
While he enjoyed sports, he was not passionate about them either. So when at age eight he discovered the Junior Bisnath Kaisokah School for the Arts, he latched on to that like a drowning man and honed his skills, encouraged by Bisnath, who embraced him as a son.
He recalled he often got into trouble with his mother, because he would leave chores undone to go stilt-walking, something he later corrected.
“Today, she is my biggest fan, because this has saved me from a life of crime. It has opened doors for me. Because of this I got a passport. I am now able to travel all over the world and put TT’s culture on the map.
“Some of my friends who invested in sports have not had the kind of successes I have had,” he said in an interview at the Kaisokah School on September 5.
While he is a designer and intends to produce a children’s Carnival band for 2025, stilt-walking is not a talent he intends giving up on.
“I will only stop when God is ready for me. While I am alive, even if I am using a walking stick or a wheelchair, Sir (Junior Bisnath) will design a pair of stilts for the wheelchair for me to continue stilt-walking.”
Already, his two sons who ae four and six, as well as five nephews, are mastering the art.
He is encouraging children who are facing challenges growing up in poverty, with little opportunity, that stilt-walking could turn their lives around.
“It is a place when you have a certain state of mind, when you are down, for you to get up. There is no better way to get up than on a pair of stilts. When you head is in the clouds, when you listen to music which energises you, take a dance, take a walk and free your mind, you could change that mentality. (Source: Newsday, September 13, 2024)

THE question on everyone’s lips is what’s in store for one of the most beautiful beaches in Tobago.
The Tobago House of Assembly intends to turn the Store Bay Beach Facility into a family-friendly, world-class recreational venue.
Although lacking the appeal of some of the gems of the island such as Pirates Bay, Englishman’s Bay and Pigeon Point, Store Bay’s beauty is unique.
A sunset at Store Bay is a sight to behold. The rhythmic sound of gentle waves crashing on the shore is enhanced as the sun descends beyond the horizon, leaving an explosion of vibrant colours in the fading sky. The silhouettes of boats on the shimmering water become more pronounced till they disappear into the darkness.
It’s not just beautiful to look at. Store Bay has long been a regular stop for many for local cuisine such as crab and dumpling or conch and provisions, available at the popular Miss Trim or Miss Jean food stalls.

As a visitor approaches the steps descending to the beach, the buzz of the blender at Man on The Rock beach bar indicates that owner Ashley McMillan, or one of his staff, is whipping up a cocktail for a customer.
Tobago treats such as bene ball, sugar cake, preserved mango, preserved plums and many other delights are available at small tables to the left of the steps down to the beach, where vendors, mostly women, sell for most of the day.

What to expect
The layout of the popular spot is expected to change soon, with the Division of Tourism planning major renovations. Among the new features of an initial design are a swimming pool, a roadside bar and food court, a beach bar and restaurant, and a jetty. And visitors will have to pay to enter the new facility.
The division said the project is still in the consultation phase and no tenant would be displaced when the facility is completed.
However, there have been complaints that not enough consultation is happening, though the division met on two occasions with some stakeholders in July. The meetings followed a survey done last year by the Eco-Industrial Development Company of Tobago. 
At one of the meetings, tenants were given two options: a full shutdown, which would allow the project to be completed faster (nine months); or on a phased basis, which would take 18 months. The division had hoped to start this month, but more consultation is expected to take place.
Meisha Trim, owner of Miss Trim Foods, has been selling at Store Bay for 17 years. Her mother, Greta, started the business over 40 years ago. In an interview with Newsday on September 8, she said she fully supports the initiative.
Contrary to some claims by stakeholders, she said there was a “collaborative” approach to the meeting. She said although not everyone was present, they were told to spread the information to the other tenants and were assured all information would be available at the office of the facility manager.
Although acknowledging her rent may increase, Trim said once it is “within limit,” and proportional to the enhancement of the facility, she does not mind.
The current food area is expected to expand considerably, with bigger booths, more room for storage of dry goods and a larger seating area for customers.
However, the prospect of a new food court closer to the road has left Trim a bit anxious. She said patrons coming in will have to pass through the new food court before they get to the existing area. “It’s up to me where I want to go,” she said.
McMillan, who has his establishment at Store Bay for 20 years, said progress is needed, but "Store Bay doh need all of that. Store Bay is a natural place. It's the Mecca of Tobago."
He said the place just needs "a little facelift - plastic surgery."
He said if the division plans to shut down the facility, the vendors need financial support.
"People under pressure here. I'm not lying to yuh."
He said booths need upgraded, the beach needs better lighting for the night time and an ATM on site.
Local businessman and prominent artist Martin Superville, who was once a tenant at Store Bay, said he loves the idea of redeveloping the area. 
he area and Tobago tourism.
“Before, you could have just jumped out the airport and walk across to Store Bay. The whole way that the traffic is going to flow (has changed).
“Unless you have a hotel down in Crown Point, everybody heading on the other side of the island.”
So, he said, Store Bay must be looked at as a destination now, not a spot along the thoroughfare.
Better can be done
“I’ve always felt that that place was misused/under-used. I had a space there and left,” Superville recalled. 
“The crowd that goes to Store Bay is a very mixed crowd, more a Trinidadian crowd. Tourism dried up and most of the tourists headed to the other side of the island, because the beach boys now would hassle them: ‘Yuh wa ah boat ride? Yuh wa ah this, yuh wa ah that?’ You leave one guy, the next guy hit you the same thing.
“There’s always that uncontrolled behaviour.”
Trim concurred, saying the touts had driven tourists to Castara and other parts, though Trinis who have become accustomed to the aggressive approach still frequent the bay.
The issue of touting has been a perennial problem at Store Bay. Former chief secretary Ancil Dennis introduced a ticketing system in 2020 to try to end it, but failed.
Trim said, “None of it has worked in the past.
“I don’t feel safe at times entering Store Bay by myself. Sometimes there are even fights.”
In a Tobago Updates interview on September 4, tourism secretary Tashia Burris said the division had received complaints about lawlessness at the venue and families not feeling safe.
Superville said he is wary of the crowd the new facility will attract and what measures will be put in place to ensure its standards are adhered to and maintained. 
“Have you ever noticed that the movies that are open to all ages make more money than the ones 21 years and over? So now you have to be very conscious of the crowd and the behaviour.
“How long is the swimming pool going be open for? Is it going to be open where people can swim in the night?
“Now people would want to hire it for their personal parties – how does that go?
“After them parties and they throw their bottles all over...”
He said a jetty at Store Bay was long overdue, and believes this will provide another interesting option for the hosting of Angostura Sailing Week and the TT Great Race.
He called for proper tendering for the project, to get not only the right contractor but also value for taxpayers’ money.
Superville also said the customer service on the island needs to match the money being spent on improving infrastructure.
“In the tourist sector, you need to love people.
“The people that sometimes run places that are (on the) frontline for the island, they make money because they have no choice.
“But you wonder, if more businesses come in with different styles of how they operate, they may bust. Because people now getting better service, nicer conversations. You doh go by the bar and people just studying to get your money and eh thinking to have a nice conversation and advising you to go here or there.


“Be an ambassador for the island. Every bar around the island, the owner should be an ambassador for the island.”
He said Tobago has not taken tourism seriously in the past, but better late than never.
Thinking even bigger
In the initial redesign, Superville said he did not see a specific area for the boat operators “who make the reef tours so special.
“If you selling your tickets you have to stay there and wait for people to come in and choose their boat. You give them a nice, little space and they could put up pictures and sell little items – cups, T-shirts, key rings. Now your business could expand and sell goggles, fins for their cruise. You could do a coffee, and early breakfast with scrambled eggs.”
Superville said tourists want souvenirs such as T-shirts with a picture of the glass-bottom boat they went on, or a key chain with a carving of the boat. This, he said, would also stimulate the local economy, as the tour operators lean on the expertise of other businesses to meet that demand.
“You can’t make everything. You have to go to the man who can make them things, or the man doing the printing.
“I have to see where everybody wins. If everybody wins, then nobody complaining.”
Another necessity, he felt, was an information centre to point visitors to other attractions, hotels and guesthouses. He believes a museum should also be included, as well as a jogging track and a calypso tent.
He said Tobago needs to think outside the box when it comes to tourism and its product, especially when welcoming visitors from cruise ships.
Superville wants Tobago to expand its horizons in a very literal way. 
“They done pass through Barbados, which does beaches and hospitality better than us; Grenada, a nice port with restaurants all around – then they reach to Tobago.
“We only fighting to get Germans, Americans, and British and we have the whole of South America below us. The problem we have had for many years is (an indifference) to the Spanish language.
“Luck would shine upon TT...Now you have Spanish-people speaking everywhere – hotels, restaurants, bars – all those places where tourists visit.
“We should be selling to Guyana, Argentina, Peru, Colombia.”
Then, he said, rather than being the last island in the Caribbean, Tobago would become “the first with lovely sand and beaches.
“The whole of South America sitting there waiting for us — and nobody eh sending a plane to Ecuador.” (Source: Newsday, September 9, 2024)

by RIHANNA MCKENZIE
Soca stars and producers from Japan and Trinidad and Tobago have come together for an anthem celebrating the countries’ 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The song is a collaborative effort between the Japan-TT Friendship 60th Anniversary Executive Committee (JT60) and the Embassy of Japan in TT.
Japanese soca singer Angella Giustini (Ann G) and TT soca star Lyrikal (Devonn Martin) are featured on the song, called Oideyo (The Island), which is produced by Ryan Alexander (DJ Private Ryan) and Keshav Chandradath Singh.
The song, which was released on August 30, will be the theme for the 60th-anniversary celebration and will be featured during a Japanese cultural event scheduled for September 20-23, at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s, Port of Spain, a release said. It also said the song will be used to promote travel to TT and the wider Caribbean.
“Oideyo is the Japanese word for ‘come to’ or ‘come over.’ So we are saying to the people of Japan, come over and experience TT, meet its people, taste the food and share in the culture,” said Ann G.
Ann G has been visiting and performing at TT Carnival for ten years and has participated in the International Soca Monarch competition, placing in the semifinal and final rounds.
In the statement, Ann G said, “I always tell anyone that will listen in Japan that you must go and experience Trinidad Carnival at least once in your lifetime. It’s unlike anything they have seen before. Yes, we have Trinidad Carnival culture growing in Japan, but nothing beats having the original as a reference point.”
Speaking to Newsday about the song, she also said music breaks down barriers. “Being part of Carnival has shown me that soca music isn't just a genre. It's a way of life that…unites people from all over the world.”
Ann G revealed Lyrikal will not attend the Japan Soca Weekend (JSW) in Tokyo in September, but said, “Even though he can't be here, I can't wait to bring the energy of our collaboration to the stage.”
JSW is a five-day event in Tokyo at which patrons enjoy a range of events, including tours of the city and anime-themed soca parties that all end in Japan Caribbean Carnival (JCC) – a TT Carnival-style parade of the bands. 
Ann G said working with DJ Private Ryan and Lyrikal was a memorable experience.
“Lyrikal is a phenomenal artist and working with him has been incredible. It was amazing to see how (he) brings energy and creativity to the process. I’m excited to see where this song will take us and how it will help spread the love and joy of soca music to the world.”
Keshav also responded to Newsday via e-mail about the collaboration. The producer/songwriter said the song blends traditional instruments from Japan and TT, including the shakuhachi flute, koto harp (or zither), the
shamisen (a plucked stringed instrument) and
taiko drums from Japan alongside traditional TT rhythm-section instruments.
“It’s essential to use the traditional instruments of any culture when you create a communicative and collaborative piece of music. Those sounds are the calling cards of the nations they represent.”
He said, in addition to traditional instruments, the song also incorporates elements of Noh, a form of Japanese folk music.
“Of course, when we’re talking soca, we have iron, steelpan, brass, rhythm section and our inevitable sense of lavway, or call-and-response. (Using this) foundational approach…we can then bring the whole thing into the now and into the future."
Ann G added the merger of sounds was their way of paying homage to the musical roots of both cultures as well as to push the boundaries of what soca could be. 
Keshav said, “Working within new markets takes you out of the comfort zone of your pond, but to cross these oceans the brave work of immersion must take place. This happens through food, language, liming and observation. This is what I’m currently doing in Japan for just under a month.”
Keshav also talked about his personal connection to Japan through his father, Chandradath Singh, who served as TT's ambassador to Japan from 2011-2014. As a result, he said, he feels strongly about bringing the two cultures together.
“Steelpan and calypso have long been familiar art forms in Japan, but it is soca’s time now. For the last couple of years, I’ve been really happy to work with Japanese artists and my friend DJ Daiky (Daiki Shimozato), who I’ve co-produced a few records with. The goal with that material is to bring some tangibility to the already-existing exchange between our two cultures.
“I have noticed that soca, made with the right references, can have an impact on Japanese pop culture and we’re working on that bit by bit. I have also observed, within event spaces, there is a demand for our style of Carnival culture, which brings both a contrast and a familiarity to the already-popular Jamaican reggae scene. Japan Caribbean Carnival (in Tokyo Prefecture), the Japanese steelpan community and our presence in the traditional Yosakoi festival (in Kochi Prefecture) allow us to put contemporary roots down in Japan. The exchange is more visceral than ever before, so making records with both Japanese and Trinidadian artists makes sense for the expansion of soca globally.”
Keshav is currently touring in Japan ahead of the JCC at the end of September.
“I did the Soca Magic Riddim with DJ Daiky last year, which featured Japanese artists Mickey Rich, Ann G and Ayakohime. We also did a Jus Now collaboration with Daiky called Inna Circle.”
Singh is best known as half of the production and percussion duo Jus Now and has contributed to hits like Bunji Garlin’s Big Bad Soca and Machel Montano’s Junction.
Keshav said he met Ann G years ago in Trinidad and they have been in the studio a few times, but have not had the opportunity to put out music together until now. He said he has also been working in the Japanese advertising and corporate sectors alongside DJ Daiky for the past three years.
“My father…was in the foreign service for over 45 years and during his posting to Beijing, China, he was also accredited as the Ambassador to Japan. He even met and presented his credentials to Emperor Akihito, to officiate his role as overseer of all Japan-TT business and exchange. The picture of that meeting is amazing,” he said proudly. He added that having a father working in the foreign service allowed him a unique opportunity to be exposed to music from all over the world.
“My father is an incredible musician and my years growing up as the son of a diplomat allowed me to jam with musicians from literally everywhere from a very young age.”
In the release, Private Ryan said he worked remotely with Ann G and Lyrikal on the song.
“It was amazing working with this team. Bridging the gap in cultures is important to me as we seek to diversify soca and its impact worldwide. This is only the beginning.”
In the release, Lyrikal said the song is an opportunity to promote TT culture and elevate soca music.
“When I engage in these types of collaborations, it’s always about more than just me. I think about how many more people we can reach and introduce to our unique culture and sound.”
The JT60 committee and the Government of Japan have declared 2024 the Japan-Caricom Friendship Year. The statement said since establishing diplomatic relations in 1964, Japan and TT have collaborated in many economic and social endeavours, including education, culture and business.
“Co-operation has also extended to the multilateral sphere within an international framework, including the UN system, to address common issues such as disaster prevention, climate change, the environment and sanitation,” it said.
In May 2023, former Japanese minister of foreign affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa visited TT and met with Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne. At the meeting, the two countries agreed to expand and deepen their relationship with each other and the wider Caricom region. (Source: Newsday, September 8, 2024)

Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Farley Augustine chats with Calypso Rose aka Linda McCartha Sandy-Lewis on August 19 in Brooklyn, New York, as she holds a plaque in her honour from the Tobago Empowerment and Alliance Mission (TEAM).
TEAM honoured Rose as part of its Tobago Day celebration which was highlighted on August 18 in the courtyard of the Nazareth High School, 475E 57th Street, Brooklyn, New York. The event featured various elements of Tobago’s cultural heritage: music, dance and food.
Augustine addressed the celebration. He was accompanied by a contingent comprising THA officials, tourism stakeholders and several of Tobago’s leading artistes.
(Source: Newsday, August 28, 2024)

Traditional sponge with lime meringue frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
5 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
¾ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla essence
Measure all your ingredients and set them aside.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Cut your butter into chunks and place into your mixing bowl, make sure that your butter is very cold, you can use frozen butter. Add your sugar and start the creaming process, cream your butter and sugar until light in texture and colour, take your time here, use your fingers to feel the mixture to determine whether your sugar has dissolved.
Now add your eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.
You must incorporate your eggs slowly, and your mixture should be light and fluffy before you add another egg. If your mixture is somewhat loose and rather eggy, or appear curdled, you must beat a little more.
Measure your flour and sift three times.
Combine the milk with vanilla.
Now add your flour in three additions, folding in the flour alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
Prepare 2 nine-inch cake pans: grease the sides, line the base with waxed paper, grease your paper and flour the pans. Shake out any excess flour.
Spoon the batter evenly into cake pans, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cakes pull or shrink away from the sides of the pan.
Do not open your oven door during baking or your cakes will fall.
Remove cakes from oven, cool in pans for five minutes, then invert onto cooling racks, remove lining and place right side up.
Lime meringue frosting
1 cup granulated sugar
2 egg whites
⅓ cup water
⅛ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp lime zest
With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until fluffy but not dry. add cream of tartar.
Combine sugar with water, stir gently to combine, place in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, boil sugar until bubbly and spins a thread when lifted from a fork.
Poor syrup into egg whites with mixer running, add lime zest, continue to beat until all the syrup has been incorporated, beat for a few minutes longer until mixture loses some of its gloss.
Frosts 2 nine-inch cakes. (Source: Wendy Rahamut via Newsday, Aug 31, 2024)

Message to the nation from Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the occasion of Independence Day 2024
Fellow Citizens,
Today, we celebrate sixty-two years as an independent nation. I extend Happy Independence Day Greetings to you all from the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, my family and myself, as Prime Minister.
As we mark this occasion, it may be an ideal opportunity for us to first scan the wider world, a brief, random look into major events and the geo-political state of a few countries, then place our country on the scale of human development, gauge our progress, and the quality of life we enjoy here today in Trinidad and Tobago.
Maybe here, in this comparison, notwithstanding the many difficulties that we have to confront daily, we may better appreciate, our overall achievements, our resilience as a people, our natural and cultural wonders, and the beauty and richness of this land, called Trinidad and Tobago.
As a people, with our diverse origins, coming from many parts of the various continents, we continue to show a phenomenal harmony and respect for each other – a tolerance which must not be dismissed or understated, given the rise of ethnic tensions, identity politics, etc. in other parts of the world. This unique facet of Trinidad and Tobago has caused some observers to describe our inter-racial relationships as “uncommon”.
We know that our home is not without its stresses and strains, pockets of underlying hostilities, increasing levels of violent crime, family disputes, meaningless altercations spawned and spread by the gang culture among much of our youth. Yet, looking deeper, we can identify and praise what we call “The Trinbagonian” — our collective spirit in which we hold a transcendent respect for The Almighty, alongside an eager willingness to display kindness, selfless care, compassion, respect, love, sharing with family, friends, and extending trust to strangers, as fellow humans all wrapped in a daily ambition to be better.
As Prime Minister, when I look across our land, I see creativity, optimism, discipline and pride in all the best that Trinidad and Tobago has produced over the last 62 years.
I see us all as lively, sentient beings, who always seem to be on the move to something greater. Whatever our race or status, our unique, collective “Trinbagonian Spirit” stands out, wherever, because we always expect to be enjoying and enhancing our daily lives, protecting our freedom, celebrating our music, our dance, our food, our fashion and, of course, our Pan.
In reality, our country stands firmly as a land of opportunities and possibilities, populated by resilient citizens. It is this perspective that challenges us all to nurture and strengthen ourselves as we face the many challenges of a demanding 21st century.
A couple of examples of this new optimistic spirit include the Government’s emphasis on vocational and skills training, open to all youths, through the Ministry of Youth Development and National Service. The agriculture projects are exciting initiatives which have already produced their first graduates and first harvests. In this simple but important activity, a total of 1,500 youths are expected to graduate over the next year, giving our young people, an alternative gateway to success.
Our robust Social Services continue to ensure that “no one is left behind”. Thousands of our most vulnerable citizens continue to benefit from social grants, social services, free healthcare and medicine, in addition to Government subsidies for water, electricity, transportation, and education grants.
The past decade is punctuated with global shocks and crises in the world economy, which heightened risks for this country. Covid-19 also added to those risks, with headwinds and tumultuous waters. However, we saw this as an opportunity to build our resilience and develop unique solutions, for instance, the Government turned the restructured Petrotrin company into a holding company with a highly profitable tax-paying subsidiary called Heritage Petroleum.
Most significantly, the country has been able to confirm landmark and unprecedented arrangements with our closest neighbour Venezuela, to develop gas fields that straddle our border and in that country’s waters. Exploration in the Loran-Manatee, Dragon and Manakin-Cocuina fields hold tremendous economic opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago, from the near term and into the coming decades. These projects will boost this country’s declining gas production, will sustain the plants on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and are the basis for the Government’s optimism, and hope for our secure future.
In addition, inflation, at great risk a few years ago, has subsided to below one percent; our economic growth continues apace, with strong signs of growth in the non-oil sector. Our economic buffers remain strong, with both our Heritage and Stabilisation Fund and External Reserves approaching US$6 Billion, giving us an eight-month import cover. This is even after we have carefully used some of the interest from the earnings of the Fund to bail us out during the recent series of unplanned difficulties in the pandemic and post-pandemic era. The unemployment rate stood in 2023 at 4.1%, and further progress is expected this year.
So, today as we celebrate our Independence 62, I ask that all citizens join me in committing to this optimistic spirit. Let us continue to see ourselves as resilient people, who are developing a country, marshalling together, navigating its challenges and difficulties “WITH BOUNDLESS FAITH IN OUR DESTINY”.
I assure you that your Government is fully engaged as we address all the major issues while pointing to the real prospects for a brighter future.
Today, our country continues to stand strong as we continue to believe in our future.
Let us all have a safe and happy Independence Day 2024. (Source:  Office of the PM of T&T, August 31, 2024).

Ray Funk
MANY Trinidadians have risked their lives in service of others. Some have been memorialised; others are little known.
One who is not well known is Dr Arnold Donawa, a dental surgeon and outspoken advocate for the rights of Africans, African Americans, and working people.
Not just an advocate, he risked hs life during the Spanish Civil War for his heartfelt beliefs in a life of commitment and service.
Born in Trinidad in 1899, he went to the US in 1916 to study dentistry. He got a first degree at Howard University in 1922, interned in Boston, then worked at the Forsythe Harvard research lab and went on to get an advanced degree at the Royal College of Dental Surgeons in Toronto. He was a radiological instructor, then did postgraduate work in pathology, preventive dentistry and periodontia.
He opened a practice in Harlem and became president of the Harlem Dental Association. In 1925, he published an article on root-canal procedures in the first issue of the journal American Dental Surgeon.
He was appointed dean of the College of Dentistry at Howard University in 1929, but resigned in an internal administrative struggle. He later sued Howard and was vindicated with a monetary award for lost wages.
Donawa returned to Harlem and private practice as a dentist and oral surgeon, and was soon deeply engaged in civil-rights issues. He developed a robust anti-fascist voice in the Daily Worker at that time.
In the summer of 1935, in response to actions by Mussolini in invading Ethiopia and wrote, “We must create unity between the Italian and the Negro people…We must arouse sentiment to help Ethiopia.”
He became one of the leaders of the Medical Committee for the Defense of Ethiopia and in November he reported to the New York Age that two tons of medical supplies had been gathered, sent, and had reached the forces fighting in Ethiopia.
When Mayor LaGuardia participated in a pro-Italy rally, he wrote to him, “As the mayor of the largest city in the US, which has declared itself completely neutral, your action on behalf of Italy cannot be construed as a private affair; and the Medical Committee for Defense of Ethiopia voices not only its own protest but the justified indignation of the Negro masses of Harlem and other sections of New York City.”
In 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, he was again fighting fascism, this time against Franco. But instead of offering support only from a distance, he volunteered and went to the front lines in Spain for over a year. His help was welcomed, and he became the head of oral surgery at the American Base Hospital at Villa Paz. 
Early in his time in Spain, he suffered a minor injury in an aerial assault in the town of Port Bau.
A reporter from the Daily Worker was there.
“The bombers had just been over and Dr Donawa was flung to the ground. When the planes passed on, he rose, and continued talking where he left off, without looking up. Always cool, brilliant at his task, he now directs the work of a large base hospital.”
The reporter called him, “a sculptor in bone and flesh who brought men back to life and health.”
Poet Langston Hughes visited Donawa during his stay in Spain. In his memoir I Wonder as I Wander, Hughes wrote that Donawa “was in charge of rebuilding the faces of soldiers there whose jaws were splintered, teeth shattered or chins blown away. This tall, kindly…man, a favorite with the patients, stayed in Spain until near the end of the war and brought back with him a group of wounded Americans.”
The New York Post reported he brought back 60 wounded volunteers and six nurses.
Donawa was interviewed by the Daily Worker on his return after a year and a half of service, and talked about the importance of such missions: “I think the Negro people have a special interest in preserving democracy because we know full well that what rights we have depend upon the existence of a democratic government. These rights can be extended only by the growth of democracy. If we fight for Spain, or any other country whose democracy is at stake, we are fighting for ourselves.”
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941 – the outrage that drew the previously neutral US into World War II – Donawa was the executive secretary of the newly formed Negro Committee for American-Allied Victory, which proclaimed, “America must remove the shackles from its Negro citizens and tear down Jim Crow barriers now standing in the way of full participation in the war effort.”
Later in life, he continued to be an activist. In 1945, he was elected president of the North Harlem Dental Association and advocated for socialised medicine that would “guarantee medical protection for all Americans.”
The next year, as head of the Manhattan Dental Association, he was a signatory on a telegram to President Truman about anti-labour legislation.
“We, and the Negro people of Harlem for whom we speak, are vigorously opposed to the drastic curbs you have asked Congress to clamp down on the organised workers of our country. To deprive workers of the right to strike is to destroy their final weapon of defense against oppressive employers.
“To force involuntary servitude upon workers is to adopt the fascist pattern of slave labor. The Negro people have learned that a strong and democratic labor movement is our best guarantee of security and progress. We will defend labor's rights as our own.”
It is unclear what consequences Donawa faced over the years for being so outspoken. During the 1950s, McCarthy anti-communist crusade, his name appears on lists of those under investigation, but it is unknown what action, if any, was taken against him.
He later retired from his practice and reportedly returned to Trinidad and died in the 1960s, but details are lacking.
What is clear is that he was an outspoken advocate for civic rights at a time when few were willing to speak out, and fewer still to risk their lives to help the injured, during a war almost a century ago. (Source: Newsday, August 11, 2024)

As part of the World Steelpan Festival being celebrated from August 5-11, an art exhibition entitled Percussion – The Sounds of Steelpan is currently on display the Rotunda Gallery, Red House, Port of Spain.
The exhibition has over 60 paintings on display by local artists and a variety of percussion instruments.
Here are some of the work on display. (Source:  Newsday, August 9, 2024)