GRIOTS REPUBLIC - AN URBAN BLACK TRAVEL MAG - JULY 2016

and leaders and showing complete ignorance
and a lack of respect as to what
Caribana is about. Yet, it’s not the organizers
of the event that are to blame
- it’s a beautiful event and a staple event
in Toronto, both socially and economically,
but wise words to all the tourists
- find out what this event is about, why
it’s lasted decades, why you’re asked to
stand along the fences and not in the
parade and respect this cultural celebration.”
International writer, Lincoln Anthony
Blades, has chronicled his ongoing frustrations
with Caribana going so far as
to suggest its overall cancellation until
someone can right the ship.
“I would rather
not have a parade
than see my culture
get the **** beat
out of it year-afteryear,
while city
bureaucrats profit
from this.”
“This carnival is no longer a representation
of any part of my culture. I propose
that this festival is CANCELLED indefinitely
instead of running it deeper into
the ground. Give it a few years off while a
real strategy is put in place, even if that
means getting ScotiaBank the HELL out
of here and returning the parade to the
original Caribana founders. But I would
rather not have a parade than see my
culture get the **** beat out of it yearafter-year,
while city bureaucrats profit
from this.”
It seems that the current condition of
Caribana is the result of many factors
which makes it a complex matter to
tackle. I think long time Caribana Mas
Band player and writer, Bee Quammie,
sums it up best:
“We need a shift in the collective understanding
of what Caribana is about.
The embrace of sensuality in the parade
isn’t an invitation for gratuitous and unwanted
sexual advances. It’s not a space
to lord classism over the heads of the
people who may not have been able to
afford a costume, but still want to engage
and have fun. Caribana should not
be an opportunity for greedy corporate
entities to swoop in for the kill. And we
should all remember that Caribana –
the very celebration of Caribbean culture
- consists of more than the closing
weekend’s parade. The richness of
the culture is in every event, from Kiddie
Carnival to the King & Queen Competition
to PanAlive and much more.”
Make no mistake about it... Caribana,
the full festival - period - is a marvelous
time to be in Toronto. The city is
alive and charged with a special kind of
energy that you need to experience at
least once in your lifetime. The capital
of Ontario, a melting pot of traditions
and rich cultures shines bright during
Caribana even with its ongoing internal
struggles. The sights, sounds and tastes
of the city are truly to be enjoyed.
While a native Torontonian may have a
slightly different view on this Caribbean
celebration, no one will deny its value,
and deep rooted ties to the heart of the
city. Caribana going forward may look a
little different than from years past but
it’ll still be a time to remember.
Jason is a New York based social media manager
with a passion for the ever evolving digital space
of social media, blogging and marketing. He has
operated online in various capacities for over 10
years. He is also the Head of Social Media and
part of the overall managing team, The High Council,
of the Nomadness Travel Tribe. The tribe is
a 13,000+ member strong travel network focused
on sharing the value of travel with the Urban demographic
and introducing travel to the upcoming
youth.