IRIE JAM RADIO DONATES COMPUTER TO PRIMARY SCHOOL IN JAMAICA

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Irie Jam’s Executive VP, Syntche Clarke with kids from Freetown Primary School in Clarendon, Jamaica

Christmas 2015 came early for hundreds of kids from the Freetown Primary School in Clarendon who received a brand new desktop computer courtesy of Queens based Irie Jam radio.

Irie Jam’s Executive VP, Syntyche ‘Syn’ Clarke said she read about the school’s plight in the Gleaner. On a recent business trip to Kingston she made a surprise visit to the school in Clarendon to make the presentation.

Principal Ann Marie Brown, who accepted on behalf of the school expressed gratitude for the gift even as she expressed the need for even more help for the school.

 

BRAATA BRINGS CARIBBEAN CHRISTMAS TO NYC

00-Braata_Folk_Singers__2_Braata Productions will once again offer New Yorkers an exciting and colorful taste of a traditional Caribbean Christmas at their third annual Ole Time Grand Market Celebration at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center: 153-10 Jamaica Avenue, NY 11432 on Sunday, December 13, 2015. Gates open at 3:30 pm and the concert will begin at 4:00 pm.

Ole Time Grand Market – a daylong festival featuring music, food vendors and numerous activities for children and families, is a long standing Jamaican tradition. However, by including performers and participants from throughout the region, Braata has dramatically expanded the appeal and the audience for the event. This year’s Grand Market concert will feature an eclectic roster of popular acts including the award winning Braata Folk Singers, Todo En Uno Caribeño Parang Band, St. Lucian Cultural Organization, and D’Oro Evolution Dance Ensemble.

The festival will also feature a traditional Jonkanoo Parade and exhibit, patty and bun eating contests, Christmas family portrait taking, face painting, the popular Kiddies Christmas grab bag and health screenings by the Jamaica Nurses Group. Vendors participating in the event will be selling everything from food and craft items to toys and Christmas specialties.

Braata Productions is an arts organization based in New York serving the Caribbean American diaspora. Learn more about Braata Productions on their website: http://www.braataproductions.org.

When Brothers Speak (@dwayne_morgan)

Dwayne Morgan

Dwayne Morgan

The 2015 edition of When Brothers Speak will hit the stage of the St. Lawrence Centre on Saturday, Novermber 14th. Tickets are $35 and $45 plus taxes and charges, and are available through the St. Lawrence Centre’s Box Office at 27 Front Street east, 416.366.7723 or stlc.com

This year’s show will feature performances from: The 2015 Last Poet Standing Champion, JG The Juggernaut (Ohio), the 2015 Toronto International Poetry Slam Champion, Jamaal St. John (New York), The UK’s Tuggstar, Scribe, Toronto, and San Francisco’s Javon Johnson (another member of the Fivology group, with Andrew Tyree and Rudy Francisco); all curated and hosted by Dwayne Morgan.

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica – Mobile Screening Schedule for November 2015 (@heartjamaica)

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Konshens Sends Powerful Message To Fans, Celebrities & Members Of The Media (@KonshensSojah)

00-KONSHENS_MAIN“I hope all my followers and fans especially celebrities read this. Its going to be a little long but not aimless”- Konshens

Now just as Im looking at this Lamar Odom situation and watching the media parade him around while he is going through his struggle and noticing that most of them instead of highlighting his many great achievements in the midst they bring up all his past demons to add to the “appeal” of their story… I wake up to a message from a friend of mine with the story in the pic above. This is in Jamaica and they are reporting on what happened in Zimbabwe Africa… Now i don’t need to try to edit this reporters story and point out the many errors and wrong information because the persons that were there and YouTube and my social media know how it really went. But the more important issue is to highlight something to you Ive always known it but its always being reintroduced to me.

As an artiste i have a huge fan base in dancehall worldwide, I’ve been touring,selling out shows big and small songs on charts worldwide etc. Ive been doing countless charity ventures most recently back to school treats and paying tuition fees for students as well as taking part in several other charity ventures of my peers/co workers.

One could say that as artistes we don’t do enough to get out our own positive moves and then we expect the media to come and jump and put it on blast for us, that could be the case and we could be at fault… But I think its kinda funny that I can be on the other side of the world and representing Jamaica and our music in a stand up positive way leaving patrons and the promoters pleased regardless of technical difficulties that were no fault of mine. See their press report countless positive accounts of the night YET… The story that happened to find its way on the slave ship and venture across land and sea all the way to JAMAICA is one that is trying to paint a negative picture or highlight a misfortune. Not funny?

00-Konshens_0375We didn’t send home the positive but neither did we the negative. But it was searched for and put on blast though. Its obvious that putting down our own is much more interesting and appealing than building up our own. Im not attacking this reporter, maybe he/she hates Konshens or artistes or celebs or maybe he/she is just a hard nosed straight business person that is doing their job and reporting what sells. Who knows. This particular story is not that big a deal. The point is that the issue…

We are slaves to this mentality as fans and as the celebrities being paraded. We are so fascinated with negativity that we are beginning to lose interest in positivity!! You don’t think so?… Check it for yourself. Check the front page of the papers for the past months in JA count the headlines that weren’t about somebody’s misfortune or blunder. Last positive I remember was the athletes showing up at the last games and OMI Sterling contract, all things that make us all look good as a people but how quickly did we forget about all that??

Im here in Europe and somebody rescued a dog on a train line and I’ve been seeing it over and over and over… Might I add that the latest unrest on earth is happening in Europe right now too. Do the maths. I once requested some media coverage from a popular media house/program, when they showed up the host said.. “So who u having an issue with now” I said no one… He said your publicist said you have an issue thats why we are here!! Ok what else can we report about lol. He knows that some nice information wont be hot news but if Im upset with somebody and have some negative energy to start something its gonna be hot news!! We need to empower ourselves as fans if we are really fans… Demand,respect and support positivity!!

And as artistes and celebs we need to understand what we are getting into, most people don’t see us as regular human beings with regular human issues and emotions….Im sure if the average person could see the REAL LIFE (not the reality TV version) of some of the biggest stars they would NEVER trade their regular life. As artistes we need to look at the times we are in carefully… Amy Winehouse,Whitney,and now God forbid maybe Lamar Odom… Maybe they were just crackheads to some, but maybe it was really the great pressure that we will never know about unless we live it 1st hand. …

Its sad, there is a great talent somewhere in Jamaica right now desperate to be heard and contemplating drastic and dangerous measures to be seen so he can be heard. Or a struggling artiste watching the way the media parades the negative side of Vybz Kartel or Movado or Bounty Killa and think that its the main ingredient in their success and not talent and hard work nonstop…Contemplating to create his own negativity to step up. Sounds like fiction?? Imagine what the story would be like if I had the guy that hit me with the bottle killed instead of going in a different direction to set an example…Would be a much easier move and I actually lost respect for such an action.

We are so enslaved mentally that we not only expect negativity but we crave and respect it. As FANS and CELEBRITIES and as a PEOPLE we need to empower our MINDS and come out of slave mode. The early slave masters could not have achieved slavery if he did not gain control of the minds of influential individuals. Think about it.
-Konshens

BOB MARLEY’S TUFF GONG INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS WITH COMEDIAN ICEMAN (@IcemanAnderson @tuffgongstudio)

00-tuffgongTuff Gong International is pleased to announce the digital release of “Breadfruit Tree” by the amazingly talented Donald ‘Iceman’ Anderson.

‘Breadfruit Tree’ is a fifteen track comedy compilation chronicled by Donald “Iceman” Anderson that takes the listener through the hilarious life of Caribbean nationals and their day to day local and international travels. ‘Breadfruit Tree’ features spoofs, improvisations and impersonations that are spot on. The album features an all-star parody cast, all played by Donald “iceman” Anderson. It is written by Donald Anderson with JR Watkis of MJR Productions as executive producer.

Iceman first released the ‘Breadfruit Tree’ Album with the aim of getting a distribution deal. After releasing the album in Jamaica, the album is now available in the United States, U.K, and other markets on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Spotify by way of distribution through the Bob Marley Group owned Tuff Gong International Label.

According to Executive Label Manager of Tuff Gong International, Myshjua Archibald, “Comedy is an integral part of the Jamaican culture. It’s exciting for us to be working with Donovan and Iceman to showcase another genre of our entertainment industry on the world stage. In addition to their creative talents, they have a solid business model for presenting comedy across multiple formats simultaneously that works well for digital marketing. But most importantly to me is that Breadfruit Tree is FUNNY!”.

Breadfruit Tree is now available on digital service platforms GLOBALLY for both streaming and download: I-Tunes, Google Play, Amazon, and Spotify.

Relief Efforts for Dominicans affected by Tropical Storm Erika (@CAHFT)

00-dominicaSeveral groups and members of the Dominican Diaspora in the Greater Houston Area, The Caribbean Student Organization at Midwestern University in Wichita Falls, Texas, several Caribbean organizations and The Dominica Houston Association have come together to lead a joint effort to provide flood relief to the island nation of Dominica which was battered by Tropical Storm Erika on Thursday, August 28, 2015. They are asking for donations of supplies to aid the victims of these deadly storm.   Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Erika has caused devastation on the Caribbean island of Dominica, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than 20 missing, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Friday. Erika has wreaked havoc on the island.  Skerrit said Erika caused “extensive damage” across the small island after floods wiped out roads and swamped villages. He expressed particular concern for Petite Savanne, a community hit by mudslides that rescuers haven’t been able to reach. “This is where many are feared lost,” Skerrit said.  

Authorities are focusing on search-and-rescue efforts, with other countries in the region providing helicopters and other assistance.  Skerrit said the task of repairing Dominica’s “dramatically affected” infrastructure would come later, estimating that the cost of fixing homes, roads, bridges and other structures would run into tens of millions of dollars.

Erika caused rivers to overflow and roads and bridges to collapse on Dominica. An elderly blind man and two children were killed when a mudslide engulfed their home in the southeast. “Another man was found dead in the capital following a mudslide at his home but the cause of death could not immediately be determined,” said Police Chief Daniel Carbon. People on the island told of narrowly escaping being engulfed by water as Erika downed trees and power lines as it unleashed heavy floods that swept cars down streets and ripped scaffolding off some buildings.

The Dominican Diaspora and the Caribbean Community in Houston send their heart-felt sympathies to the families who lost the loved ones as a result of Erika.  They are requesting donations of the following supplies:

 Monetary donations can be made at the following link:

    • Non-Perishable Food Items

Several drop-off locations have been established to receive donations of these items above, with daily drop-offs from Monday August 31, 2015 – Friday September 4, 2015:

    • Island Spice Restaurant – 17802 W Little York Rd, Houston, TX 77084 – (281) 859-1499
    • Caribbean Cuisine Restaurant – 7433 Bissonnet St. Houston, TX 77074 – (713) 772 8225
    • Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill – 8270 W Bellfort Blvd, Houston, TX 77071 – (713) 777-1566

Donations will also be received at the following events in the city:

    • Soca Passion – Club Taylors: Friday August 28, 2015, 9:00pm – 2:00am – 13100 S Post Oak Rd, Houston, TX 77045 – (713) 728-9800
    • Club Riddims – Saturday, August 29, 2015, 1:00pm – 6:00pm – 8220 W Bellfort Ave, Houston, TX 77071 – (713) 779-0033
    • Avani Lounge – DJ Spinoff – Saturday, August 29, 2015, 9:00pm – 2:00pm – 5711 Hillcroft St D-6, Houston, TX 77036 – (713) 781-9300
    • Uptown Hookah Bar – 1st Friday Caribbean Style – Friday September 4, 2015 – 9:00pm – 2:00pm – 5706 Richmond Avenue Houston, TX 77056

For more information please contact Collette St. Rose-Christmus, President Dominica Houston Association:Phone: 713-775-1025cbannis@yahoo.com.  You may also contact Makaza at 832-274-6039, Tasha at 713-530-4876 or Julie at 713-775-1025.