By Nalinee Seelal Wednesday, February 13 2008 newsday.co.tt Crime weary Laventille residents fear their lives and those of their families are in danger and believe gangs will strike back when a lockdown on their community is lifted. “They are afraid of no one, and when the police and soldiers end this exercise and return to … Continue reading ‘We in danger’
by Raffique Shah Sunday, February 3rd 2008 THE newly appointed Minister of Culture, Marlene McDonald, assured the nation last Thursday that “all systems are in place” for this year’s Carnival. Her optimism came amidst a cacophony of protests, some from calypsonians, others from the pan fraternity, over the standard of judging at various competitions. This … Continue reading Pan music as a tool in fighting crime
by Raffique Shah January 27, 2008 LISTENING to today’s masquerade band leaders clamour for the Government to “run more money” my thoughts fall back on yesterday’s greats-George Bailey, Harold Saldenah, Cito Velasquez, Irwin McWilliams, the Harts and the Lee Heungs, to name a handful. These creative geniuses, forerunners to Wayne Berkeley and Peter Minshall, presented … Continue reading Wasting our money behind ‘bumsees’
By Raffique Shah December 02, 2007 As the Armed Forces Veterans Association (AFVA) prepares for its annual Christmas party for selected children in Laventille (where its operations are based), my ex-soldier friend Selwyn Nurse asked: what toys do you think we should give them this year? “Books!” I responded, without hesitating. Books? He seemed somewhat … Continue reading Give a child a book for Christmas
PNM Patrick Manning, UNC-A Basdeo Panday and COP Winston Dookeran Trinidad and Tobago General Elections 2007: Preliminary 2007 Election Results Victorious Candidates and Constituencies PNM romps home With the lion’s share of the marginal seats in its back pocket, the People’s National Movement led by leader Patrick Manning handed the United National Congress Alliance (UNC … Continue reading T&T General Elections 2007 Unofficial Results
By Raffique Shah August 12, 2007 So much has been said and written about the vandalism that took place at the Sewdass Sadhu temple last weekend, I wondered whether the incident warranted further comment. Really, it was bedlam as just about every organisation and individual jostled to condemn the “heinous” act of whoever entered the … Continue reading Murti-mutilators and religion
By Dr. Kwame Nantambu July 20, 2007 One of the most perplexing, disturbing and still yet unresolved perennial reality-check dilemmas that afflict Afrikan-Trinbagonians is their supremely blurred vision to clearly ascertain the intrinsic, historical differences between emancipation versus liberation. In this regard, Malcolm X is perfectly correct when he concludes: “The major problem with Black … Continue reading Emancipation versus Liberation
The burly Laventille-born entertainer, real name Rohan Richards, is sitting atop the European Club Music Charts this week following the release of a reworked version of his 2007 Carnival hit single “What I Want” in France last month. The song is signed to legendary House music DJ Bob Sinclar’s Yellow Productions music label and is … Continue reading Fireball’s ‘What I Want’ heats up European dance chart
Derek ‘Dawg E Slaughter’ Pereira and Machel Montano By Denyse Renne trinidadexpress.com Arrest warrants were being prepared yesterday for soca stars Machel Montano and Derek Perreira (Mr Slaughter), following a stabbing incident on Carnival Tuesday last year. The warrants were being prepared by officers of the Woodbrook Police Station and charges of wounding with intent … Continue reading Warrants out for Machel and Mr. Slaughter over stabbing
Tue, 29 May 2007 LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Good Morning, My family and I were very disappointed in not seeing Miss Trinidad in the Miss Universe Pageant. Then to read it was lack of financing. It seemed untrue. So many people think Trinidad is a third world country and after defending it and spouting it’s … Continue reading Miss Universe Pageant