Once a year we celebrate
Washington and Lincoln on their birth dates
And now a third name is added to the list
A man of peace, “Drum Major for justice”
Now every January on the third Monday
We pay homage to the man who paved the way
For Freedom, Justice and Equality
To make the world a better place for you and me
It’s a holiday! It’s a gathering!
For the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King!
Chorus:
Dr. King tried to love somebody
Do you wanna love somebody?
For his sake put your hate away, take a day…
Take a day to love somebody
Don’t play on the Holiday, work to find a better way
Everybody love somebody
Everybody sing for Martin Luther King
Let freedom ring for Martin Luther King!
Holiday! Holiday! King Holiday!
Not a day just for some
It’s a day for everyone
He had a dream now it’s up to you
He had a dream now it’s up to you
To see it through, To make it come true!
Who do we thank for teaching us
That we all have the strength to love?
we thank the Prince of Non-Violence for
showing um the way
How do we show the children of today?
How do live together at one?
We’ll sing of a King
And his words will light all of our tomorrows
ChorusListen children of today
Don’t think love has gone away
It’s in your hearts and minds
How long?
Not long?
New day will shine, if we just take the chance
His love will glow
Open up the windows!
Let the hero shine
Every day in your life
Yours and mine
Everybody shine
Let it shine, let it shine
For the future generation, Dr. King’s medication
For successful operation, is peace for every nation!
Sing! Celebrate!
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
For a King Celebrate!
Sing! Sing! Celebrate!
Waris Dirie was born into a nomadic clan in Somalia in 1965. At 13, she escaped an arranged marriage by fleeing on foot across the desert. She landed in London where she worked first for wealthy relatives, then at a McDonald’s. She was discovered by photographer Terence Donovan while wiping tables. Improbably, Waris became a top model, appearing in ads for firms including Chanel and L’Oreal. In 1997 she spoke for the first time with a magazine about the female genital mutilation (FGM) she had undergone at age three. Abandoning her modeling career, she became a United Nations ambassador for the abolition of FGM. Waris’s autobiography became an international bestseller, and DESERT FLOWER is the gorgeously photographed adaptation of her story. It follows Waris (played by Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede) from her beginnings as a goat herder, to London and the world of top modeling, to the international spotlight of the United Nations. The film manages to incorporate surprisingly light-hearted moments into its portrayal of a difficult subject. DESERT FLOWER is the story of one woman’s victory over unimaginably harsh beginnings and her work to insure that other girls avoid the same horrific experience.
It’s often said that some non-Jamaicans are often more sentimental about and appreciative of Jamaican music and culture. Case in point – Roger Steffens, an American author, lecturer and producer, who is probably best known for his amazing reggae archive which includes tapes, records, CDs, posters, buttons and other rare and vintage items which date back to the early days of Jamaican music – ska, rocksteady and then reggae. Below we’ve featured a video of Steffens’, as he takes viewers on a mind-boggling tour of his archive.
Georgia Caribbean Carnival Inc presents ‘Conversations on Caribbean Culture’ - The Series
Mas Man (The Final Cut) based on the life of Peter Minshall produced and directed by Trinidad and Tobago national, Mr. Dalton Narine has been selected by Georgia Caribbean Carnival, Inc. as part of its quarterly series ‘Conversations on Caribbean Culture’ to be screened in DeKalb County.
Mas Man, will be screened on Friday October 22, at the state of the art, Porter Sandford III Performing Arts & Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur Georgia 30034. A matinee show at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. evening reception and show.
Tickets are $10 for Matinee (students 10 - 18 $5); $25 for the reception and evening show.
The film examines Minshall’s life and art, a tapestry woven from multiple threads that include his “masography” coursing through 26 years; his design and stage acumen (documented in the 2006 presentation “The Sacred Heart”); the Carnival stage (the Mas) in Trinidad preparing him for the world stage, Barcelona, Atlanta and Salt Lake City Olympic Games contribution; and his set pieces of political protest and entertainment provoking parallel emotions in major North American, European and Asian cities.
Call Sharon Britt at 404 207 0205 for details
New York - The New York International Festival (NYIFF) announced that “Mas Man Peter Minshall” has won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary.
Directed and produced by Dalton Narine, “Mas Man Peter Minshall” is a compelling 56 min. avant garde documentary about Caribbean carnival designer Peter Minshall. Mas Man, subtitled Peter Minshall, Trinidad Carnival Artist, is neither story nor biography, but a portrait of the Trinity Cross and Emmy Award-winning designer who compiled mas bands across three decades and served as an artistic director for Olympic Games in Barcelona, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
In this award-winning documentary, mingling traditional elements with novel ideas and pushing his hybrid designs as upper-crust art, Minshall authors a controversial term ‘mas,’ distinguishing presentations at Trinidad’s annual Carnival with themes about the complexities of life and the incompleteness of man, eventually exalting his art at three Olympic games.
NYIFF Director Rich Rossi said, “There were a total of 65 documentaries screened at the NYIFF and Dalton Narine’s artistic merit, content and original avant garde style on ‘Mas Man’ was a favorite among the selection committee and Jury.”
NYIFF Founder Stuart Alson commented, ‘Mas Man Peter Minshall’ is simply brilliant in every way and it’s a festival highlight. Director Dalton Narine is talented and the movie is a hit with our NY audience as well as distributors and critics.”
Here's what the critics are saying:
“The Caribbean Lingo” series proudly salutes
Narine for celebrating Minshall and showcasing the significant Caribbean art form of ‘mas’ on film on the world stage via the New York International Film Festival." - Misani, New York Amsterdam News
"The film... looks at the miraculous career of Minshall - the multiple winner of the prestigious Trinidad Carnival Band of the Year honors whose visionary creations have been used in ceremonies at the 1987 Pan American Games, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 1994 World Cup and the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics." -Jared McCallister, New York Daily News
"Minshall’s work is a superlative example of the richness and diversity of Trinidadian art and culture…”-Caribbean Life and Times, New York
“Producer/Director Dalton Narine and editor Benedict Joseph are to be congratulated by all who love the seven realms and beyond…”-Simon Lee, Trinidad Guardian
“Admirable”-Sheila Rampersad, Sunday Express
“I was ready to dissect the film, but it dissected me. It blew me off the planet.” Avotcja, Radio Host, KPOO-FM, San Francisco
NYIFF ran from July 22nd-29th in Manhattan and showcased a diverse range of 200 features, shorts, documentaries and animations from around the world. 33 countries and territories were represented including: Germany, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Russia, Chile, Turkey, Hungary, France, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Israel, Greece, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Poland, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Nepal, UK, Bahamas, Canada and all over the US.
In 1998, Folake Folarin-Coker launched Tiffany Amber revolutionizing the fashion industry in Nigeria. Having spent most of her childhood in Europe, and exploring diverse cultures she has successfully translated her love for different cultures into an iconic fashion brand in Africa.
Every collection shows the designer’s love for luxurious fabric and intricate embellishment from all over the world whilst at the same time instilling her African heritage to produce timeless , feminine and effortlessly stylish pieces.
Tiffany Amber is an international award winning label - an accolade that was received by designer Folake Folarin-Coker who was awarded Designer of the Year 2009/2010 at the Arise Africa fashion week in South Africa.
Following her success in New York, and as the only African based designer to have shown twice at New York fashion week the brand has been a magnet for the press with numerous features and interviews globally from, CNN, BBC, The New York Post, WWD (Womens Wear Daily), Style.com, Intrend Magazine, Marie Claire, Essence and Arise Magazine.
WOMENS WEAR DAILY New York tagged the Spring /Summer collection 2009 at New York fashion week as the most successful line,” …displaying the best balance of fashion and tradition with elegantly simple basic shapes rendered in beautiful fabric with intricate beading.”
Tiffany amber collection has shown in over 40 fashion events such as the Mnet Face of Africa, Cape town Fashion week, Durban fashion week, New York Fashion week and many more.
by Zoe Chace
I interviewed a lot of people for my story about Lauryn Hill's voice. I had to, because I didn't know if I'd be able to speak to her myself. The singer and rapper last released a recording eight years ago. She rarely performs in the U.S., and she almost never gives interviews. But her fans haven't forgotten her — they're still pleading for her to come back. Hill is a fantastic singer, as well as one of the greatest MCs of all time, and the story of her voice is the story of a generation.
It doesn't take much for a group of 30-somethings to get nostalgic about Hill. Put her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, on at a bar, and it takes the crowd right back to college days or high-school summers. I met Daryl Lutz while he was hanging out with a group of friends on the deck of Marvin's Bar in downtown Washington, D.C."We went to school in Hampton, Va., and she came to do a show," he said. "It was one of the best times in my life — I mean, she spoke to me! We snuck backstage and I got her to sign my meal card. She said, 'This is your meal card, brother, you know?' I said, 'That's all I got.' She signed it, 'Eat well — L. Boogie.' That's something I'll never forget. I love her. I love her to death."
I heard tons of stories like Lutz's that night — mostly closed with this plea: "Come back, Lauryn. We need you. Come back!" People spoke directly into the microphone, as if it were a telephone line.
Vogue Italia is featuring a video with Grace Jones. She helped define the 1980s aesthetics. Disco Queen and fashion muse, this graceful "panther" has never been tamed. She has been recently honored at the Grand Ball Cavalchina in Venice, receiving an award for her career
Name
Grace Jones.
Birthday
May 19th.
Born in
Spanish Town, Jamaica.
Lives in
London, UK.
Famous for
Being a living legend. Model, actress, singer, writer.
Special features
Her androgynous, impressive body - part feline, part robot. She has a vocal range of two and a half octaves, easily passing from contralto di soprano.
Things to know
Among her nicknames, she's been called the panther and the queen of gay discos. She's become an inextricable part of '80s iconography. "I know that people are intimidated by me, but that's just theatrics. I'm a fun person, I promise".
Career
She began working as a model in the early 1970s, and quickly became a key figure in the club scene - making the crazy nights at Studio 54 even more memorable, along with her friend Andy Warhol. She moved to Paris where she became a muse for Paco Rabanne (and where she lived with Jerry Hall and Jessica Lange). She appeared in her first movie, Gordon's War, in 1973 and later appeared in other films like Conan the Barbarian and as a nemesis of James Bond in View to a Kill. But it's music that she's best known for, leading the way in the disco genre, and still now putting out electronic dance-pop albums like the recent Hurricane. Her version of La vie en rose from the LifeIsland album is a standout. Her music defined an era.
Good causes
She has leant her voice to many benefit concerts, including Pavarotti and friends.
Hobbies
Vices. Smoking, drinking, sex. She loves dressing up like a man. But as she always says, "Use, don't abuse."
Favorite food
Or more accurately, her favorite drinks. Wine, whiskey and even Sambuca (a double, after dinner). In an interview she calls herself "the Tequila queen".
Personal style
Sexual ambiguity. Her short, asymmetric haircut has gone down in the history books, as have several of her stage costumes. Even today she favors structured jackets, futuristic hats, leather accessories, bustiers. Preferably in black.
She hates
Rules.
Quote
"A legend is someone who's died". (The Sunday Times)
Relationship status
Among her famous partners: the actor Dolph Lundgren and the French photographer Jean-Paul Goude, the father of her son Paolo. She married a wedding singer, Atila Altaunbay, younger than her by 28 years, in 1996.
Pets
Onstage she's appeared with leopards and lions...
