At the turn of the last century, steel pan pioneer Ellie Mannette was filmed in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the subject of a documentary, ‘Man of Steel’, by Caribbeing® founder, Yao Ramesar.Mannette, who can justifiably lay claim to the title of father of the modern steel drum, provides here a revealing chronology of the invention and evolution of the…

Caribbeing® founder yAo Ramesar caught up with Vincentian writer Philip Nanton on a beach in Barbados, where he resides, to down a couple beers & talk about his seminal biography of legendary Vincentian jazzman & poet, Shake Keane. A reading from RIFF : https://youtu.be/8Ftq0RQcm5I Jazz & poetry by Shake Keane :https://youtu.be/mFtbP1wQaAo Launch o…

A fraction of interviews with Midnight Robber Brian Honoré filmed by yAo Ramesar for his series on Trinidad's traditional Carnival characters.

A fraction of an interview with Kwame Ture(FKA Stokely Carmichael) filmed by Caribbeing® originator yAo Ramesar on location in Trinidad in 1996. Kwame & yAo were reminiscing about Howard University, close encounters in the DMV with Gil Scott-Heron etc. just before filming.After the camera was on yAo declared that "the revolution will be televised",…

Excerpt from a interview with Edgar Whiley, traditional Carnival icon who embodied the Bat 'Mas. He is joined by his son Matthew(Son of Bat Man).Filmed in the mid-1990s by Caribbeing® originator yAo Ramesar. Edgar Whiley lived across the street from T&TEC, the power station in Trinidad. Sound recordist Austin Wilson wrestled with this, delivering i…

Traditional Carnival icon & custodian of the Minstrel 'Mas, Theresa Morilla Montano expounds on inhabiting this seminal character & her conservation of the Patois language. Available on : Anchor, Apple, Pocket Cast, Radio Public, Tune In Radio, Breaker, Overcast, Pod Chaser, Deezer, Spotify, Google Casts, Anypod, Podcast Addict.…

Narrie Approo, masquerader extraordinaire & Black Indian in the pantheon of traditional Carnival characters, expounds on his 'mastery.Here's the 1st snippet from interviews I filmed with traditional Carnival characters about 25 years ago.The sound recordist was the late great Austin Wilson, a veteran masman in his own right. Austin was my long-term…

In his first solo exhibition 3RD WORLD ARMERICA, Gary "Astro Clouds" Martin time travels to the present through a sprawling arc of pain.Routed & rooted in the indigenous Caribbean & worldly in its scope, Gary's art resonates from his hometown Arima with the fresh urgency of Basquiat.Entering 3RD WORLD ARMERICA you're greeted by an indigenous warrio…

Prof. Michele Alexandre, Dean of Florida's 1st law school, Stetson Law, recalls her upbringing in Duvalier's Haiti before fast forwarding to US voter rights protection in these crucial times. Apologies for the spotty audio at our end, resulting from weather systems in Trinidad where Caribbeing® is headquartered.https://atticusreview.org/black-joy-c…

Trans activist & artist extraordinaire Xoë Sazzle on essence, transcendence & freedom. NB MIND THE GAP : Weather systems due to climate change may result in occasional interruptions of the flow.

Activist-at-large Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh's journey from his Claxton Bay roots to his actions on behalf of the planet.NB MIND THE GAP : Weather systems during recording resulted in occasional interruptions(blame climate change).

A conversation about Caribbean cinema with Mary Wells, award-winning Jamaican filmmaker credited with the first narrative feature to be written and directed by a woman in Jamaica(Kingston Paradise/2013).https://youtu.be/eAafV1ATabU

Ethiopian/Eritrean artist Turunesh on living & working in Trinidad, her first doodles in a cafe in Europe & how art heals our communities

Award-winning poet & essayist Andre Bagoo on metaphor, nostalgia, silence & the haircut.

Poet & literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller remininises about his baptism in the Black Experience at Howard University in the late 1960s, where he first developed his voice.From literary influences like Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez & Kamau Braithwaite, to Marcus Garvey, CLR James & George Padmore, Ethelbert cites a pantheon of thinkers & actors w…

At the start of his 68th mango season, Calypso Royalty, David Rudder shares his memories of childhood in Belmont, Trinidad, Aunty Kay & the iconic Rediffusion box in his home that brought music to life. 9N1hifZpwSH1nLq7Tyha

St. Lucian playwright Travis Weekes' journey through Caribbean language, theatre & poetry. Note : Intro is in Creole, continues in English

Artist Xtraordinaire Akuzuru reflects on the ritual(s) of Carnival & the transcendence of her spatial works in these peculiar times. http://akuzuru.blogspot.com/?m=1 https://coleccioncisneros.org/editorial/featured/caribbean-popular-caribbean-contemporary-current-artistic-practices-trinidad-and dEKTnPvUbjgkDPxpGvSA…