Music

GCA celebrates 22 years of Guyana Folk Festival Season in Brooklyn – Caribbean Life – Caribbean Life

Reflecting this year’s theme of “CARIFES[email protected]: Reflections and Legacies”, the curtain came down to the pulsating rhythms of a Guyanese Folk Ensemble of drums, guitar and saxophone on the 22^nd anniversary of the New York-based Guyana Cultural Association’s (GCA) 2022 Guyana Folk Festival Season, with a spectacular multi-cultural Family Fun Day, on Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Old Boys’ High School grounds in Brooklyn.
After a hiatus of two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Family Fun Day returned with a Caribbean-flavored, in-person season grand finale.
The official ceremony opened with a parade of CARIFESTA countries represented by the Children’s Village participants escorted by Master Jaguar Julio Thijs on stilts.
On stage presentations included Guyanese Folk artistes, Caribbean Folk music performances by the Roxborough Folk Group from Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaican-headed Braata Folk Singers and Angels Caribbean Band.
The plethora of attractions on the ground, surrounded by the aroma of Guyanese and Caribbean cuisine, included the Children’s Village, which featured several folk and educational games; hometown and alumni associations; health care groups; and Guyanese arts and crafts.
The Guyana Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, whose aim is to propel economic development by boosting tourism, showcased several tourism development opportunities and destinations in Guyana.
Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond emphasized plans for the upcoming first-ever Cricket Carnival, urging members of the Guyanese Diaspora and all persons interested in learning about Guyana to visit and participate in the Cricket Carnival.
“From crowd participation, reports and comments received, GCA’s 22^nd Family Fun Day could justifiably be described as a highly successful, professional, informative and creative occasion representing the true spirit of CARIFESTA,” said GCA in a statement issued to Caribbean Life.
It said the day’s activities also highlighted Caribbean cultural similarities and multi-cultural roots, “depicting that working together with communities regionally, internationally and nationally continues to keep alive our diverse cultural heritage and strengthens the bonds of our cultural legacies, which are important to current and future generations.”
GCA said another core event of the 2022 Guyana Folk Festival Season is the Caribbean Summer Heritage Workshop Series (SWS), which targets Guyanese and other Caribbean youths in New York.

Folkloric songs from Braata Productions. Photo by Nelson A. King

The program consists of a literacy-based set of workshops related to stem, the performing arts, music, the arts and dance, GCA said.
It said workshops are conducted by experienced practitioners in each field.
GCA said this year’s SWS was “up and running” from July 5 through Aug. 12.
During this period, GCA said several modules were dedicated to educating and entertaining the younger generation through “Reflections and Legacies of CARIFESTA ’72.”
“The GCA strove this summer to guide the participants in this 14^th iteration of its exploration in learning and fun,” said Workshop Director Dr. Juliet Emanuel in her closing remarks to the class of 2022. “Thus, while a book may have a video modality, that modality enhanced the overall experience of reading, drawing, playing, singing, etc.”
Dr. Lear Matthews, one of the sponsors in a closing charge said: “Hearty thanks to the Guyana Cultural Association for its tireless efforts in continuing this tradition of service to the Caribbean-American community.
“Thanks to the parents and extended family members for having the confidence in GCA to provide this annual cultural and educational experience,” she added.
In accordance with their camp song, GCA said students are encouraged to “Be the best that we can be!”
GCA’s three-day international symposium, from Aug. 5 to 7, examined the 50^th anniversary of CARIFESTA ’72.
For the past 21 years, GCA said the symposium continued to be a “core event” of the Guyana Folk Festival Season.
This year, in keeping with our theme, the symposium focused on CARIFESTA ’72 and the 50 years since it was launched, GCA said.
It said the three-day, primarily virtual, symposium was organized under the title “The Inaugural Caribbean Festival of Arts as Prism: 20th Century Festivals in the Multilingual Caribbean.”
GCA said the symposium was envisioned as “an opportunity for an intergenerational exploration of the origins, events, experiences, missteps, legacies, and stories of CARIFESTA ’72.”
The non-profit group said this was accomplished over 17 sessions that featured artists, archivists, scholars, activists, administrators and policy makers.
The keynote address was presented by Alison Drayton, the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Assistant Secretary General for Human and Social Development.

Drumming: Winston "Jeggae" Hoppie, with turban, in yellow T-shirt, and Ato Greene. — Drumming: Winston “Jeggae” Hoppie, with turban, in yellow T-shirt, and Ato Greene.

GCA said the three-day symposium, which was viewed over 24,000 times on social media, also envisioned, “as a part of a conversation, that, given the scale of the CARIFESTA cultural phenomenon, (it) must be deep and wide.”
It said the 2022 symposium represents the start of that conversation and, in keeping with GCA’s mission to collect, preserve, and promote Guyanese heritage and creativity, launched the creation of the Digital Archives of Guyanese and Caribbean Festival, Culture and Literature in the Caribbean Library at the University of Guyana.
“This archive is a major step in the sustainable collection and preservation of Guyanese memory.,” said GCA, adding that “key to the success of the symposium was the international partnership that was assembled by the organizers of this year’s symposium.”
In Guyana, GCA partners were the University of Guyana, Moray House Trust, Lions Club of Ruimveldt and Festival City 50th Anniversary Celebrations Committee.
GCA said the Caribbean Broadcasting Union was a regional partner; in the United Kingdom, Guyana Speaks was a partner; and, in the United States, the other partners were the academic institutions where the organizers are based: Rice University, Binghamton University and Ohio University.
The public is urged to visit the symposium’s website at: https://www.carifestaat50.com/
The public is also invited to participate in the following [email protected] initiatives to support the digital archive:
Recollections: https://www.carifestaat50.com/recollections
Shoebox Archives: https://www.carifestaat50.com/recollections
GCA’s 2022 Awards Ceremony, now in its 21^st year, was held virtually on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
GCA said its key objective is to showcase and promote Guyanese contemporary creativity, “as we recognize individuals, groups and agencies whose achievements and current work also advance GCA’s mission to recognize and celebrate the multiple roots of Guyana’s cultural heritage.”
These winners are the outcome of a process that starts with nominations from the public,” GCA said. “These nominations are then evaluated by panels of distinguished judges. All nominations are evaluated against seven criteria: Originality, Scope, Impact /Influence, Integration, Pioneering spirit, Challenges and Achievements.”
In his message to the virtual 2022 Awards Ceremony, Amb. Michael Brotherson, Consul General of Guyana in New York, congratulated and thanked to this year’s award recipients for “a remarkable job well done in their respective areas of expertise.
“The Consulate General is proud to acknowledge the sterling contributions of each of you towards the recognition and development of Guyana’s culture,” he said. “Cultural development is a top priority for the Government and people of Guyana.”
Over the past 21 years, GCA said, with the participation of the public, it has recognized more than 400 Guyanese and other citizens.
Additionally, a pre-awards presentation ceremony was held in Guyana for the GCA Awardees and the first prize winners of the Godfrey Chin Prize for Heritage Journalism.
GCA said The Theatre Guild of Guyana “graciously agreed” to host this event at its venue in Kingston, Georgetown on Thursday, Aug. 21.
At the ceremony, the opening remarks were given by Prof. Paloma Mohamed Martin, vice-chancellor, University of Guyana.
Tamika Boatswain, director of culture, Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports, presented the awards and prizes, GCA said.
The Georgetown organizing committee included GCA members, Margaret Lawrence and Sidney Benjamin, along with visiting Assistant Cultural Director, Queens resident Dr. Rose October.
GCA also hosted Kweh Kweh Nite, an Afro-Guyanese pre-wedding ritual celebration, on Friday, Sept. 2, in Brooklyn.
“This celebration showcases and celebrates Guyana’s rich folk culture, and the creative responses of Guyana’s root cultures to the Guyanese experience,” GCA said.
It said the Guyana Folk Festival Season supports “inter-ethnic and intergenerational conversations among Guyanese in New York, at home and across the Guyanese Diaspora, and contributes to building bridges of understanding and communication between and among Guyanese, Caribbean, and other communities in New York.”
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Music

Eurovision 2023: The running order of the semifinals has been revealed!

Greece’s song for Eurovision 2023, by Victor Vernicos, was released a few days ago with the title “What They Say”!

The Eurovisionfun team once again watched and reacted to the official video clip of the country’s entry for the upcoming Eurovision contest! Enjoy Apostolos, Paschalis, Stella and Apostolis in a Reaction video with detailed commentary on Greece‘s participation, for 2023!.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to enjoy interviews, reaction videos and Live s.

The analyzes of the fans and not only for a few minutes have been on fire, since the theories based on the prehistory of the countries in the contest, are a first picture of how passable is the qualification to the final or not. In other words, it’s time to make our predictions about who will advance to the final and who are the favorites to say goodbye to Liverpool early…

Turin will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest from May 9th to 13th at the Liverpool Arena. The motto of this year’s event, as chosen by the organizers is “The Sound of Beauty”.

Music

Beyonce UK Renaissance Tour 2023: Dates & How To Get Tickets

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It’s finally happening.

Calling all members of the Bey Hive! The time has finally come. Beyoncé has announced that she will be touring her latest album, ‘Renaissance’, released in July last year. Much to our delight, the superstar confirmed the live dates were happening at the Wearable Art Gala in California on October 22, when two tickets and a full backstage pass were put on auction.

Although the rumours of the 2023 tour have been confirmed, there still remains a lot of speculation around the dates of the UK leg, as well as whether Beyonce will be joining Elton John as a headliner at Glastonbury 2023. There is a lot of hype around Bey returning to British shores and a lot of fans will be trying to secure their seats to see her perform. We expect that when the tickets drop for ‘Renaissance’ in the UK they will sell out mega fast, so make sure to keep an eye out.

If you want to find out how to cuff your tickets to the ‘Renaissance’ tour then keep reading. Here is everything you need to know about Beyoncé’s 2023 UK shows.

The singer has been very secretive with any news of her tour and is yet to release any dates of pre-sale or general sale tickets. In true Bey fashion, she is keeping the Bey Hive very much on its toes.

No tickets have been released yet, so we don’t know exactly how much the ‘Renaissance’ tickets will cost. However, it is likely that the price will depend on where you sit.

For her ‘Formation’ tour shows in the UK, Beyonce’s tickets ranged from £77.50 to £385. It can only be assumed that tickets for this much-awaited tour won’t come cheap and may be much higher than that.

The ‘Break My Soul’ singer is yet to release any dates or venues for her ‘Renaissance’ tour and could announce them at any moment.

During her previous tours of the UK, Beyonce has made recurring visits to venues in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester. We can only hope that she will be making a return to these areas in her upcoming tour.

Now that the tour has been announced, there has been a lot of speculation around who Bey will be choosing to follow her around the world to open the show for her.

There have been rumours that Beyoncé has been considering British girl group Flo, who will receive the Rising Star Award at the 2023 Brit Awards. Other potential openers who will join Bey on stage are the Nigerian singer Tems, as well as English singer and rapper Bree Runway.
Beyonce’s last tour in the UK was back in 2018 with her husband Jay-Z for her show ‘On The Run II’. The couple performed a total of six acts that included a mix of both of the stars’ songs such as ‘Crazy in Love’, ‘99 Problems’ and ‘Run the World (Girls)’.

They started the tour in Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London before moving onto the rest of Europe and finishing the tour back in the USA.

Before that, Bey toured the UK in 2016 with The Formation World Tour in support of her album ‘Lemonade’.

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Music

11 Best Music Festivals of 2022 – Esquire

You may have missed Coachella but there are plenty of open air raves left to be had this year.
Back in 2020, many didn’t believe that we’d be rubbing shoulders with fellow-music lovers and screaming lyrics to our favorite songs at music venues together. With .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Coachella back this year, one thing is clear for 2022: music festivals have been normalized again. Maybe you went and are desperate for more, wondering what to do with that leftover festival fever. Maybe you didn’t and the jealousy is too much to bear. Either way, don’t fret, Esquire complied a list of music festivals taking place the rest of the year.
Miami, FL – May 20-22
Minneapolis, MN – June 18-19
Afropunk is back again this year and is bringing with it the usual: groundbreaking arts, fashion and music from the Black community. Ari Lennox, Noname and Mereba are all set to perform at the festival, which will take place in Miami in May, and in Minneapolis over Juneteenth weekend, marking the first ever Afropunk event in the Midwest.
.css-1lxmaj6{background:#ffffff;background-color:#ffffff;-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;border:thin solid #FF3A30;border-radius:2rem;color:#000;display:inline-block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:0.875rem;letter-spacing:0.04rem;line-height:1.3;padding:0.6rem 1.125rem 0.3125rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-transform:uppercase;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;white-space:pre-line;width:auto;}@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1lxmaj6{margin:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1lxmaj6{margin:0rem;}}.css-1lxmaj6:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}.css-1lxmaj6:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;background-color:#FF3A30;}Buy Tickets, Miami
Buy Tickets, Minneapolis

Boston, MA
May 27-29
Boston Calling Music Festival is looking to make Memorial Day weekend one to remember. Nine Inch Nails, The Strokes and Metallica are all set to headline the three-day festival. The former are joined by impressive acts such as Haim, Weezer, Avril Lavigne, Black Pumas and more.
Buy Tickets
New York, NY
June 10-12
Governors Ball, as always, will deliver another year incredible music, and some of the best NYC eats. This year festival-goers will be heading to Citi Field Lots, Queens to see the likes of Kid Cudi, Halsey and J-Cole, Roddy Ricch, Glass Animals, among others.
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Manchester, TN
June 16-19
Described as «the most positive place on this planet,» Bonnaroo is the place to be this summer. This year’s acts include Ludacris, 100 Gecs, and Marc Rebillet. There’s also a ton of electronic and pop punk acts set to perform at Bonnaroo. If you’ve never experienced Bonnaroo, it may be time for you to put on your camping shoes and head to Tennessee.
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Chicago, IL
July 15-16
If you’re wondering where all of the cool alternative artists will be this summer, you can find them at Pitchfork. For years, Pitchfork has been tagging themselves as «the most trusted voice in music.» Based on this year’s line-up, Pitchfork definitely has a taste for great music. Artists such as The National, Mitski and The Roots will be headlining the three-day weekend, where they’ll be followed by a slew of talented acts like Japanese Breakfast, Earl Sweatshirt, Tierra Whack, Amber Mark and more.
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Newport, RI
July 22-24
Being one of the first modern music festivals in the US with a 60-year-run, you can expect Newport Festival to be nothing short of extraordinary. For decades the festival has boasted renowned performances and an astounding cultural atmosphere. This year is no different, with artists all the way from Clairo to Beebadoobee, Buffalo Nichols, Maren Morris and more set to take the stage in Rhode Island.
Tickets are currently sold out, but there is an option to join the waitlist.
Join Waitlist
Chicago, IL
July 28-31
LollaPalooza, the Chicago-based festival, is back this year with Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Green Day, Lil Baby, Kygo and many others. Alongside a myriad of colorful outfits, you can expect to find incredible restaurants in the Windy City.
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Las Vegas, NV
September 16-18
Life is Beautiful festival coming to the Las Vegas area this September. Alongside music, the festival also offers culinary, art, and learning experiences in Downtown Vegas. This seems like a wonderful bonus to an incredible lineup. Artists like Lorde, Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Jack Harlow and more are set to perform.
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Los Angeles, CA
September 16-18
After being canceled for the past two years, due to COVID-19, Primavera Sound is ready to shake American audiences. Artists such as James Blake, Nine Inch Nails, Cigarettes After Sex, Lorde, King Krule and many others are booked for the festival’s 2022 debut.
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Franklin, TN
September 24-25
The multi-genre weekend festival is set to make its eight year return this September. Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlisle, who both received Grammy nominations this year, are set to headline the festival. Another Grammy winner on the bill is Jon Batiste, who actually earned the highest number of nominations by the Recording Academy this year. The complete line-up also features a number of other impressive musicians like The Avett Brothers, Elle King, Lennon Stella, Lake Street Drive and more.
Buy Tickets
Las Vegas, NV
October 22-29
Emo and Pop-Punk fans can rejoice because all of your favorite artists are set to take the stage in Las Vegas this Fall with the When We Were Young Festival. The new festival boast an impeccable set list, which is already sold out. Artists such as Bring Me To the Horizon, Pierce the Veil, Avril Lavigne, Sleeping With Sirens are set to perform. Paramore and My Chemical Romance will be the festival’s headliners.
Join Waitlist

Ammal Hassan is a writer and Esquire’s Snapchat Editor. She covers all things culture with a focus on music and pop culture. She is from Nairobi, Kenya and lives in New York City.
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