1

May 2013 Issue No 17

Shoreditch the

graffiti art capital

of London

Tribute to Tony

the Trini

The World on

Regent Street

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It seems the sun is no match for the long

winter drag. Like the econmic crisis,

winter seems to be keeping a strangle-hold

on Britain and stagnating the anticiaption

of summer.

We’ve seen recently, France dip into

recession and Germany’s economic growth

take a tumble while the Eurozone is

struggling to stave off crisis after crisis in

its union and, with renewed call for Britain

to leave to European Union altogether.

In the Caribbean however, there are

continuing cry for the region to work

together, to promote and harness the

regions resources and capabilities. The

European Union, despite their current

hardship have pledged €100m for

Caribbean development while the World

Bank is investing $20m as part of their

Diaspora interest in a programme called

Enterprise Program for Innovation in the

Caribbean (EPIC). The programme by the

World Bank iniative is geared towards

promoting growth in early stages of

Caribbean enterprise.

Needless to say, we are all optimistic for

the future to be bright, whatever the

forecast. We scrape the bottom of the

barrel with hope of finding enough

substance to rally us through ,but as

calypsonian King Austin sang ‘if this is

progress, how long will it last?’

D.Kalloo

Contents

Shoreditch the graffiti capital

Tribute to Tony the Trini

Taiye Salasi’s Ghana must Go

World on Regent Street

The Swagg Scoop

Production and concept: D.T. Kalloo

Culturepulse is designed and produced by cashewmedia and published by Securisit Ltd.

Copyright 2012

Views and comments expressed by contributors are not necessary those of Culturepulse but of the

author/s

For all enquiries, please contact Culturepulse at 07824827985

Email: culturepulse@hotmail.co.uk

Cover photo by cashewmedia

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Is Shoreditch, the graffiti art, capital

of London? Across the city, graffiti art is

considered an eyesore to many. Councils

spend thousands of pounds cleaning

graffiti art from its wards that tend to give

a delinquent aura to the environment and,

let us not forget that it is a criminal

offence.

Shoreditch, however, seem to have taken a

different approach to graffiti art. Many of

the shops in the area have opted to have

graffiti art signage as opposed to the

regular method of acrylic style built up

lettering, neon or light box facia to their

facia. Graffiti art in Shoreditch is no

longer, confined to derelict building walls

or defacing shop fronts. The art is thriving

on Hackney Road where colourful hues of

aerosol paint adorn shop front grilles.

The area attracts graffiti artists from all

over the world too. Red Market, a prime

location and advertising hub at the corner

of Old Street and .......have dedicated their

internal walls to world renowned artists

such as Roa from Ghent, Belgium, famous

for his monotone images of rodents,

rabbits and herons across the capital. Other

artists include Italian Run, the South

American Cranio, the UK’s own Jo Peel

from Salford and Stik, famous for his

black and white ‘Stikman’ images all over

London. Stik recently had a series of his

work showcased at the Dulwich Picture

Gallery. Despite the popularity of graffiti

art most graffiti artists still conceal their

identity because the art is still illegal, as

Stik admits, ‘I still paint illegally.’

Shoreditch, the graffiti art

capital of London

4

P

Externally, Red Market is teeming, with

modern billboards and may well boast of

having one of the biggest non-electronic

advertising spaces in London. However,

take a journey inside and an entire new

world of graffiti art exists. It shows and

provides a platform for graffiti artists far,

and wide. Graffiti artists are also on hand

to pass knowledge and skills to the

younger generation who take inspiration

from people such as Run, Roa, Deadly, Jo

Peel and Stik.

It would be interesting to see if other

places across the UK adopt and embrace

graffiti art and the promotion of the artists

themselves as Shoreditch has done. The

Southbank skateboard site, which is

currently under threat of being relocated,

also pays homage to graffiti art. What we

must bear in mind however, graffiti art is

still illegal and graffiti artists still face

prosecution.

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The Trinidad and Tobago High

Commission in London under the

patronage of the High Commissioner, His

Excellency Garvin Nicholas paid tribute to

a celebrated son of Trinidad, Professor

Tony Martin.

Tony Martin died in Trinidad in January

2013; he was an exceptional academic

intellectual and activist who was a

foremost voice on African Studies. He

collaborated and wrote 14 books which

according to Cecil Gutzmore, in true

Jamaican colloquialism said ‘dat is nuff

books.’

Many people may not have heard of Tony

Martin, those who knew him however,

showered praise for a man who was

steadfast in his beliefs and never allowed it

to waiver in his quest for truth. The High

Commissioner in his welcome address

said, “I am struck by Professor Martin’s

legacy as it is representative of the

significant contributions our Diaspora has

made on the world sphere. Professor

Martin was a true son of Trinidad and

Tobago and I am happy for the

opportunity to celebrate his memory here

at the Mission. Tony Martin made the

Caribbean region proud as an advocate of

development through education at home

and abroad. His contribution to the

scholastic and personal development of

countless students is profound. Indeed, this

philosophy of service and passion for

learning is one that we must inculcate in

the young people of our region. As we

strive to build a globally competitive

nation, the development of independent

and innovative thinkers is paramount.

There are invaluable lessons, which can be

gleaned from Martin’s legacy, and chief

among them is the importance of not being

afraid to go forth and speak our truths,

and make our marks. We may hail from a

small island, but like Tony Martin, we

must never be afraid to make a difference.”

Tribute to Tony Martin

Cecil Gutzmore

Ansel Wong

His Excellency Garvin Nicholas

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Cecil Gutzmore paid

a glowing tribute to

Tony Martin. He

praised Professor

Martin for the role he

took on in clarifying

truths about his hero

Marcus Garvey. Paying tribute too, were

members of Tony Martin’s family Carol

Houghton and Femi Martin, while

Alexander ‘D’Great paid tribute in song to

the celebrated scholar. Ansel Wong, a

close friend of Tony Martin gave a jovial

recollection of their Hull university days,

prompting a smile on the faces of those

who knew and remembered Tony and, for

those who did not, the convivial words of

Mr Wong drew a warm conclusion in

paying tribute to Tony the Trini.

His Excellency Garvin Nicholas & Renuka Koninger

Chris Boothman

Debra Romain

Femi Martin

Carol Houghton

Alexander ‘D’Great

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By Juanita Cox

The title of Taiye Selasi's book Ghana

Must Go (2013) caught my attention for

several reasons. Firstly, when economic

crises in 1983 and 1985 resulted in the

expulsion, at short notice, of

approximately 2 million Ghanaian

immigrants from Nigeria, the bags most

readily used as ‘suitcases’ were christened

‘Ghana Must Go’. These large rectangular

plastic bags – plaid in design (often white,

blue and red) and made in China – were

and still are available in most parts of the

world. Generally associated with refugees

or traders, they have as a result of being

transnational acquired a wide variety of

names. In Trinidad they are, for instance,

known as Guyanese Samsonite and in

Germany, “Tuekenkoffer” (i.e., Turkish

suitcases). In 2006, the bags having been

given the Louis Vuitton stamp of approval

then morphed, somewhat unexpectedly,

into desirable fashion accessories. As

possible metaphors for migration,

displacement, exile, social mobility and

transnationalism the title of Selasi’s book

appeared to be a stroke of genius.

I was intrigued but wondered never having

previously heard of Selasi, if I would

enjoy her debut novel. I had listened to

her reading a passage from Ghana Must

Go on the popular American Diane Rehm

NPR Show but was left slightly irritated by

a description of her Ghanaian character

Ama: she sleeps heavily, ‘like a cocoyam.

A thing without senses’ and dreams about

‘sugar plums and Tchaikovsky.’

‘Cocoyam’, lovely metaphor but ‘sugar

plums and Tchaikovsky’? Really? The

possible authenticity and timeliness of

Selasi’s book only became clear to me

after researching her background. The

product of an increasingly transnational

world, Selasi is a self-described

Afropolitan. She explains in her 2005

article ‘Bye-Bye Barbar’ that this term

applies to many African people who work

and live in cities around the globe: ‘they

belong to no single geography, but feel at

home in many’; most are multilingual,

speak an indigenous language, some sort

of urban vernacular and find a sense of self

in at least one place on the African

continent (‘nation-state, city or ‘auntie’s

kitchen’’). In their cultural hybridity, they

are ‘Africans of the World’.

In a moment of self-reflection, I wondered

if perhaps I was an Afropolitan. I speak

Hausa and English, a smattering of Twi

and French, was born and partially-

educated in Nigeria, have a Ghanaian

mother, an English father and Guyanese

husband; am as comfortable in Guyana as I

am in America, Nigeria, Ghana or Britain.

I know London like the back of my hand

and am constantly switching between

provincial-English, London-English,

Nigerian-pidgin, Ghanaian-pidgin and

Guyanese-Creole (the latter in a very bad

accent) and all depending on whom I’m

talking to, or where I am. More tellingly, I

am just as likely to dream about listening

TAIYE SELASI’S GHANA MUST GO:

A READER’S RESPONSE

8

to Fela Kuti, Florence and The Machines

or Beethoven: to dream about eating

Kenke and Fish, Gari and Okra Soup,

Metegee, or a Sunday roast.

Perhaps I had unwittingly internalized the

notion that identity could only be authentic

if bound to a single nation. When I first

moved to Britain in 1980 – more

specifically the Northern town of Wigton -

I found life as a person of dual heritage

frustrating and alienating: most people

insisted on knowing exactly where I really

came from; the question of course

implying somewhere other than Britain.

Evidence of this otherness was reinforced

by a variety of clichéd refrains: sambo,

coloured, half-caste, golliwog, wog, fuzzy-

wuzzy or nigger and comments like: “How

do you cope with all those flies?” Back in

Nigeria and Ghana my status of mulatto,

half-caste, Bature, Jan Kunne, Oyinbo and

Obroni Koko had similarly been reminders

of my not-quite-being-ness. With the

added mix of motifs - ‘You’ve got a chip

on your shoulder’, my father’s instruction

to be ‘stiff-upper lipped’, and the Shadists,

‘Is cos you is light-skinned, yuh tink you is

better dan me?’ - whatever I felt (injustice,

alienation and the negation of my black-

white heritage) was silenced by the shame

of self-pity. Shadism, predicated on one’s

approximation to white people of course

still exists in the black community and in

different forms (e.g., the prevalence of

skin-lightening and ‘not-Afro-hair’

hairstyles, straightening chemicals, weaves

and wigs, that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

addresses in her new novel, Americanah).

That said it might be as much to do with

Western ideals of beauty and their

continuing global dominance where means

of production is concerned, particularly

within the fashion industry. It certainly

seems to me that the effects on ordinary

white women are at least, to some extent,

similar. But that is a whole other essay!

In hindsight I had become attached to

notions of ‘authentic’ in terms of the

‘authentic’ Nigerian, ‘authentic’ Briton or

the ‘authentic’ Ghanaian I later, and for

complex reasons tried to be, before

realizing I could not. Perhaps I was also

so used to the boundaries of African

literature and African people being set by

‘outsiders’ that I had not been able to

consider the possibility of presenting my

hybrid Afro-Anglo-Sometimes-Wannabe-

Caribbean-Human identity as valid literary

fodder and in some related way had not

been able to accept the literary proposition

of Ghanaian Ama dreaming sugar plums

and Tchaikovsky. Adichie’s welcome and

prescient warnings about the dangers of

being limited to a single story and the need

to change the broken record of starvation,

war and corruption had seemed obvious to

me. These narrow and warped images of

Africa had long been the source of

irritation. But what I had not understood

was that the culturally-hybrid voice of

transnationals with African roots (though

perhaps born elsewhere) would be a

welcomed addition to that mix.

It was perhaps personal experience that led

me to the spurious belief most people were

still unwilling or unable to accept - in

undiluted form - the complex nature of

hybrid identities. Less than ten years ago

it was not uncommon for people to ask me,

which race – black or white – I identified

with. The notion that I had embraced both

and was unwilling to reject one or the

other was constantly challenged with:

‘Yes, but that doesn’t make sense’. What

Selasi’s ‘Bye Bye Barbar’ imparts, at least

for me, is permission to partake in public

expression of my own cultural

‘uniqueness’: that my cooking-pot of

influences and experiences is a valid dish

of its own. However, having lived outside

a clearly identifiable category for so many

decades the Johnny-come-lately adoption

of the funky new label, Afropolitan, does

not feel particularly appropriate for me. It

may just be that while Nigeria, as the place

of my birth, has a special, unbreakable

claim on my heart, the equal love I have

for both of my late parents, means that I

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will always prefer to define myself as a

person of dual heritage.

The important point however is that the

reception of Taiye Selasi’s Afropolitan

novel has been, by and large, extremely

positive. This would appear to be one of

several markers that times are changing;

that publishers are now more open to, and

interested in, complex cultural/ethnic

identities. The same applies to the

Caribbean where the canon of literature (as

prescribed by academics) has until recently

given precedence to the folk culture stories

of working-class Afro-Caribbeans at the

expense of, for instance, those previously

classed as ‘Coloured middle-class’ or

middle brow (ref Belinda Edmonson’s

Caribbean Middle-Brow). This was in

many ways a valid response to the history

of enslavement, the colonial demonization

of African culture, the need to develop a

Caribbean identity and to redress the

hegemonic imbalance of the ‘races’. But

the truth is arguably that the Caribbean

community was and remains, one of the

most transnational in the world; and that

they have much in common with

‘Afropolitans’, particularly in terms of the

diverse cultural resources at their disposal.

In the context of globalization, real or

virtual transnational migration is on the

increase and there is no doubt that we are

likely to see more writers like Selasi,

asserting their right to embrace the cultural

cookie-jars of their various ‘homes’, while

remaining deeply attached in some way to

their ancestral roots. That said, it is

important to remember that only 3% of the

world’s population lives in a place other

than the country of their birth.

When I heard that Selasi would be in

conversation with Hannah Pool at

London’s Southbank Centre on 7th April

2013 I seized the opportunity to meet her.

Selasi – the epitome of Afropolitan pizzazz

– did not disappoint. Her smooth Boston-

accent, rich infectious laughter, her

fabulously coiffured raven-black Afro-

hair, lithe-figure, clean-lined black top and

trousers, and flamboyant high-heeled

fuchsia-pink shoes bore the mark of

confidence, elegance, and a ‘joie-de-

vivre’. As her conversation with Hannah

Pool progressed I discovered that Selasi

had a BA from Yale and an MPhil from

Oxford; that she had been encouraged to

write her highly-applauded short story

‘The Sex Lives of African Girls’ by Toni

Morrison whom she’d met while still at

Oxford and that, as though she were not

talented enough, had launched in 2012 a

multimedia project to photograph and film

twenty-something-year-olds in all 54

African countries. Born in England, raised

primarily in Massachusetts (hence the

accent), Selasi - of Nigerian (Yoruba),

Ghanaian (Ewe) and Scottish heritage - has

for now, settled in Rome. Captivated by

her charm I somewhat inevitably bought

her book and proceeded to read it on the

bus home.

So what did I think? As the vast majority

of the reviews have attested Selasi has

every reason to be proud of her debut

novel. The story focuses on the interior

lives of Kweku Sai and his family.

Kweku, an accomplished Ghanaian

surgeon is the husband of Folasade

Savage, a Nigerian of Yoruba and Igbo

heritage with some Scottish ancestry,

whom he had met in the United States.

Together they sired four children: Olu, the

eldest son; Taiwo and Kehinde, twins; and

Sadie, their last born daughter. In the

opening sentence of part one (entitled

‘Gone’) the narrator explains that: “Kweku

dies barefoot on a Sunday before sunrise”

and proceeds to replay over and over again

the moments before his death in the

manner of a musical refrain. I should

clarify that each ‘refrain’ offers

incremental insights into the years building

up to his death by shifting to-and-fro

between different periods of his life. In

many respects this technique - used by

other author’s like the pioneering

Guyanese novelist, Edgar Mittelholzer

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(1909-1965) - is

analogous to a sonata, in

that the harmonic

possibility of the

exposition is explored,

revisited and developed.

The desire to understand

Kweku’s life compels the

reader through to the end

of the novel. The second

part (‘Going’) focuses on

the family members: the

impact of their father

leaving home without

explanation or prior

warning 16-years earlier,

and their response to news

of his death. The final part

(‘Go’) focuses on the arrival of his

children in Ghana and the role that this

plays in healing the wounds that had been

precipitated and/or exacerbated by his first

sudden departure.

The titles of the three distinct sections:

‘Gone’, ‘Going’, ‘Go’ offers a new spin on

the clichéd phrase, ‘Going, going, gone’

and alerts the reader to Selasi’s love of

wordplay (including metaphor, alliteration,

assonance, consonance and repetition) -

e.g., “Dewdrops on grass. Dewdrops on

grass blades like diamonds flung freely

[…]” (Selasi: 2013, pg 8). Her technique

of playing with lexical tenses adds to the

musical-cum-poetic nature of her novel.

For instance, when Taiye suspects that her

estranged artist brother Kehinde has been

living without her knowledge in a street

near her home, the narrator asks:

“But how could he tell her […] that he

doesn’t, doesn’t “live” here, or lives

without “living”, […]; that it is […] a way

out of the hurting, for her, who is life-full,

who lives and has always lived fully on

earth, in the world, in and of it, not

grounded nor grounding but ground, in

her person, the canvas itself? (p 165)

Selasi’s choice of often-repeated words

appear to be carefully selected for their

relationship to the keynote theme of

‘Death’ that runs throughout the novel

(e.g., life, ground, gone, leaving, left) in its

various forms. The ‘death’ of Kweku and

Fola’s marriage reminds us how quickly a

relationship, which takes years to build,

can disintegrate in seconds, and indeed

echoes many of the novel’s references to

the fragility or passing of life.

But what I like the most about Selasi’s

novel is the way in which she subtly

highlights the damage created by

‘silences’; the fractures that are wrought

by her characters’ inability to

communicate openly with each other. So

that while we are told: “So often one

knows, without seeing, the truth” (ibid: pg

117), and while ‘knowing’ is presented in

some ways as one of the esoteric wonders

of human life (e.g., Fola instinctively

knows when her children are in pain, as

their pain manifests itself in different parts

of her body), we soon learn that the

divisions in the family have been created

by misunderstandings and the lack of

open, frank discussion. Kweku’s son,

Olu, provides a classic example of this.

He implicitly interprets his father’s, and

grandfather’s, abandonment of their

respective families in terms of the

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prevalent stereotype: the adulterous,

irresponsible black man. This adds to the

shame he feels about Africa and leads him

to promise his Asian wife, Ling, that he

will be better than them. What he does

not recognize is that his father and his

grandfather before him had strived to do

their best as providers for their families but

had been emasculated by their ultimate

lack of power within the context of a racist

world. Kweku had been unfairly sacked

for the inevitable death of a patient

because the hospital needed to quell the

patient’s racist family’s call for ‘justice’.

Olu’s grandfather had similarly been jailed

for attempting to protect his grandmother

from the sexual abuse of a white officer.

Their crime, if it can be considered that,

was an inability to transcend their sense of

shame for the greater good of the family.

These episodes are a reminder about the

importance of knowing and of talking

about our history. They also operate as an

indictment of those who bemoan the ‘state

of African families’ without

acknowledging the role that institutional

racism has played in destabilizing them.

Selasi’s novel as importantly – and I had

not anticipated this – begins a discussion

on the issue of authenticity. Olu is for

instance, mocked by Taiwo because he

travels with a backpack: she sees it as

‘further proof of the “white boy” who

lived inside’ him (p 249). Taiwo is herself

subjected to the question of authenticity

when a Ghanaian cab driver in the US

asks: “W-where are y-you from? […]

What are you? […] What are your eyes?”

It is her accent, appearance and ‘strange’

eyes that confuse him: the latter being “an

inheritance, the colour, from the Scottish

great-grandmother” (p 137). The narrator

provides further examples of how easy it is

to jump to the wrong conclusion about an

individual’s identity and belonging. For

example Taiwo accuses her sister of

wanting to be white just because of the

company she keeps and the way she

speaks, without ever understanding the

nuanced nature of Sadie’s inner desires –

i.e., to be part of her best friend’s family

not because of their race but rather because

of the security and stability they offer.

Similarly, when Kehinde offers a hawker

in Ghana 5 US dollars from the window of

a taxi, the driver attempts to discourage

him by stating that they are Mauritanian

thieves who steal from tourists. The driver

laughs when Kehinde makes the assertion:

“We’re not tourists” (p 209). The irony

however is that the driver would “rather be

ferrying some tense blond-haired couple in

his taxi than them” (p 210). The theme of

authenticity is clearly directed (but as

relevant to other ethnic communities) at

Selasi’s black/African readership. Though

never explicitly stated she is surely asking

that we attempt to transcend narrow,

divisive judgements about the identity of

individuals based on the often-times

misleading signifiers of ‘shade’,

phenotype, accent and class. I, of course,

could not agree more. Will I be eagerly

awaiting another novel by Selasi? Most

emphatically yes!

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13

The declining bumblebee population in

the UK have been given a boost in a joint

venture between Sweden and Braitain.

Swedish entomologist Bjorn Cederberg

and British scientist Nikki Gamman have

introduced the Swedish short-haired

bumblebee into the wild in Dungeness,

Kent.

There is a worldwide decline in

bumblebees and bees and as a result

farmers have resorted to manual

pollination. Insects and bees are

responsible for 80 per cent of pollination

worldwide, which is critical for food

production globally.

A recent ban on a number of pesticides by

the European Commission that is alleaged

to be resposible for the decline in

bumblebees and bees came into effect in

April. However, it has been proven that

pesticides are not the sole cause for the

declining population of bees. Cederberg

has identified that the harvesting of red

clover before they bloom in Sweden, has

had a disasterous effect on the bumblebee

population there. He suggested that

farmers leave strips of red clover to ensure

the the future of the bees survival.

How effective the introduction to the UK

of the Swedish bees are still unclear as the

prolonged rainfall meant the bees have

been underground.

If you are a lover of cashmere products,

then expect prices for this luxury items in

the near future.

Unsually heavy snowfall in Northern India

saw more than 24,000 Pashmina goats

killed during February and March in the

region of Changthang. Hypothermia and

starvation due to the heavy snowfall

covering feeding grounds led to the deaths

of the goats.

The Changthangi goats are a rare breed

and native to the Tibet area of Ladakh and

the high altitudes of Pakistan and Nepal.

The goats grow a thick woolen coat under

the extreme conditions which is used to

make the world famous Pashmina shawls.

The wool is said to be six times finer than

human hair. A Pashmina shawl can cost

anything from £59 to £1,188. According to

data, there is an avaerage of 200,000

Pashmina goats in Ladakh.

Swedish bumblebee to

help repopulate declining

numbers in the UK

Heavy snowfall kills

24,000 Pashmina goats

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15

Billed as ‘The World on Regent Street’

featuring twelve countries from around the

world, Regent Street, truly belonged to

Trinidad and Tobago on May 12.

From as early as 11am as the crowds

started to trickle in, miniature Trinidad and

Tobago flags were already fluttering

across Regent St, held in the air by kids

and adults alike. Turkey, Argentina,

France, the USA, India and the other

nations proved no match for the splendour

and diverse offering that Trinidad and

Tobago unleashed on Regent Street,

London.

The sun came out, resplendent to create

that Caribbean atmosphere and drive away

the winter blues that keeps lingering over

London. From the moment, Attillah raised

her flag, and summoned the engines of

Trinidad and Tobago, the rhythm roared

through Regent Street. The repertoire of

cultural performances brought Regent

Street to life and, became the magnet that

drew the crowds towards what was for the

day, the sovereign ground of Trinidad and

Tobago.

Performances from Trinidad and Tobago

nationals, both resident in London and

those who came from T&T especially for

the occasion, such a 3 Canal, produced a

most spectacular showcase of the twin

island nation. Soca beauty, Nikiesha

Reyes-Pile thrilled the crowd with her

smooth vocals and, even taught the ‘World

on Regent Street’ the art on wining.

London Tassa Drummers and Chandani

Persad flavoured things with the East

Indian influence of T&T. CSI steel band

mesmerised the crowd with superb

performances as Bacchanalia

masqueraders made Regent Street look

like Notting Hill Carnival come early. The

traditional aspect of carnival characters

such as, Midnight Robber, Pierrot

Grenade, Dame Lorraine and Moko

Jumbies generated that nostalgic carnival

aura in London.

Trinidad & Tobago ruled the ‘World on Regent Street’

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The world queued patiently to sample the

cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago as the

swayed to Soca 101 Tropical Storm and if

Bunji Garlin only knew, Regent Street was

‘Ready for the Road’ when Tropical Storm

belted out the number one soca tune for

2013. As far, the eye could see and the

vibes from the speakers could travel, a sea

of red, white and black flags reached for

the sky as the pulsating rhythms became

the heartbeat of the street.

As the day progressed and the crowds

swelled around Trinidad and Tobago, the

anticipation of 3 Canal’s performance

grew, there was a reminder that, this is

London as rain began to sprinkle, but not

dampen the atmosphere. As London

drizzled, 3 Canal rained lyrics and gave

London something to talk about. Regent

Street rocked, swayed and wined to the

unleashing of a genre of Soca and Rapso

rhythms from 3 Canal that moved every

single person in the crowd, young and old,

from around the world.

3 Canal’s Jouvert rhythms were the perfect

precursor to the culmination of events with

the day’s presentation ending with a

Jouvert jam session. Powder flew;

Atillah’s flag went up and brought to a

close, a successful presentation to the

world, the diversity and cultures of

Trinidad and Tobago that went far beyond

Reagent Street.

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‘Exploring the Diaspora’

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The Guys Got it

Right

By Nichola McDonald

From the streets of London, New York and

Paris to just about any fashion state in the

world, you cannot fail to notice the current

state of trendiness that is being cultivated

by the male gender. The “Worldrobe” I

now refer to as the new age name for

wardrobe, as we keep looking at the

horizon, continuously embarking on new

journeys. Searching for new fresh style,

that unique look to call our own, upon that

travel we may capture a fashion piece,

which may inspire us - a mixture of

colours, nature, music or even discovering

ethnicity styles from another land.

Spring summer 2013 also

show a wide variety of

fashion trends for men,

although, a starburst of vivid

colours, such as lemon zest,

poppy red, orange, pink and

dusk blue are proving to be

the popular choice. One of the

key male fashion trends this

season must be the prints. The

artistic usage of camouflage

and colourful interaction

within the designs, along with

a taste of the playful urban

safari influence of Leopard

spots and Tiger stripes gives a

more neutral styling to the

man who prefers his tones

more subtle.

The trend is also prevalent with floral,

Hawaiian prints and graphic prints,

whether on tees, blazers or shorts. Let’s

face it, the GQ look is not for everyone

and a large majority just feels much more

comfortable and confident in casual wear.

The ‘Urban Safari’ and ‘Camo’ are my

picks for the guys this season, with many

earthly tones of olive green and khaki to

work with you can

easily complement the

wear with an assortment

of colours that are

current or retro.

“Be the man you want to be, self-image is enormous

but worthiness is priceless”

Photo Credits: Sisley Men SS2013, Hip-hop-dance.net, Attireinfo.blogspot.com Stylebistro.com

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Water, water everywhere. Yes, if you are

contemplating an investment in shares, it

seems water is the safe way to go if you

want to wade your way to good returns.

Global water shortgage is what is being

predicted for the future, so much so that

Thames Water recently recently surveyed

Londoners to ask whethr they objected to

drinking recycled sewarage water in the

future. A scheme that was rejected by the

Australians when it was put to them.

Shares in wter companies across the UK

rose by 19 per cent on the FTSE 100

giving the market a much needed boost

and renewed confidence, at a time when

economic growth is relatiely stagnant.

Foreign investors are eyeing the UK’s

water companies with the latest take over

bid of Severn Trent sending trading to an

all time high. Gradually, it appears UK

water companies are selling up for hefty

profits to foreign investors. Of the 10 UK

water companies, four have been sold in

the past sx years and now owned by

private foreign investors.

The two UK water companies that was

sold recently include Veolia Environment

for £1.2bn and Cheung Kong took over

Northumbrian Water for £2.4bn last June.

Severn Trent was recently valued at £7bn

making it a sound investment .

Why are foreign investors targeting UK

companies? According to analyst, the

British utilities sector is classed as the

most expensive in Europe. However, the

weak sterling has meant forecast upgrades

with the lowest equitity debt ratio, thereby

boosting high returns on equity which is

good news for foreign investors.

Cultuepulse is not a financial expert.

Source: cityam

Water, water everywhere

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Samsung has extended its lead on the

smatphone sales war with Apple. No other

company has come close as Samsung in

challenging Apple’s dominance in the

market.

Recent fugures published by Gartner says

Samsung has a 31 per cent of global sales,

racing ahead of Apple with a staggering

64.7 million smartphones in the first

quarter of 2013 compared to Apple’s 38.1

million sales in iphones.

Samsung increased its smartphone sales of

40.6 million a year ago when they were

still ahead of their rival Apple, carving a

substatial share of the market.

The picture however is not

so rosy for

companies such as,

Nokia and

BlackBerry whose

sales slumped by almost

37 per cent. Software

issues continue to blight

BlackBerry as they struggle

to make any significant dent

into the smartphone market.

BlackBerry’s new Z10 failed to

take off and Nokia is banking on

its new sleek Lumia to drive its

sales.

In an unprecedented move, BlackBerry

have decided to have their BBM service

available on Apple and Android devices, a

service that attracted customers to

BlackBerry.

Mobile phones global sales peaked at 426

million with China seeing an increase of

7.5 percent in the mobile phone market

there, while smartphone sales grew to 43

per cent totalling 210 million devices.

Samsung is expected to extend their lead

in the market with the new Galaxy S4 as

there is no new product on the market to

challenge its dominance

presently.

Samsung tops Smartphone global sales

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Award Winners

Trinidad & Tobago’s High Commissioner, His Excellency Garvin Nicholas awarded diplomat of

the Americas

Sarah White receiving the 2013 Bocas Henry Swanzy Award in Trinidad.

25

Postcards from Berlin Carnival 2013

Photos courtesy: www.socavision.com www.dw.de/image www.uksocascene.com

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