Articles

Carib Fest: Bringing Caribbean culture to small towns

Published

6 years ago

August 21, 2018

BY: KRISTINA RAMCHARRAN

Sights of colorful art. Live reggae and jazz music to tease the ears. The scent of delicious food in every corner. Music, performances, and vendors filled the streets for the Taste of Orangeville festival.

With over 15 restaurants participating located in downtown Orangeville, guests were treated to an array of cuisine from around the world. and at the center of the entire festival was Soulyve Caribbean Kitchen, a Caribbean fusion eatery, and patio, highlighting the most popular Caribbean foods. The restaurant was in fact not just the center of Taste of Orangeville, but it was also the main attraction of its very own festival held in unison, the third annual CaribFest 2018.

The local Caribbean festival flourished with vendors, music, food, and art, as all those involved in the festival strive to highlight the best in Caribbean culture. Vendors sold a variety of products from cultural clothing and jewelry to hair and skin products.

Vendor Althea Fraser, who has been present at the festival in previous years, says the festival works greatly at incorporating diversity into the developing town of Orangeville. Fraser runs a vegan skin care line, and as a holistic nutritionist, she decided to make a line of products that especially deal with sensitive skin. “CaribFest is great, it’s a nice family oriented event, it offers a lot of exposure and opportunities for people to learn about the brand.”

Fraser also notes, “well I know Orangeville is up and coming, and the population has grown quite a bit, and I think it’s great that there’s so many diverse organizations and businesses that can come out and promote their brands.”

Fellow vendor Aaron Gorge experienced his very first CaribFest this year and notes that he’ll surely be back next year. “This is my first time here for Horizons Insurance, just promoting disability insurance,” said Gorge on the purpose of his booth. He notes that he thought the festival would be an ideal place to inform others of how important disability insurance can be. “In the event that something happens, there’s money still coming into the family, so they can maintain their lifestyle.”

Gorge adds, “so far it’s been good, a lot of people coming through, a lot of friendly people, and we’re looking to sit down with them after and see how we can help them.”

Throughout the day, festival-goers were treated to numerous cuisines inside of the Taste of Orangeville tent, and all the best in Caribbean culture outside of the tent. The event featured live canvas paintings by Kofi’s Art, music from Carib101 Radio’s DJ Rory, Jason Wilson and The Perennials playing all the best in jazz and reggae, the creation of a CaribFest art mural, and a special Soca dance performance by the girls at Carnival Spice.

The main organizer of CaribFest and owner of Soulyve Caribbean Kitchen, Phillip Dewar, says before CaribFest started, “our goal is to bring the Caribbean to Orangeville, a small town.” And the best way to do that was through his restaurant, Soulyve Caribbean Kitchen. “We wanted to find a way to ambassador the Caribbean out here, we had a small restaurant out here.”

From small beginnings to where CaribFest is now, just three years later, Dewar has noticed the impact it has had on the community. “The community has embraced us and we wanted to find a way to continue to push that message. By having this show we found a way to mesh people with food, music, and culture.”

Dewar adds, “We had a very good response and we just wanted to continue to grow as a family. Today we are showcasing the Caribbean heritage, food, and clothing, jewelry, hair, skin care, natural oils. We have all sorts of restaurants from Orangeville to showcase their variety.”

Dewar looks toward expanding CaribFest in the following years, by improving the setup and making it more efficient. He also notes one of their goals is drawing in more involvement from outside the Orangeville community to help build the event to something as large as the Caribbean events more central to Toronto.

The festival’s third year ended with a huge success, with diverse crowds, family fun, and food to awaken the senses. In a time where the community is trying to distract from the everyday troubles of crime and politics, a good light-hearted festival is just what the people needed to bring a smile to their faces. Given in all of the latest happenings around the Greater Toronto Area, Dewar notes, “We found that this was a good time to host our festival.”

The free event is slated to happen again next year, with the date and entertainment unannounced. More information on future CaribFest events can be found on the CaribFest page on Facebook.

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How are current trends shaping our world? Foreshadowing 2025

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

TOCaribNews

Credits: raw.pixel

BY AMARI SUKHDEO

As we look toward 2025, it’s natural to wonder how current trends will shape our world. Drawing from technological advances, societal shifts, and environmental challenges observed in 2024, we can outline some plausible developments. By connecting these to existing evidence, we can better understand why these changes are likely.

Smarter AI, beyond assistants

In 2024, AI systems became more personalized and efficient, with companies investing in AI models that function locally to reduce delays and energy use. By 2025, we could see AI systems embedded in everyday tools. For instance, AI in healthcare already assists with diagnostics; next, it may empower wearable devices to provide personalized treatment suggestions based on real-time data. This isn’t just speculation; investments by tech giants like Google and Microsoft into smaller, faster AI models in 2024 lay the groundwork for this leap forward.

Climate action driving everyday innovations

Extreme weather events and rising global temperatures made headlines in 2024, pushing governments and industries to accelerate renewable energy efforts. Solar panels and wind farms became more efficient, and electric vehicles (EVs) gained broader adoption as costs fell. In 2025, we could reasonably expect community-level energy storage solutions, like localized solar grids in neighbourhoods, offering resilience against power outages caused by climate disruptions. The sharp drop in renewable energy costs in 2024 suggests this trend will only accelerate.

Job markets evolve with AI

The growing use of AI in hiring processes was evident in 2024, with more companies testing conversational bots for initial candidate screenings. By 2025, these bots could standardize equitable hiring practices, focusing on skills rather than credentials. If trends from 2024 hold, candidates might submit work samples directly analyzed by AI, bypassing biases inherent in traditional resumes.

Space exploration as the next frontier

Private companies made significant progress in space technology in 2024, with initiatives like reusable rockets and plans for lunar missions advancing rapidly. In 2025, commercial space tourism could become a niche industry, offering suborbital flights for high-net-worth individuals. More importantly, the ongoing development of satellite networks for global internet coverage—spearheaded by firms like SpaceX—may revolutionize connectivity in rural and underserved areas, fulfilling the promises set in motion during 2024.

Social media’s evolution

The spread of misinformation and rising concerns about mental health dominated conversations about social media in 2024. By 2025, we might see stricter regulations and innovations in platform design aimed at promoting responsible usage. For instance, algorithms may prioritize verified information or feature built-in mental health support, echoing growing public demand for ethical practices observed last year.

The predictions for 2025 are rooted in developments already in motion. Rapid strides in AI and renewable energy, coupled with societal responses to climate challenges, social media, and space suggest a future where technology is more integrated into daily life and becomes a norm. However, navigating these changes will require continued investment and ethical oversight.

https://www.eckerson.com/articles/predictions-2025-everything-is-about-to-change

Junior Contributors

AI can be a helpful tool, but it can’t replace the special qualities that make human storytelling unique

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

TOCaribNews

Photo Credits: Diana Grytsku

BY YAHYA KARIM

It has recently been found that people take a strong dislike to any stories that are labeled AI generated, even if they were truly written by a human. This might come as a surprise, but it shows how we feel about AI in creative work, such as writing stories.

The study, led by Haoran Chu, a professor of public relations, tested out how people would feel after reading two similar stories, one written by a human and one written by an AI. The participant in the study would find a label indicating which writing was AI generated, and which was written by a human. Through the experiment they switched the labels, so the readers thought they were reading an AI version of the story, when in fact they were reading the human version.

When people saw that it was an AI generated story, they seemed less interested. Even though what was written was almost identical, people did not feel that connection with the AI writing. They felt less connected if it was written by a machine.

The study found that stories written by AI can convince people just as much as those written by humans, especially when it comes to topics like health. However, AI doesn’t make readers feel as connected or immersed in the story. This is something that human writers are better at doing.

The study shows that people still really value the “human touch” in storytelling. Even though AI can write text that is clear and logical, it doesn’t have the same: emotional touch, creativity, or personal feel that humans bring to their writing. When we read a story, we trust human writers to make it feel relatable, which is something AI struggles to do.

In the future, AI might be great for writing simple facts, or basic information, but when it comes to creating deep, emotional stories humans still have the advantage. AI can be a helpful tool, but it can’t replace the special qualities that make human storytelling unique.