UMOJA - THE SPIRIT OF TOGETHERNESS is a vibrant, colourful showcase of glorious sounds and fabulous dancing in which a narrator takes the audience through the chapters of African music that have led to the rich contemporary beat of our modern sounds. "Our music helped to keep us human," he tells the audience, "for in Africa, rhythm is life itself."



For those who missed it the first time in Toronto in August 04, have no fear! UMOJA will be doing its first Canada-wide tour in 2005, and stopping in Toronto from Sept 20 to Oct 30 at the Elgin Theatre (189 Yonge St)! Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.ca. Check BH Events for more details.

Every summer, Toronto (Canada) blazes with the excitement of calypso, steel pan and elaborate masquerade costumes during the annual Caribana™ Festival.



Caribana™, celebrating its 37th anniversary in 2004, is the largest Caribbean festival in North America. Presented by the Caribbean Cultural Committee, the two-week Festival attracts over a million participants annually, including hundreds of thousands of American tourists.



Among the highlights is the Caribana™ Parade, one of the largest in North America. Thousands of brilliantly costumed masqueraders and dozens of trucks carrying live soca, calypso, steel pan, reggae and salsa artists jam the 1.5 km parade route all day, to the delight of hundreds of thousands of onlookers.



Other keynote events include the King and Queen of the Bands Competition and the two-day Olympic Island Caribbean Arts Festival. Outdoor concerts of Caribbean music, calypso harbour cruise parties and glamourous dances round out the entertainment roster.



Caribana was created in 1967 as a community heritage project for Canada's Centennial year. Based on Trinidad Carnival, the Festival now also includes the music, dance, food and costumes of Jamaica, Guyana, the Bahamas, Brazil and other cultures represented in Toronto - the world's most culturally diverse city.



For more information, go to the official www.caribana.com website.

Nightwood Theatre presents CAST IRON

Written by Lisa Codrington

Directed by ahdri zhina mandiela

Featuring Alison Sealy-Smith in the role of Libya Atwell

Produced in association with Obsidian Theatre
Tarragon Theatre’s Extra Space, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto.



CAST IRON brings us from the sun drenched cane fields of Barbados to the sub-zero temperatures of Winnipeg. Follow Libya Atwell, a Bajan immigrant, as she wields her acerbic wit and humour in an attempt to appease the ghosts of her past.



Previews begin Saturday, February 12, OPENS Wednesday, February 16 @ 8pm, and runs until Sunday, March 13, 2005

Tuesday - Saturday @ 8pm • Saturday and Sunday Matinees @ 2:30pm (excluding February 19)
For more information, check the BH event calendar.

African-Canadian artist Robert Small once again energizes black history month celebrations across Canada with the release of the 11th edition of The Official Black History Month Poster. This year's poster entitled "Tribute to the Rainbow" features author Mairuth Sarsfield, Senator Donald Oliver, and former judges Pamela Appelt and Stanley G. Grizzle. Small's growth as an artist is clearly visible in this most recent edition of this poster series. "Black history is about effort!" says Small. "I would like people to see that in my work and I think people do based on the reaction so far!".



Go to www.exodusimages.net to read the histories of each person in all of the posters. The posters as well as the bookmarkers can be viewed at www.exodusimages.net



Small's poster can be purchased at local bookstores The Ashanti Room, A Different Booklist, Burke's Bookstore, Knowledge Bookstore and Sonsuh Educational Supplies.



Small's company has also released the widest range of bookmarkers focusing on the African-Canadian experience available today. The bookmarkers are a welcome addition to any black history month celebration!

ReelWorld Film Festival is Canada’s premiere non-profit film festival dedicated to nurturing, promoting and celebrating the full spectrum of culturally and racially diverse film and video. Since 2001, the Festival and Foundation have been instrumental in helping filmmakers of colour achieve success in the entertainment industry.

The 5th annual 2005 festival took place between April 13-17 and successfully featured close to 100 feature films, documentaries, shorts, and music videos.

Tonya Lee Williams is it's Founder and President.