Nathalie Taghaboni who goes by the name “Queen Macoomeh” is set to launch her much anticipated third and final book of her highly acclaimed Savanoy Series, ‘Side By Side We Stand.’
The book chronicles the tale of the powerful Savanoy family and artfully showcases Trinbagonian Culture. Its predecessors ‘Across from Lapeyrouse’ and ‘Santimanitay’ have all received praises from critics and readers alike for the compelling narrative, rich character development, and use of Caribbean Identity as well as Caribbean Geography in their plots.
The author was born in Port of Spain and was raised in Toronto, Canada and attended the University of Toronto. She now resides in Ohio, USA. Her professional writing career began in 2001 when she became a columnist for the SHARE Caribbean newspaper in Toronto. Her popular and much-quoted columns ran for over ten years. She has also written for the Chicken Soup series and was a featured writer for SHE Caribbean Magazine (St. Lucia), Everybody’s Magazine (New York) and continues to write for several online and paper publications.
Side By Side We Stand was first released in August 2016 in New York and is available online via Amazon. The book will also be available at Paper Based Bookshop – St. Anns, Port of Spain.
Source:  Loop 

To mark Canada’s 150th birthday, we are counting down to Canada Day with profiles of 150 noteworthy British Columbians.
Hedy Fry brags that she can still dance in eight-inch heels and looks decades younger than her 75 years. She’s been mocked as a flake, accused of self-aggrandizing hubris, and has elicited disapproval from social conservatives for her enthusiastic endorsement of Vancouver’s vibrant gay community. Few politicians spend their 65th birthday dressed as a dancehall queen on a Gay Pride Parade float surrounded by bare-chested cowboys riding a mechanical bull. One thing all acknowledge about this national symbol of inclusive, feminist and progressive politics, however, is that she’s formidable. She has won eight consecutive federal elections.
Fry is the longest-serving woman in parliament. She launched in 1993 as a giant-killer. She ran as a Liberal, defeating the sitting Tory prime minister, Kim Campbell, who had herself succeeded powerful Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Pat Carney. Since then, Fry has drubbed high-profile challengers from left, right and centre. “Underestimate Hedy Fry at your peril,” mused charismatic — and rueful — NDP candidate Svend Robinson after she handed him his political head on a platter and his first defeat in 25 years. “She is a very formidable foe.”
She knows how to read the electorate and plan a campaign with an acumen displayed by few other politicians. Perhaps it’s because behind the friendly smile and effervescent personality is the machinery of a towering intellect.
She refused a scholarship to Oxford University in English literature because after reading a book about the psychiatric profiles of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes she had become interested in medicine. Instead, she crammed the equivalent of the BSc she needed for medical school into one year and was accepted by Dublin’s prestigious Royal College of Surgeons, from which she graduated with honours.
​Fry was born into a poor family in Trinidad and Tobago on Aug. 6, 1941. When she proved an accomplished scholar — she was class valedictorian — her parents used their life savings to pay for her medical studies. She came to Canada in 1970 and practised family medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital for 23 years. She was an activist. She has served as president of the Vancouver Medical Association and the B.C. Medical Association, fought for and won the first retirement plan for doctors in Canada, and campaigned fiercely and unapologetically for women’s, indigenous peoples and minority rights issues.
Her advice to those coming after her: “Leave the world knowing you made it a better place.”
Source: Vancouve Sun

​André Alexis is one of eight recipients of this year’s Windham-Campbell Prizes, becoming only the third-ever Canadian writer to receive one of the richest literary prizes in the world.  Winners of the Windham-Campbell Prizes, which is administered by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, each receive $165,000 (U.S., or approximately $215,000 Canadian).
Alexis described the honour as “unprecedented,” “incredibly surreal” and “unexpected.”
Unexpectedness is one of the hallmarks of the prize; authors are nominated confidentially, by anonymous judges from around the world, and they do not know they are being considered for the prize unless they win.
Last week, Alexis received an e-mail from prize director Michael Kelleher promising “some good news.” Sensing something was amiss – his first instinct was they wanted him to donate money – Alexis admitted that he “was not really inclined to answer.” He changed his mind after googling the prize. “I saw what it was, and then it became kind of intimidating, because I thought, ‘Okay, that’s a lot of money.’ Because, in general, I don’t believe that anybody would give me that kind of money, I then became afraid that it wasn’t for me but for someone I knew.”
The prize was established in 2013 in the wake of a gift from the late writer Donald Windham in memory of his partner Sandy M. Campbell. It traditionally awards writers in three disciplines – fiction, non-fiction and drama, although this year, for the first time, poets are among the winners. Past winners include Edmund de Waal, Geoff Dyer, Aminatta Forna, Tessa Hadley, Teju Cole, Pankaj Mishra and James Salter.
Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch received the prize in 2016, while American-born, British Columbia-based writer John Vaillant won in 2014 for non-fiction.
Winners are recognized not for a single book but their body of work. In the case of Alexis, the judges praised Alexis “for astonishingly clear, supple prose that propels readers through the complex philosophical questions – How does an awareness of mortality shape consciousness? What is the relationship, if any, between love and reason? – that have preoccupied him through two decades of work.”
Alexis, who was born in Trinidad, raised in Ottawa and lives in Toronto, is a novelist, playwright, short-story writer and essayist who is best-known for his 2015 novel Fifteen Dogs, which won both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and is one of the contenders on this year’s edition of the popular CBC literary-debate program Canada Reads.
The Windham-Campbell Prizes are international in scope – in addition to the United States and Canada, this year’s recipients come from Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland – but Alexis isn’t sure if this will raise his profile outside of Canada.
“I’m not sure what the realistic expectations are,” he said earlier this week. “Does it mean Americans will start to look at my work with more interest? Does it mean that there will be more international interest in my work? Or does it mean that I’ll get a bit of money and be able to go on for a little bit longer, until the next financial crisis, whatever it should be. I have no way of knowing.”
Source:  Globe and Mail 

​The theme for International Women’s Day 2017 yesterday was “Be Bold for Change”, reflecting the many strong young Trinbagonian women leading in areas of business, media, social work, STEM and sport, to name just a few. Here are several young women who are charging forward to take on the mantle of leadership passed on by previous generations.
1. Teocah Dove
Teocah Dove has become a familiar name, setting an example of success and leadership after receiving the Queen’s Young Leader Award in 2015.
She is a Chevening Scholar with over 10 years of volunteerism, advocacy and activism experience. She is also one of the first female recipients to have received this award.
Dove has a passion for equality rights and the protection of vulnerable persons in society and holds degrees in Journalism and Public Relations, Media and Communications, and Gender and International Relations.
She has a well-known history of designing, providing technical direction on, and implementing impactful social interventions, empowerment, inclusion and leadership programs, aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable women, children and youth.
2. Dr Marsha Pearce
Writer, cultural theorist and lecturer at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, UWI St. Augustine, Dr Marsha Pearce focuses on Caribbean culture and its various expressions within society.
Her research interests lie in the fields of contemporary art, mass media, museum studies and practice and conceptualisations of space and place.
She was the 2006 Rhodes Trust Rex Nettleford Cultural Studies Fellow and is Senior Editor and Art Writer for ARC Caribbean Art and Culture Magazine, and has written for numerous local and international publications.
She is also a member of a number of professional networks including the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) – Southern Caribbean Section and the Commonwealth Association of Museums.
3. Nadine Bushell
Bushell is the youngest national District Governor of the International Association Lions Club, leading Sub-District 60A, which comprises Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.She is one of two female Lions occupying positions of leadership previously reserved for their male counterparts. Bushell is also Programme Coordinator at CARICOM IMPACS.
4. Asiya Mohammed
CEO, Conflict Women Ltd
Asiya Mohammed’s company, Conflict Women Ltd, has made ground-breaking strides in empowering victims of domestic violence since its inception in 2014.
Her company works with survivors of domestic and sexual violence, helping them to provide for themselves by creating and trading handmade jewellery.
For more information go to www.facebook.com/conflictwomenltd
5. Senator Jennifer Raffoul
Senator Raffoul was was appointed an Independent Senator on September 23, 2015 and has been making her voice heard on socio-economic and cultural issues ever since.
A graduate of Oxford University with an MSc in Economics for Development in 2008, Raffoul also attained a BA (Hons) in Applied Economics with a minor in Political Science from Queen's University, Canada in 2006.
The former student of St. Joseph's Convent Port-of-Spain was also the recipient of a National Scholarship in 2002.
Senator Raffoul has continued to call for the protection of the vulnerable in society.
She has been a board member of The University of Trinidad and Tobago since February 2015 and founded MadeIntheCaribbean.co, an e-commerce website for the sale of local products.
Previously, she served as Consultant for the IADB Fiscal and Municipal Management Division, Project Management Consultant for the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Service Industries, Research Fellow at the IADB Country Office, Trinidad and Tobago and a Technical Coordinator of the University of Trinidad and Tobago Green Tourism Project.
. Anisa Mohammed
Cricketer Anisa Mohammed has, along with the rest of the West Indies women’s team, helped bring glory back to the region.
The right-arm off spin bowler and her team won the 2016 World T20 Championship in 2016.
Since her debut at 15, 19-year-old Mohammed has played in 101 women's One Day International (ODI) and 89 women's Twenty20 international (T20I) matches.
She taken the most the wickets in women's T20Is, with 104, well ahead of everyone who has played in the international format.
Mohammed has also taken a total of seven five-wicket hauls in women's international cricket, five in ODIs and two in T20Is, the only player to achieve either of these feats.
7. Gerneiva Parkinson
Parkinson has received a $250,000 grant from US DNA-sequencing company, Color Genomics, to continue her research into breast cancer in Trinidad and Tobago.
The company also volunteered its own genetic counsellors to train local physicians.
Her story was featured online on Fast Company.
Parkinson is also hoping to fund studies into other forms of cancer, including prostate cancer.
8. Michelle-Lee Ahye
Olympic sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye has brought pride to Trinidad and Tobago after competing at the 2016 Olympic games in Brazil.
Ahye won the Trinidad & Tobago National T&F Championships 100m title in both 2013 and 2014.
In the winter of 2014, Ahye traveled to Sopot, Poland representing Trinidad & Tobago at the IAAF World Indoor T&F Championships in the women's 60m dash.
In the finals, Ahye set a new National Record for 60 meters by running 7.10 seconds and placing 6th overall.
Ahye placed 1st in the 100m event at the Lausanne Diamond League meet on July 3, 2014 running 10.98 and Ahye placed 2nd at the Continental Cup in Marrakech Morocco for the Americas Team in 2014.
9. Khalifa St. Fort
Another Olympic sprinter, St Fort has also done well in her field.
St Fort produced three personal bests at the 2015 World Youth Championships in Athletics, winning silver in the final.
She won 100 m gold at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships and broke the national record at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in the 4x100 metres relay with a time of 42.24 seconds, which garnered a bronze for the team.
10. Abeo Jackson
Abeo Jackson is a producer, actor and dancer, and a founding member of Les Enfants Dance Company in San Fernando.
Jackson previously studied mass communications and theatre arts at Dillard University in New Orleans.
The theatre expert worked with Raymond Choo Kong before creating her own production company, Abeo Jackson Productions, in 2012.
Jackson also performed alongside rapso stars 3canal in 2016 for their annual show.
11. Dzifa Job
Public relations consultant, Dzifa Job, has consistently helped shape, and provided exposure to, sport in Trinidad and Tobago.
Job is a writer with a wealth of local and international experience and lectures Masters students on Sport Communication and Public Relations at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
She provides issues management counsel to the former Port of Spain mayor Raymond Tim-Kee, and works with local sporting organisations such as the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee and the TT Pro League.
Job also worked with Mango Media Caribbean to promote the Red-light Concert Series featuring Grammy award winning artistes R-Kelly and Ne-Yo.
Job is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. With a BA in Public Relations and Post Graduate Diplomas in Sports Management and Protocol Studies from FIFA/CIES and the International School of Protocol and Diplomacy.
12. Gillian Wall
Gillian Wall is co-Founder of local NGO, Powerful Ladies of Trinidad and Tobago (PLOTT), a group that has been making a name for itself in bringing women’s issues to the fore.
In 2015 PLOTT received a National Award (Gold) for its “Outstanding Contribution to the development of Women’s Rights and Issues.”
Wall’s strong presence in advocating for the improvement of women’s rights and the end of domestic violence through PLOTT has continued to made a difference within Trinidad and Tobago. For more information go to www.plottonline.org
13. Nyssa Pierre
You may not see her name up in lights, but be assured that the people you do see might be because of her skilful expertise.
Pierre is the Managing Director and owner of PearTree Consulting, a full-service Public Relations and Event Management consultancy with a speciality in Protocol and Diplomatic requirements.
The company has handled several events including the recent launch of the Victoria Keyes Development and helped coordinate SoCalypso – Calypso Rose in Concert in February.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Spanish from York University in Toronto and an Executive diploma in Protocol and Soft Diplomacy from the ISPD in Brussels.
Pierre also works with Trinidad and Tobago's most decorated athletes to “take brand T&T across the world”.
14. Tenille Clarke
A force to be reckoned with within the field of public relations, Tenille Clarke has worked with many influential brands such International Soca Monarch King Aaron “Voice” St. Louis, Roy Cape All Stars, Brian Mac Farlane and Olympian Cleopatra Borel, among others.
Clarke is the Managing Director of Chambers Media Solutions, a full-service public relations and events management company.
15. Thema Williams
Williams has fought long and hard to represent Trinidad and Tobago.
The elite gymnast was the subject of controversy in 2016 after fellow gymnast Marisa Dick replaced her in representing the country at the 2016 Olympic games in Brazil, which was reportedly due to an injury Williams had obtained.
Williams became the first gymnast to represent Trinidad and Tobago at world championship when she competed at the 2011 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
She placed 59th at the 2015 Glasgow World Championships.
Source: Loop News

As we mark International Women's Day, we celebrate the women who helped to make Trinidad and Tobago into what is is today. In the fields of science, the arts, business and social work, women have made invaluable contributions, helping to shape society into what it is today.
1. Audrey Jeffers CM, OBE
Audrey Layne Jeffers CM, OBE was a Trinidadian social worker and the first female member of the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago.
Born 12 February 1898, Jeffers was most known for her ground-breaking achievements in social work, establishing the Coterie of Social Workers  (COSW) in 1921 which provided free lunches to poor school children. The organisation then opened the first ‘Breakfast Shed’ in 1926 and opened other branches throughout the country, as well as homes for the elderly, troubled women, and day nurseries.
She advocated for the introduction of a girl's scholarship, establishment of a Women's Police Force and increased employment for educated black women.
In 1946 she became the first woman to be nominated to the Legislative Council.
She died June 24, 1968.
2. Beryl McBurnie OBE
Dancer and choreographer Beryl McBurnie was influential in developing dance and the arts within Trinidad and Tobago and the region.
McBurnie taught Caribbean folk dance and learnt dance from the well-known American dance instructor, Martha Graham.
She built a formidable dance career in the US and was known as ‘La Belle Rosette’, returning to T&T in 1942 where she took over the her dance troupe.
She was most influential in introducing folk dance to the public education system and converted her parents’ backyard into the Little Carib Theatre in 1948.
She was the first to showcase the steelpan in her dance programs and toured the world with her dance company.
She was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1958, Trinidad & Tobago Humming Bird Medal Gold (for Folk Dance) in 1969  and the Trinidad & Tobago Trinity Cross (for Promotion of the Arts) in 1989.
She died on March 30, 2000.
3. Jean Pierre
Eugenia Theodosia Pierre was an amazing sportswoman and Parliamentarian, after which the national stadium (the Jean Pierre Complex) is now named.
Born March 26, 1944, in Fyzabad, Pierre was the only netballer in history to have played at each of the first five World Netball Championships and was considered one of the best goal shooters in World Netball.
In 1974 she was awarded the Trinidad and Tobago Humming Bird Medal (Gold) for Sport and in 1979 received the Trinity Cross, the nation’s highest award, and the Chaconia Medal (Gold) for Sport.
This was also the first time the World Netball Championships were held in the country at the West Port-of-Spain Regional Park, which was later renamed the Jean Pierre Sports Complex. Pierre was honoured by CARICOM as one of the 25 most outstanding sporting personalities over the past 25 years.
She died in 2002.
4. Calypso Rose
Songstress McCartha Linda Sandy-Lewis, was born April 27, 1940 in Bethel, Tobago, and is famous for her enduring calypsos which have contributed invaluably to the arts in Trinidad and Tobago.
Known by her stage name, Calypso Rose, Sandy-Lewis began writing songs at the age of 15 and has written over 800 songs and recorded over 20 albums.
She was the first female calypsonian to seize a national title, winning the 1977 Road March with “Tempo”, and went on to take both the Calypso crown and the Road March titles in 1978, the first to ever accomplish such a feat.
She was awarded British Empire Medal of Merit Class II in 1975, the Sunshine Award in 1989 for Calypso and Steelband, the Trinidad & Tobago Humming Bird Medal Gold (for Culture), and in 2014 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (D Litt) from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.
In 2017, Sandy-Lewis was also awarded the Victoire de la Musique award for her album "Far From Home", which has taken the world by storm.
5. Drupatie Ramgoonai
Chutney Soca queen Drupatie Ramgoonai has brought chutney soca to the fore as more than just a cultural niche but a national art form, being the first to coin the term ‘chutney soca’ in her 1987 album ‘Chatney Soca’.
Many may not know that Ramgoonai studied classical Indian music under the well-known Professor Adesh, and is credited with being the first East Indian woman to sing chutney soca.
Her hit "Roll up the Tassa" took the nation by storm in 1988 and was a Road March contender and she later teamed up with musician Machel Montano for the hits “Real Unity” and “Indian Gyal”.
She continues to champion the genre of chutney soca and has become a role model for many other young female artists.
6. Penelope Spencer
Penelope Spencer is a well-known actress and playwright and has been influential in helping to promote theatre and the arts within Trinidad and Tobago.
Born in San Fernando, Spencer started dancing at nine years old with the Arawak Dance Company and then moved on to the television programme, the Carol Burnett comedy show.
Spencer has a long list of successful performances to her name, with ground-breaking roles in plays such as ‘Mary Could Dance’, ‘Jean and Dinah’, ‘Norman is that You?’ and ‘Wine of Astonishment’, written after the novel by Earl Lovelace.
Spencer now heads acting school Necessary Arts with other educators Naima Thompson and Lydia Ledgerwood, which has produced some of the country’s foremost actors and theatre practitioners.
7. Hazel Ward Redman
“Aunty Hazel” as she became known by a nation of children, has made indelible contributions to media and the arts in Trinidad and Tobago, and received the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) in 2000 for her work as a television presenter.
Ward-Redman (nee Wilson) was a teacher at St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando, before making her way to television station TTT as a weather forecaster.
She later went on to host the well-known Twelve and Under children’s talent show and Teen Dance Party, from which many later went on to develop successful careers in media and the arts.
Ward-Redman died of cancer at age 79 in 2014.
8. Janelle Penny Commissiong
The nation’s first Miss Universe is well known for her grace, beauty and elegance and gained international recognition for her title as Miss Universe, which she won in 1977.
Born in 1953, Penny Commissiong migrated to the US at age 13 but returned home ten years later when she went on to enter the Miss Universe competition in 1976, which she won.
She was the first black woman, and the first woman from Trinidad and Tobago, to win the title.
She has always been a strong advocate for women’s rights and in 1977 was awarded the Trinity Cross, the nation’s highest award.
Three postage stamps were also issued in her honour.
9. Dr Pat Bishop
Dr Patricia Bishop was a strong figure, and a woman of many talents, having been a painter, musician, media personality, choreographer, and fashion designer, and having contributed in many ways to the development of the arts in Trinidad and Tobago.
Considered a true cultural icon, Dr Bishop attended Bishop Anstey High School where she won a National Scholarship and then attended King’s College, Durham University where she studied Art.
She obtained her MA in West Indian History where she developed her pioneering work with the steelband movement in Trinidad, starting with the WITCO Desperadoes Steel Orchestra.
She was also the first to combine a steel band and symphony orchestra, with the WITCO Desperadoes and the New York Pops Symphony in the mid-1980’s.
As the musical director of the ‘The Lydians’ Dr Bishops brought local music to the fore, producing numerous operatic works and taking the choir to one of international standing.
She received the Trinity Cross in 1994 for her contribution in the field of Art and Community Service.
She died in 2011.
10. Daisy Voisin
Famous for her beautifully melodious voice and compelling parang songs, Voisin’s songs are sung every year at Christmas time, and continue to delight the nation.
Born in 1924 in Erin, Voisin began singing in her local Village Council, when she received a holy message that she should spread the gospel of Parang while in a church in Siparia.
She became known as the ‘Queen of Parang’ for her captivating voice and the popularity of her band, the La Divina Pastora Serenaders.
Her songs, “Alegria Alegria”, “Hurray, Hurrah”, “Sereno, Sereno” and  others became instant hits and now, classics, forming the backbone of local culture as we know it today.
Voisin won the Parang Association’s Gold Medal in 1983 and 1988 and in the same year was awarded the Hummingbird Medal (Silver) for her contributions to music and culture.
Source: Loop News

If you have ever driven up Santa Cruz Old Road and saw this statue, La Venezuela but never knew the history behind it, here it is
San Juan and Santa Cruz were born of the Spanish colonisation of Trinidad. 
In the 1790s, Don Jose Maria Chacon, the last Spanish Governor of Trinidad, established the settlement of San Juan de Aricagua, after a nearby river that still carries the name. 
Santa Cruz (Holy Cross), on the other hand, was first settled around 1785, when large land grants were made to Spanish nationals for cultivating cocoa and coffee. 
LAA de Verteuil, a Frenchman, had described Santa Cruz as having "the richest and largest estates in Trinidad. The valley of Santa Cruz branches off into several smaller glens, each being irrigated by its respective stream which carries off water to the Aricagua (San Juan) river". 
When the lands were granted to the Spaniards, the beleaguered Amerindians were not happy about the invasion of their territory by foreigners, and to keep control they frequently attacked and killed the Spaniards. 
This resistance by the Amerindians had started since the 16th century, when Don Antonio Sedeno was attacked and repulsed at Mucurapo. 
As the resistance continued there was an attack on St Joseph in 1637 by Hyarima, a cacique of the Nepuyo tribe. Again in 1699 there was the killing of three Capuchin monks and a Spanish governor. The event was called the Arena Massacre. The Amerindians, in the end, would be wiped out by the Spaniards. 
However, the relationship between the Spaniards and Amerindians was not altogether hostile. Within the tribe there were those who cooperated with the Spaniards. 
One such was a friendly male Amerindian who was killed by his tribesmen for warning Spanish settlers about an impending attack on their settlement at Santa Cruz. 
An image of that Amerindian is atop a 20-foot-high cylindrical concrete tower on the Santa Cruz Old Road, with the words "La Venezuela" inscribed around the pedestal. 
The concrete statue, painted in bronze, is located on the northern edges of San Juan, about two miles from the town centre. 
Although most of the residents at Santa Cruz Old Road are familiar with the statue, they are not sure when it was erected. 
"Oral traditions indicate there was a Spanish settlement in the area and the settlers had developed friendly relationships with the Amerindians. Unfortunately, the relationship deteriorated over time, and an attack on the Spaniards by the Amerindians was contemplated. But before the attack the Spaniards were warned by a male Amerindian, and they fled from the area. 
"In gratitude for the warning, the original Spanish settlers at Santa Cruz Old Road erected the statue when the area was not yet developed," one resident said. 
Villagers recalled that the Amerindian had a bow and arrow in his hands, "but some unscrupulous persons removed it". 
Another resident said, "At the base of the pedestal there was an escape tunnel leading to the San Juan River, which is approximately 500 feet from the pedestal. The tunnel was used by the Spaniards to escape from the area, if ever they were attacked." 
The statue has been a landmark for several years. Residents said when construction of houses began in the area, many Spanish artefacts, including a musket, were found. 
The statue is not the only item of historical interest at La Venezuela Gardens. There is also an old gazebo and a concrete structure looking like a large table that were used for community dining. 
Santa Cruz Old Road is one of the popular accesses from San Juan to the Santa Cruz valley. After travelling for two miles on the narrow winding road it merges with the Santa Cruz Main Road. 
The Santa Cruz valley was one of the newest cocoa plantations in Trinidad. By 1890, the valley was at the height of prosperity. 
The French creoles had purchased many of the smaller estates and made them large enough to support their families. 
Before changes were made to the environment, the valley was graced with spreading trees and giant clumps of bamboos arched overhead and rivulets ran beside the road and among dark cocoa plantations where the air was moist and sweet. 
The area now called La Venezuela Gardens was part of that glorious past.
Source: Virtual Museum of T&T and the Trinidad Express

From Calypso Queen of the World to the Queen of France, McCartha “Calypso Rose” Lewis will soon add the role of “ambassador” to the titles that she already holds. This was announced by Community Development, Culture and the Arts Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby Dolly at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.
“The Cabinet has made the decision that Calypso Rose will receive a diplomatic passport and as well...with her permission...an aircraft of our Caribbean Airlines fleet will be named for her...in recognition of her stellar achievement.” Last month, Rose became this country’s first ever artiste to win the French version of the Grammy’s -- the Victoires de la Musique -- after her platinum selling album Far From Home, was voted Album of the Year. 

On February 24, Rose paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair. After Rose won her award, Rowley said, “Calypso Rose has consistently delivered high quality music and entertaining performances to a wide variety of audiences during her long career.” 
Calypso Rose, 76, is coming off a brilliant run in which she earned the equivalent of a French Grammy for her album Far From Home at the Victoire de la Musique awards and had a good run for the Carnival season with her hit “Leave Me Alone.”
She is currently in Tobago, where the Tobago House of Assembly is also planning to honour her achievement.
Sources:  Trinidad Guardian and T&T Newsday

You may like to check out this exhibit:  The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts present the genius of Geoffrey Holder - February 1 - May 30th. For a detailed schedule click here