Caribbean Corner

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson on Wednesday joined Principal of the Family Life Academy Charter School II Valerie Marchionno, Assistant Principal Marilea Alberto and Music Director Nicholas Diaz in debuting her first-ever Winter Holiday Concert, “Tis the Season.” The two-hour-long event took place in the Rotunda of Bronx Borough Hall, 851 Grand Concourse. Gibson, the daughter of a Trinidadian-immigrant father, told Caribbean Life that over 300 parents, relatives and caregivers gathered to hear more than 200 Kindergarten through 5th Grade students, enrolled at the Mott Haven school, sing holiday hits. They included “Joy to the World,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Holidays,” “Light of Kwanzaa,” “Ready,” “Steady Go Now!,” “Mele Kalikimaka,”and others. “It was a true joy to celebrate the holidays with over 200 students from Family Life Academy Charter School II at our first-ever Winter Holiday Concert, held in the Rotunda of Bronx Borough Hall,” Gibson said. “Through their ...

The fashion-forward spirit of Brooklyn came alive once more as A Very Brooklyn Fashion Show returned to Industry City on Tuesday, Oct.15, bringing together some of the borough’s most vibrant design talent. Presented by the Brooklyn Made Store and co-produced by Fashion Week Brooklyn and Runway the Real Way, the event was held at bkONE Productions , celebrating Brooklyn’s unique cultural edge. Gabrielle Napolitano, director of Partnerships and Communications at Brooklyn Made Store, proudly presents a designer piece. Photo by Tracey Khan “This is our second year,” said Gabrielle Napolitano, director of Partnerships and Communications at the Brooklyn Made Store under the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “We’re here to support Brooklyn businesses; this show is another creative avenue to showcase the borough’s designers.” She added, “The goal is to help build brands and let businesses thrive. We’re watching the creative process ...

Barbados The new Permanent Representative of Barbados to the Organization of American States (OAS), Victor Fernandes, recently presented his credentials to Secretary General Luis Almagro in a ceremony held at the headquarters of the hemispheric Organization in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Fernandes said, “The government of Barbados is firm in its commitment to upholding the principles on which the OAS was founded, as enshrined in its Charter: guiding democracy, human rights, multidimensional security, and integral development in the Hemisphere.” He added that his country “sees the OAS as the premier multilateral Organization in the Americas working to promote peace and strengthening political dialogue.” Meanwhile, the OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, recalled that the Caribbean country “has been part of the OAS since 1967, and it has honored the basic principles of our Organization. These four pillars are interconnected, and one cannot exist withou...

The Government of Canada says that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille have agreed on the importance of working closely with the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) and taking the “appropriate steps” toward holding free and fair elections in the violence-wracked, beleaguered French-speaking Caribbean country. In speaking with Conille on Thursday, the Canadian Government said Trudeau congratulated him on his appointment and thanked him for his efforts to quickly install a new transitional government “that puts the well-being of the Haitian people first.” The Canadian Government said Trudeau and Conille discussed the deployment of the United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support mission to restore security and stability in Haiti and to provide much-needed relief to the Haitian people.  Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to working with Haiti, Kenya and other international partners to support a successful mission, the statement s...