Miss World Trinidad and Tobago, Aché Abrahams debuted her national costume during the Miss World Opening Ceremony in India on Tuesday, February 21. Abrahams proudly introduced herself as T&T’s representative, noting that the nation is famous for its steelpan, soca and Carnival.
Her costume, designed by Lost Tribe’s Solange Govia, depicted the Fancy Sailor and channelled the Golden Era of Sailor Mas portrayals, which the designer said acknowledged “the sophistication, vibrancy and power of the mas character.” Govia explained: “I also started thinking about being a woman in the Carnival industry, and the fact that is also my duty to always honour our womanhood in these sacred traditions. I always want my costumes to remind people that there will always be a place and space for female representation in mas, and I am grateful that Val allowed me this amazing creative opportunity to challenge my design instincts, to inject this sense of femininity and grace into this design, and to just create freely.” The designer provided some insight into the design elements of the stunning costume. “From the embellished hat, to the towering collar, to the classic stick, I wanted to pay homage to the opulence that the Sailor Mas experience brings to the streets of Port of Spain. Of course, there had to be a design twist in this Fancy Sailor – the sand-coloured feathered skirt that replaced the bell-bottom pants, to not only represent the first visit of British, French and American naval ships in our nation’s history, but to also highlight where the Caribbean Sea meets the T&T shoreline,” she continued. “For me, it is this simple reminder that through every storm, women have become ‘the glue’ to the Carnival experience. We bring these powerful elements together to define our legacy, and we will always be pivotal in pushing the winds of change forward,” Govia concluded. The costume will again grace the stage for the Dances of the World segment. The Miss World 2024 pageant takes place Saturday, March 9 from 10am - 1pm AST. (Source: The Loop, Feb 21, 2024) Dr Kahlil Hassanali is a Senior Researcher with a Ph.D in Maritime Affairs. Although pursuing a doctoral degree was never part of his grand plan, life experiences seemed to inevitably steer him down this path. Now, with it completed, he intends to continue adding to the conversations related to ocean management, encouraging sustainability and contributing to sustainable development. Kahlil overcame imposter syndrome to dive into memorable personal and professional experiences in this incredible journey. We hope this story and path, will help someone who may be thinking about the field or a similar one. Here is Kahlil’s story: – I always had an appreciation for the environment and outdoors. After living in Morvant until seven years old, my family moved to “green” Santa Cruz, where I did a lot of outdoor activities. From a young age, I always had a natural inclination and interest in the outdoors but my father’s belief that it was better to “go outside and play”, may have ultimately helped to deepen my interest. “I might as well stick with this” Now, my academic path may seem clear and all connected. But as a youth, I didn’t always know what I wanted to pursue. I probably could have gone into various fields, but I always seemed to lean toward sciences. My uncle said I would have made “a good lawyer” too but Geography turned out to be my favourite subject at Queen’s Royal College. Perhaps, because I had a great teacher, Ms Winnette Skinner. My love for Geography and my success in it, ultimately placed me into the Environmental category for Advanced Level (A-Level) scholarships. When I won a scholarship, I decided that I might as well stick with this. By 2010, I had completed both my undergraduate and master’s degrees. I thought that would be it, the end of the academic journey. No more studying for me. So, I came back home and took up a research role at the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) in Trinidad and Tobago. I became involved in marine policy research and participated in fellowship programmes to gain further academic and professional experience and cultivate leadership skills. These took me to University of Rhode Island (URI) and University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in the United States. With these programmes, I was slowly convinced that I could/should do a Ph.D. I just had to find a topic that would hold my interest. Deciding to embark on the doctoral programme was a confluence of a few factors. In 2018, after returning from a year-long fellowship at University of California, Davis (UC Davis), I wanted to spend an extended period back in Trinidad. But in returning to work, I realised that while I loved my job, the workplace environment at the time was a little challenging. Around the same time, the intergovernmental negotiations to develop the BBNJ Agreement (an international treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction) were just getting underway. This was a topic that had piqued my interest after working with the T&T Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York during the preparatory stages providing technical advice. The BBNJ negotiation process and some of the topics involved, were novel and dynamic and I knew it was something that wouldn’t bore me. It was something worth pursuing for a Ph.D. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place when a friend sent me a Ph.D. scholarship opportunity at the newly established Global Ocean Institute (GOI) out of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden. I still mulled over and delayed in applying because I still wasn’t sure if the time was right, despite all the signs pointing in that direction. I eventually submitted my application, only a few hours before the deadline on Carnival Sunday (just after coming back from a fete and heading out to another one lol). I found out I got accepted in May 2019 and started in September 2019. “I have a responsibility to do some good”. When people hear ‘Maritime’, they rightfully may think of shipping and port management activities. For many years, this was the main focus of the World Maritime University and they have traditionally awarded doctoral degrees in Maritime Affairs. The Global Ocean Institute, however, was established within the University to have a more holistic, integrated look at ocean matters, including across all sectors and from a more environmentally focused vantage point. So, while my Ph.D may be in “Maritime Affairs”, it focuses more on Ocean Governance and my work takes a more cross-sectoral view to ocean management, to encourage sustainability and contribute to sustainable development. By creating and adequately implementing appropriate governance and policy mechanisms, systems and processes we can attempt to mediate and structure society’s interactions with oceans and seas to try to make them more environmentally conscious and socially equitable so that humans can serve as better stewards of these spaces while still benefitting from what they offer. Many people ask me what specifically I wish to do with my doctoral degree or where I see myself in ten years. I usually say I hope to continue doing useful and impactful work for as long as I can. The work I’ve done during and outside the academic journey, has afforded me the opportunity to be present in rooms and contribute to conversations relating to ocean management, which I never imagined I would be part of. I have a responsibility to try to do some good while I have this kind of access and influence. The doctoral degree has also given me greater exposure and a wider platform to develop and champion some of the ideas, concepts and practices that me, my colleagues at the IMA, T&T, the Caribbean and indeed across the world, have been working on for many years. These may be more progressive, equitable and effective than the present-day status quo. “The experience …was also life-altering” In addition to completing the Ph.D, I have also had some other remarkable moments. Participating in the UN-Nippon Foundation of Japan fellowship program in 2013 really introduced me to the law of the sea (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) which was the basis of much of my future work. It also introduced me to the United Nations system and a great network of global ocean professionals. The experience as a lead negotiator for CARICOM on the BBNJ Agreement was also life-altering. It was a steep learning curve, but I was fortunate to work with and be guided by an amazing group of professionals from our region. The evening that we finalised the text of the BBNJ Agreement,was a moment I won’t forget as it came after years of effort and, at that particular negotiating session, was the culmination of a 36-hour marathon session of non-stop negotiating after spending the previous two weeks trying to resolve outstanding issues. “I want to do right by them and their efforts” My inspiration to do what I do, comes from two sources. Older family, friends and colleagues, including first and foremost my parents but inclusive of many others, who have invested so much in raising, shaping and guiding me. I want to do right by them and their efforts. There are some mentors who have been quite influential in my personal and professional growth. They know who they are, I would hesitate to list the names. The other source of inspiration is the younger generation, like my niece and nephews, who I would like to see have a beautiful world to grow up in. Although at times, progress can be glacially slow, I derive contentment knowing that I am working for a greater good and (hopefully) higher purpose. (I can’t be in it for the money because environmental work is not the best paying). To the youngsters reading this, I want you to value individuality, but do not confuse it with individualism. I find that this is something people tend to do. Cherish your uniqueness, but always be cognizant of the fact that we need connection, we need to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper and we need to always be thinking about how our words and actions impact those around us. To the teenager, who may be confused about their future career path, I want you to keep an open mind to all possibilities, especially in this interconnected and rapidly changing world. It is important to take time to reflect on your motivations, passions and what brings contentment. I also think that if your initial choice does not feel right, don’t be afraid to pivot. (Source: MENtions - Stories about us, Nov. 26, 2023) – Kahlil continues to give thanks for what he has been given and strives to do justice by the people and forces that have blessed him. He is the first black US head swimming coach at the Olympics. FILE - Coach Anthony Nesty watches as swimmers warm up at the U.S. nationals swimming meet in Indianapolis, June 27, 2023. Nesty made more history Thursday, Sept. 21, when he was picked to lead the U.S. men’s swimming team in Paris, where he will become the first Black head coach for the powerhouse American squad at the Olympics. Nesty’s selection was announced by USA Swimming, which also appointed Todd DeSorbo to head the women’s squad next summer. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File) Anthony Nesty made more history Thursday when he was picked to lead the U.S. men’s swimming team in Paris, where he will become the first Black head coach for the powerhouse American squad at the Olympics.
Nesty’s selection was announced by USA Swimming, which also appointed Todd DeSorbo to head the women’s squad next summer. Nesty, the University of Florida coach, works with top American swimmers such as Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel and Bobby Finke. “I’m excited to be the men’s head Olympic coach in Paris,” Nesty said in a statement released by USA Swimming. “Todd and I look forward to coaching these athletes to the best of their abilities in Paris next summer.” Competing for Suriname, Nesty was the first Black male swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal when he upset Matt Biondi at the 1988 Seoul Games. In 2022, Nesty became the first Black coach to lead a U.S. team at the world championships. Nesty and DeSorbo, who coaches at the University of Virginia, will be reprising their roles from the Budapest worlds, where Nesty led the men’s team and DeSorbo headed the women’s group. “I am thrilled coaches DeSorbo and Nesty will be joining us in Paris and am looking forward to the experience and leadership they will bring to the games,” said Lindsay Mintenko, managing director of the U.S. national team. Nesty and DeSorbo served as assistant coaches with the U.S. team at the Tokyo Olympics, where the Americans won a total of 30 medals. Nesty’s swimmers included Finke, who captured a pair of golds, and Kieran Smith, who earned a bronze. Since then, Dressel and Ledecky have joined his Gainesville, Florida-based pro training group. In Budapest, the Americans captured 45 medals in the pool, surpassing the previous record of 38 by an individual country. The U.S. team will be decided at the Olympic trials, which will be held next June at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. In an interview with The Associated Press ahead of this year’s national championships, Nesty acknowledged the significance of having a prominent Black coach in a sport that is still struggling to diversify. “You know you’re a role model,” he said. “You have to take that very seriously. Maybe it’s why I work so hard at what I do. I try to be the best Anthony Nesty I can be.” As a swimmer, Nesty produced one of the greatest upsets in Olympic swimming history when he beat Biondi by one-hundredth of a second in the 100-meter butterfly at Seoul. He remains the only gold medalist from Suriname, a country of less than 1 million people. “It’s just an amazing story,” Nesty told The AP. “Whether it was being in the right place at the right time or just luck or just God-given talent that I, of course, had, it’s a unique story, that’s for sure.” Now, he’s adding another chapter to that story. Editors Note: Anthony Nesty was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in November 1967. His family migrated to Suriname when he was seven months old. (Source: The Loop, Sept 22, 2023) We are excited to welcome Dr. Nathan Nagir to Wright State University as the new Director of Choral Studies at WSU School of Music starting this fall. Nagir will be conducting the Collegiate Chorale, Men’s Chorale, and teaching choral methods and conducting.
Dr. Nagir comes from the twin isles Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. There, he is in demand as a conductor, accompanist, vocalist and educator. Having worked with several children’s, youth and adult ensembles, he has led many of them to success in competitions throughout the nation. He has worked with many primary and secondary schools, accompanied and directed the St. Augustine Girls’ High School choir and formed the student-staff/faculty choir at Hillview College. He served as the National Music Director and Conductor in 2012 for the National Convention of the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago. As a solo artist, Nathan has won several prizes and competitions for best vocal and choral performance. His personal choir – Harmonies Aloud – was selected to perform for various state functions and several times at the Diplomatic Centre and Office of the Prime Minister. In the Spring of ’22 Nagir graduated from the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting under the instruction of Drs. James Morrow and Suzanne Pence. While at the Butler School of Music, he served as: • Conductor to University Chorus & Tenor-Bass Chorus • Associate Conductor to Chamber Singers & Concert Chorale • Music Director to The Bach Cantata Project & Longhorn Singers (Premiere Show Choir at UT) He holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas State University and a Certificate of Music in Steelpan and Bachelor of Arts in Musical Arts from the University of the West Indies. Welcome, Dr. Nathan Nagir! Wright State University College of Liberal Arts Ginger Thomas Minneman Dan Zehringer Hank Dahlman James Wilson Tipps A US-based Trinidadian is disrupting the beverage industry with a universal non-alcoholic mixer influenced by one of his grandfather’s recipes. Zurena offers a portfolio of simple and versatile Caribbean drink mixes made with lemons, limes, passion fruit, mango, and Caribbean spices. Packaged in a 750ML bottle, the all-natural, sodium-free, gluten-free, and fat-free mixes come in two flavors: Tropical and Ginger, each with 15 grams of sugar per serving.
Founder and owner Nigel Smith describes the product as “magic,” as it can be added to any dark or white spirit, beer, wine, bubbly, club soda, juice, or tea to create high-quality Caribbean cocktails in seconds, without the need for professional mixology skills. Tasting Panel Magazine gave Zurena 89 points, making it the first non-alcoholic mixer to be graded by the magazine. Zurena is more than just a drink to Smith; it is about “Uplifting Spirits,” a term he has trademarked. As a sponsor at Audi Fields, Smith infuses Caribbean aesthetics into his marketing, with a campaign called Lucky Row, where groups of people are selected and given fedora hats, sunglasses, and mocktails made with Zurena, and encouraged to dance to soca music. Smith is also honoring the legacy of his grandfather, Carlton Smith, a bartender and mixologist who entrusted secret recipes to his children and grandchildren. Zurena is available in bars and retailers in Washington DC, Maryland, Texas, and Grenada, and Smith is looking to expand to other Caribbean markets. (Source: The Caribbean Camera, March 21, 2023) Many Trinidadians know the elements of a good river lime with the river, of course, being central to that.
Trinidad and Tobago artist Che Lovelace’s latest exhibition, Che Lovelace: Bathers, takes an expository look at bodies of water and TT people’s interaction with it. It will run from March 9-April 15 at the Nicola Vassell Gallery, Tenth Avenue, New York. Lovelace’s 14-piece exhibition carries titles such as Worshippers, showing figures dressed in Baptist-like clothing holding hands in a river. Another is called River Scene which shows bodies involved in different activities in the water. Other pieces are titled after popular activities done by water and/or popular bodies of water such as Beach Dancers, Covigne Pool and Large Broadwalk Bathers. Many of them are done with acrylic and dry pigment. A bio about Lovelace on the gallery’s website says he is “an unabashed painter of the flora, fauna, figures, landscapes and rituals of the Caribbean.” “Lovelace likens his material and formal interventions–such as cleaving the canvas into quadrants and dissecting the picture plane into cubist constituents–to exploring Caribbean selfhood as an integration of antecedents and transforming simplicity into wonder.” A press release about the exhibition said, “Meditating on famed depictions of bathers throughout the art historical canon, Lovelace was particularly fascinated by artists who were lesser known for the subject. One such, Edvard Munch, rendered bathers with energy and vitalism, a philosophy germinated from Aristotelian times that emphasised the vital forces of nature and good health. Framing this immemorial trope in the specificity of his own culture, Lovelace celebrates the bather as an intrinsic figure of the Trinidadian vernacular.” On his Facebook page Lovelace said, “Very, very excited! My first full-scale New York gallery exhibition opens one week from now on Thursday 9th March at the Nicola Vassell Gallery in Chelsea. “The exhibition brings together paintings, some of which I’ve been working on for several years, all focused around the body and water. “Our relationship with water…the sea, rivers etc. here in the Caribbean is a complex one, and I have tried to translate through my own experiences what that relationship feels and looks like.” The gallery described the exhibition as a “series of paintings chronicling the artist’s exploration of the body in and around water.” It added, “With an expressionistic hand, Lovelace weaves stories of life, freedom, and post-colonialism in his native Trinidad, into a tapestry of abstracted landscapes, still lifes, and portraits.” Lovelace began working with Jamaican-born gallerist Nicola Vassell in 2021. Vassell opened the gallery in 2021 but has worked in the art world for about two decades. In 2021, his work was shown at the Independent Art Fair in New York and there Vassell became aware of his work. Vassell approached him about working together and, from there, the working relationship grew. “It has grown to this point where we are now doing my first solo exhibition collaborating with the gallery. We did go to Miami Art Basel in December which went quite well and was a success. It was my first time at Art Basel as well. So I also went with her gallery to that art fair.” Growing up in TT and the Caribbean, water is “ever present,” he said. There is a whole culture around water and people’s interaction with it, Lovelace said. Water paints a vivid picture of Lovelace’s own life. “Over the last few years I have been working in the Chaguaramas area and I see a lot of people who come, specifically, to be close to water. I, myself grew up in Matura and I am also a surfer,” he said. It was always something he wanted to address and had already done paintings showing people close to water, bathers or someone on a beach. He thought he could expand on these and turn it into a full-themed set of paintings. In its bio, the gallery says it “is a contemporary art gallery committed to discourse that widens the lens of the history and future of art. Its focus is on developing an inter-generational, cross-disciplinary program of international artists and thinkers.” This speaks to and fits well with Lovelace’s view of himself as an artist. “I am placed within the lens of art that is a little broader than the main centres. I am working in what would have been a traditionally peripheral space, a space in the Caribbean where we are still developing our own infrastructures around art. “But we do have a lot of artists, a lot of creative people, we make a lot of things and we are a creative people. I see this as an opportunity to join with and collaborate with someone who is working in a centre, like New York, but who understands the value of what is being made and the discussions being had, the energy that is being put out outside of those centres but which contribute, generally, to the movement of where art is going.” This exhibition is a proud moment for Lovelace and he sees it as a pathway to expanding the reach and practice of local and regional artists and their art. (Source: Newsday, March 8, 2023) Dr Diva Amon and Professor Judith Gobin For the first time, a deep-sea species has been named after a marine scientist from Trinidad and Tobago. The new named species of tubeworm, Lamellibrachia judigobini, has been named in honour of Caribbean marine ecologist, Professor Judith Gobin, Professor of Marine Biology at the St Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (The UWI). The international team of scientists, led by Dr Magdalena Georgieva of the Natural History Museum in London, UK, and which included local marine biologist, Dr Diva Amon, chose to celebrate Professor Gobin for her many important contributions to marine science. In addition, she is the first woman to hold this prestigious position in the Faculty of Science and Technology. “We loved the idea of naming this very special deep-sea tubeworm after Judi, to honour her many contributions to revealing and protecting the marine life of the Caribbean and beyond. She is a key member of the deep-sea research community and I hope this discovery inspires plenty more in the deep oceans of the region,” said Georgeiva. The Lamellibrachia judigobini tubeworm is known to inhabit deep-sea cold seeps and hydrothermal vents stretching from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados to the Gulf of Mexico at depths from 964 to 3304 metres. It is possibly also present at the Kick‘em Jenny submarine volcano off the island of Grenada. Lamellibrachia judigobini, was named in honour of Caribbean marine ecologist, Professor Judith Gobin, Professor of Marine Biology at the St Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies. “Trinidad and Tobago is in a crucial location to explore one of the biologically richest regions, the Caribbean basin. We expect there to be many more species still unknown to humanity”, said Nadezhda N. Rimskaya-Korsakova, a scientist from Lomonosov Moscow State University who co-led the study.
The new species, which can grow to over one metre long, was collected by Remotely Operated Vehicle during several deep-sea exploratory missions stretching from 2012 to 2014. These are areas where fluids rich in hydrogen sulfide and methane leak from the seafloor. This fluid provides the energy to sustain large communities of life in the harsh conditions that exist in the deep sea (no light, approximately 4°C temperature, and more than 100 atmospheres of pressure). At cold seeps, bacteria create food via chemosynthesis in the absence of light, using the chemicals in the fluid, in a similar way to plants, which use sunlight for photosynthesis. These tubeworms do not have a gut or mouth and instead host these bacteria within them providing food directly. They are also keystone species, forming forests that then provide habitat for other species living at the seeps. “There is so much we don’t know about the waters around Trinidad and Tobago. Perhaps one day these tubeworms will be as iconic as our hummingbirds or the leatherback turtle," added Dr Amon, a director and founder of SpeSeas. "Not only are we fortunate to have an amazing diversity of life on land and in shallow waters here in Trinidad and Tobago but also down in the deep sea.” She notes that she continues to collaborate with Prof. Gobin on several other deep-sea projects. Reached for comment, Professor Gobin said: “This must surely be a crowning point of my extensive marine career and I am truly honoured. I sincerely thank the authors.” It is her hope that deep-sea science will continue to grow in Trinidad and Tobago. (Source: The Loop, March 23, 2023) |
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