Gleaner Na 202111

THE WEEKLY GLEANER | NOVEMBER 4 - NOVEMBER 10, 2021 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | ENTERTAINMENT 10 Leonard McKenzie/Contributor BROOKLYN, NY: D OWNTOWN BROOKLYN, the centre of the Caribbean American universe, lived up to its hype on Sunday, October 3, with the staging of, ‘Atlantic Antic’, the annual street festival on Atlantic Avenue, first started in the Fall of 1975. THE 46TH annual street festival, now considered the oldest street fest of its kind in the bustling borough, was noth- ing short of its previous years of glitter, glamour and goodies, despite the pan- demic. There was something for every- one along the busy downtown stretch of the avenue, from food, craft, cloth- ing, to games and music. The missing ingredients were the steel drums, the floats and the costumes! On the west side of Atlantic Avenue, at the Fort Green section, the iconic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) was cele- brating its 26th annual R&B music festival in the park. Headlining that seg- ment of the festivities was Jamaica’s reggae Grammy Award winner Michael (Mykal) Rose, an original member of the Black Uhuru ensemble. With song after song, the diverse crowd of music lovers hung on to every note from his award-winning catalogue well into the night, as he paid tribute to the likes of Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and DJ Daddy U-Roy. Rose, like the showman he is, used the occasion to début a first-time, live rendition of his new song, I Give You Love , to wild applause. Music festivals rock Atlantic Avenue Reggae fans welcome Black Uhuru’s Mykal Rose THE BLACK ROSE. Grammy Award-winning reggae crooner Mykal Rose of Black Uhuru fame, on stage at the Atlantic Antic street festival, held along Atlantic Avenue, downtown Brooklyn, on October 3. PANDEMIC NO, PANDEMONIUM YES. A section of the crowd that jammed into Atlantic Avenue, downtown Brooklyn, for the 46th staging of the Atlantic Antic street festival on October 3. PHOTOS BY LEONARD MCKENZIE CARIBBEANFOLKensemble, theBraata FolkSingers, will grace thevirtual stage yet again with a one-night-only, live stream event. Armed with their ex- panded repertoire, this performance will mark the New York-based group’s first virtual live stream of the year. The concertwill include themuch-loved in- spirational, folk and reggae songs from the June andOctober 2021 concerts. THE BRAATA Folk Singers, under the creative direction of Jamaica-born actor, singer, and producer Andrew Clarke, and the musical direction of Joel Edwards, present ‘Rebirth’ on Sunday, November 14, at 6 p.m. Creative director Andrew Clarke said, “With the popularity of the live shows in June and October, we had to treat our patrons who weren’t able to make it in person to this fantastic concert. This show is unlike anything the Braata Folk Singers have presented in its over 10-year history, and we are proud to be bringing the production to people in the comfort of their homes.” The concert is produced by Braata Productions, which is dedicated to giving Caribbean and Caribbean American artistes a platform to show- case their work and talents. Their mission is to transform lives through cultural awareness and the arts, and to bring Caribbean folk culture, art- ists, music, stories, movement, and theatre into more prominent spaces, while providing an opportunity for Caribbean artists to receive greater recognition. The Braata Folk Singers are proud ambassadors of Caribbean folk music. Queens County is home to one of the world’s largest communities of Caribbean expatriates. This programme is supported, in part, by the public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnershipwith the City Council and council member Alicka Ampry-Samuel. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Formore information, toRSVPfor tickets, or to donate to the Braata Folk Singers, visit https://www.braataproductions . org/bfsrebirthvirtual. Braata Singers to stage virtual concert THE OLE Farmers Association North America, Inc’s (OFANA) annual northeast fundraiser will be held on December 11 at 8 pm via the Zoom platform. The event promises a rich cultural experience that will feature renowned reggae artiste EVER-G, who will be favourably com- plemented by performances from Zarina Adams, steel pan specialist, and Nadine Williams, international poet. The MC for the event will be Dervan Malcolm of Power 106 FM. OVER THE years, this fundraiser that generally attracts more than 300 at- tendees was an in-person event, held in Stamford, Connecticut. However, COVID-19 has forced the migration of OFANA’s major fundraiser to a virtual platform this year. As a reminder, 100 per cent of the funds that OFANA collects goes to support the students at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE). Summarily since its inception, OFANA has contributed US$120,000 to the OFANA Plant Tissue Culture Lab at CASE as well as funded 62 scholarships valued at US$60,900. Additionally, dur- ing the pandemic, OFANA has donated 151 laptops to support distance learn- ing for the students. Generally, OFANA regional vice-pres- idents in the US and inToronto, Canada, conduct fundraising activities that are supported by donations and through annual membership dues to fund its activities at CASE. However, the pan- demic has severely curtailed fund- raising effort, hence OFANA requests your attendance at the December 11 virtual event as well as your financial contribution. Tickets for the event are now on sale at the Eventbrite® link below. The costs are $30 per person for the early birds and $35 on December 11. Co n t a c t : h t t p s : / / b i t . l y / OFANAculturalevent Website: https://olefarmers.com. OFANA’s annual northeast fundraiser goes virtual THE WE KLY GLEANER | NOVEMBER 4 - 3