2) First Tri-Council Meeting of the Year

On Thursday October 26, CSA had the honor of hosting the 1st Tri-Council meeting of the year. Our topic of discussion was Hip Hop and its Caribbean and African influences. We were fortunate to have “the Hip Hop guru” himself, Solomon Commissiong, come and give a very interesting and enlightening presentation on Hip Hop’s roots in African and Caribbean culture.

Solomon was very engaging as he questioned the audience’s beliefs and views about certain aspects of hip hop and its history. He analyzed the difference between Rap (a musical art form) and Hip Hop (a way of life). He also acknowledged the Caribbean-born originators of hip hop such Kool DJ Herc (Jamaica) and Grand Master Flash (Barbados).

Solomon discussed the nine aspects of Hip Hop and how they were influenced by other cultures. These included:
· Beat Boxing, which is rooted in hambone, a style of dance brought from West Africa by slaves who were stripped of their rhythmical instruments
· Break Dancing, which is believed to have originated from the Afro-Brazilian self-defense dance of capoeira
· MCing, a oral tradition that developed from Jamaican toasting and African griots (storytellers)

Following the presentation, we began to discuss contemporary hip hop (1990s- present) and how it has been taken out of our control and sold back to us by the music industry- a process that Solomon described as rap-sploitation.

In the end, Solomon encouraged the audience to look outside of what mainstream Hip Hop offered, because it has become something that its originators had not envisioned. I’m sure that everyone left the meeting with a greater appreciation and understanding of Hip Hop culture than before.

National Red Ribbon month serves two purposes: to raise awareness for both HIV/AIDS and drunk driving. In November 1991, President George Bush (Sr.) declared November National Red Ribbon Month because there was a high percentage of accidents due to drunk driving that resulted in fatalities.

November is also dedicated to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. In the last 20 years, this disease has ruined nations and devastated communities, primarily the black communities of the world. During this month many minority communities come together and discuss the effects of the pandemic and ways in which to educate others on how to protect themselves from contracting the virus.There are various programs and events held throughout the month that are recognized in the United States as well as around the world.

Remember to wear a red ribbon in remembrance of those who have passed and those who are currently suffering from the disease.

AIDS in the Caribbean
By Christena Williams


The Caribbean is known for its large tourism industry and export of exotic produce but few people understand that the region has the second highest rate of infection in the spread of HIV/AIDS in the world. The spread of the disease in the is greatest among young women between the ages of 18-44 that are living in poverty, experiencing unemployment, discrimination and gender inequalities. The country that has been has the highest rate of infection outside of sub-saharan Africa is Haiti. Fortunately,some of theCarribbean nations have created national response networks for HIV/AIDS through establishing national AIDS commissions, legislation, health service programs in rural areas, and regional participation groups.

AIDS or "Acquired Immunodefiency Syndrome" (a syndrome being a cluster of medical conditions caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which weakens and then destroys the body's immune system. HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly in the last two decades, causing massive human death and suffering, particularly in the developing world. There is a growing recognition that HIV/AIDS is not just a serious health issue in developing countries, but the epidemic threatens to dismantle the social and economic achievements of the past half century in the Caribbean.Some of the socio-cultural problems in region include early initiation of sexual activity, fear about discussion of sex and sexuality with young people, homophobia, growing sex tourism, prostitution especially among young girls, and ignorant behaviour toward sexual health associated with poor partner communication.HIV is spread primarily through heterosexual sex in the West Indies but the prevalence of casual sex and promiscuity has played a huge role in the rate of infection and cultural reaction to those that are infected with the disease.The increase in the use of intravenous drugs like heroine and cocaine in the region is contributing to the spread of the disease throughout the Caribbean.


Stigma toward being tested for HIV/AIDS or any other sexual transmitted disease make it difficult to help those infected with HIV when the disease shows no symptoms and the lack of antiretroviral medication therapy that is afforable to those in need. According to the UNAIDS report, less than a quarter of the people in the Caribbean in the are in need of antitretroviral medication were receiving it in 2005. The Global Fund has approved HIV/AIDS grants in 7 countries (Haiti, Cuba, Guyana, Belize, Jamaica, Domican Republic and Suriname) and 3 multi- country HIV/AIDS grants through the Caribbean Community and Common Market(CARICOM),the Organization of eastern Caribbean States(OECS) and the Caribbean Regional Network of People living with HIV/AIDS(CRN+), totaling $176 million in approved funding according to the Kaiser Family Foundation on the HIV Epidemic in the Caribbean Report.

Sources:
UNAIDS, 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, May 2006
UNAIDS, "Caribbean" Fact Sheet, May 2006
Kaiser Family Foundation, HIV Epidemic in the Caribbean Report 2006 http://www.carec.org http://www.caricom.org/jsp/community_organs/aids.jsp?menu=cob

2005 Facts and Figures from the World’s AIDS Bank

· The AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 24,000 lives in the Caribbean, making it the leading cause of death among adults aged 15-44 years.
· A total of 300,000 people are currently living with HIV, including 30,000 people who became infected in 2005.
· Haiti’s epidemic, one of the oldest in the world, could be turning a corner. Overall, the percentage of pregnant women testing HIV-positive shrunk by half from 1993 to 2003/2004—from 6.2% to 3.1%. But, the country still has the largest number of people living with HIV in the Caribbean.
· New HIV infections among women are surpassing those among men. In Trinidad and Tobago HIV infection levels are six times higher among 15-19 year-old females than among boys of the same age.

 Walk Good Miss Lou
“My childhood was filled
With cultural pride defined
By a bandana woman
Whose smile was as wide as the Caribbean Sea
With a laughter as hearty as Jamaica's jerk spice
Soaked into the skin of island life."

- Dedicated to Louise Bennett by Winston Nugent

This past summer, one of Jamaica’s beloved cultural icons, Louise Simone Bennett-Coverly, known simply as “Miss Lou” died on July 26, 2006 at the Scarborough Grace Hospital in Toronto, Canada. Miss Lou was a prominent “voice” for Jamaican and Caribbean people and also a pioneer for women as the first female figure to be well known in the areas of theater performance, poetry and story writing. She started to write stories and perform at the age of seven for her family and friends. Encouraged by her mother and grandmother to pursue her interest in the arts and literature, Miss Lou’s first dialect poem was written when she was fourteen.

Writing and reciting her poems in the 1930s and 40s had their “negative” effects as she was seen as an embarrassment to the community for using the Jamaican dialect. At that time, the dialect was not socially acceptable because “only the poor and illiterate spoke patois." Norman Grindley) Louise Bennett encountered the same hostility in school as many of her teachers did not see the value of her work. It was not until later, that she garnered critical acclaim for being one of the first individuals to legitimize “Jamaica talk” and to help instill a sense of pride in Caribbean language and history. Miss Lou thus championed the cause of removing the stigma of patois as a “dutty language” and in the process, helped to bring dignity and a sense of identity to the oral aspect of popular Jamaican culture and heritage.

Some of her publications include; Jamaica Humour in Dialect 1943, Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse 1950, Independence Anthology of Jamaican Literature 1962 and Jamaica Labrish which was released in 1966 and was an instant best-seller. Her writings have a didactic purpose which allowed her to narrate on important social, political and economic events and issues such as colonialism, colorism, and racism. In her lyrical yet poignant style, Miss Lou fused entertainment with education, the past with the present, real experiences with the language of the people. She has left a great legacy and will truly be missed.

5) Spotlight Member of the Month

Normeni Topka