Health and Fitness
Is Your Favorite Caribbean Artiste Really OK? Dr. Latoya Lewis Says Artistes Must Pour Back into Themselves.
Unlike International artistes, Caribbean Soca artistes in particular are on a constant hamster wheel. They’re mandated to deliver season after season, and with constant pressure from fans on and off social media, the challenge to remain relevant presents itself.
From online gimmicks and forced engagement to keep their fan bases alive, to touring commitments that keep them away from their families for weeks on end, the job of an artiste in the Caribbean is no easy feat. Still, they do what they must without public complaint, aiming to please fans and take their culture to global audiences. The question though remains, who’s looking out for the artiste? Who’s checking in with your favorite entertainer to make sure he or she is as good as they seem to be on social media?
DR. LATOYA LEWIS BREAKS IT DOWN.
Dr. Lewis is a Trinbagonian award-winning speaker. In addition, she’s a leading voice in healthcare equity, end-of-life dignity, and soul-centered leadership. She serves as an Associate Professor of Clinical at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies. Her chat with Ebuzztt.com was centred around mental health and cultural subjectivity in dealing with what is a very serious health issue, globally.
Caribbean artistes and even international artistes, she admitted, are prone to feel the immense pressure of ‘expectation.’ “As creative individuals, at times you have to put on a mask and it’s not only in the artiste space. You’re putting on a mask where everything is perfect, all the time,” she highlighted. Dr. Lewis cautioned that while creatives generally put their audience first, ensuring that they show up and give their best no matter what, there must be consideration given to ensuring that there is reciprocation. “Because of that high desire to please their fans, they’re constantly pouring out. There must be balance though. There must be systems that allow them to pour back into themselves. Some artistes may not have a community of people to pour back into them,” she said.
In a recent interview, when asked how she had been doing and where she draws her strength from, soca artiste, Patrice Roberts told journalist, Dionne Baptiste- Clarke of Your Caribbean Guide that she had never been asked that question. Roberts became a single mother when her fiancee, fellow soca artiste, Ricardo Drue suddenly passed away almost two years ago. Since that time, the entertainer has continued hard on the soca circuit, performing at multiple major International venues and remaining consistent musically. Dr. Lewis says artistes are always dealing with the weight of the world’s expectations. She suggested that creatives in the Caribbean look beyond the Caribbean-centric stigma associated with rest, and do what is necessary to fill their mental health cup.”They may not be talking to a therapist, but there are other mental health coping mechanisms that may be useful to anyone really. Spending time in quiet places and also spending time with family that doesn’t require you doing something for the family, are just two considerations,” she explained.
On the concept of ‘rest’ in the Caribbean and the long standing Caribbean view that resting equates to laziness, Dr. Lewis said this hidden stigma could go all the way back to Caribbean ancestry. “It’s a traditional concept. If you want to rest you can’t do that. You can never say you’re tired, and you’re expected to be resilient and strong all the time. That can create mental health challenges that can impact creative expression,” said the medical practitioner. She added to her suggestions for self healing, noting that journaling one’s thoughts, sketching, and even recording voice notes for personal documenting, are ways to shift the creative energy inward to support healing that’s not dependent on other people.
STAY TUNED FOR PART II
Health and Fitness
Gymnast Thema Williams Hosts Wellness Wednesday, Beginning Tomorrow.
Former Olympic Gymnast and Founder of health and wellness-based company Stretch4Stress, Thema Williams is partnering with Welcome Week Festival 2023 as its Director to host a new edition of Wellness Wednesday. The event will take place during the first installment of a thrilling 4-day series of events for Trinidad Carnival 2023, beginning Wednesday 15th February in Macoya.
Ms. Williams’ Stretch4Stress, a robust mobility program, is focused on improving the overall well-being, productivity and quality of life of individuals. This year, she has been named Event Director of ‘Wellness Wednesday’ which will focus on a holistic approach to health.
Williams explains that the theme of the Wellness Wednesday program is “Lewwe hold ah MEDS – Mindset, Exercise, Diet, and Soca,” which represents all the things truly loved by Caribbean people. Her wellness-based initiative – established to teach and encourage positive health-conscious decision-making in an exciting way, will be held at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya from 4pm- 8pm. General admission is $300.00.
Welcome Week Festival 2023 promises to be a much-needed addition to the exciting line-up of entertainment, culture and wellness, which includes food, wellness, technology and music during Trinidad Carnival week. With a special guest performance by Soca Artiste Ding Dong and a host of exciting live experiences in yoga, meditation, Zumba and more, it promises to be an experience that brings fitness with a difference to the national landscape.
For additional information, please visit:
Website: https://welcomeweekfestivals.com/
Instagram: @welcomeweekfestivals
Be The Change
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Barbados’ Cynthia Johnson Pushes Education.
October is here and all month long, Breast Cancer awareness will be a focal point worldwide. In the Caribbean community, one Bajan woman, who’s fought the good fight, maintains her superpower as an educator and volunteer through the organization, For The Breast of Us.
FTBOU brings women of color impacted by Breast Cancer together, providing support in all its forms, guidance, and platforms for sharing and learning.
The reality of breast cancer gets even more nuanced when broken down into the communities within the communities of color. For example, Black women are more likely than women of other races to develop triple-negative breast cancer, associated with poorer short-term prognosis, and represent only 6.2% of cancer clinical trials.
Hispanic women are more likely than non-Hispanic white women to be diagnosed with tumors that are larger and are hormone receptor-negative, both of which are more difficult to treat; they represent only 2.2% of cancer clinical trials. Asian and Pacific Islander women, whose incidents of breast cancer have been rising, represent only 3.3% of cancer clinical trials.
For the Breast of Us Bajan Baddie Ambassador-Cynthia Johnson is the CEO & Creative Director of Our Like Vibes. Cynthia crafted the design aesthetic for Our Like Vibes and other brands like Bajans & Friends for Health & Education and Caribbean Heritage Magazine. She was diagnosed with Stage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in 2018, one year before she was old enough to begin regular mammograms. After a lumpectomy, chemo, and radiation, Cynthia is currently undergoing hormone therapy. To cope, Cynthia shared her journey candidly on social media. This led her to educate and advocate for breast cancer and health disparities. Cynthia lives by the mantra, “If you’ve got to go through it, GLOW through it.”
An educator by day, at night, Cynthia glows by volunteering her time as a Baddie Ambassador with For The Breast of Us, an Advocacy Ambassador for the Susan G. Komen Center for Public Policy, a certified global educator with the Know Your Lemons Foundation, a member of Alpha Kappa Sorority, Inc. and a proud Bajan Baddie! She believes one of the major issues is women of color being misdiagnosed or their diagnoses being delayed. This can be due to ignorance or unfamiliarity with the culture the patient represents. “We have to teach doctors to look past the fact that a woman speaks differently or that as black women we’re bigger women most times or that we’re overweight, and see what our concerns are, because they may not even understand that reality. You’re not going to tell Caribbean women to stop eating carbs – that’s just not real!,” she said recently.
Johnson makes it clear that understanding the cultural nuances is integral in making the best choices for those impacted by breast cancer. FTBOU helps those in the medical industry in this fashion and advocates for the right persons to be in the room when important decisions are made.
Cynthia knows that to do better, you must know better. She hopes that by sharing her story, she can arm women with the tools necessary to understand and advocate for their health while breaking down barriers to equitable health outcomes for people of color.
Cynthia can be found online at @cynserity. @ourlikevibes
A LITTLE ABOUT FTBOU
FTBOU is an organization born three years ago with a single mission: Create a safe space for women of color diagnosed with breast cancer and reinforce them that they are not alone. Understanding the importance of representation, FTBOU has successfully expanded its diverse ambassadors from the two founders to thirty Baddie Ambassadors over the last two years. Tapping into various women from all walks of life, with different diagnosis and treatment routes, allows the organization to expand its voice and the women who can benefit from it.
Additionally, all ambassadors have a personal commitment and bias for action regarding advocacy and staying up to date with the latest cancer treatment developments—all to give it back when helping new breast cancer patients. In the last two years, FTBOU has also accomplished two successful retreats that have brought survivors from all over the nation to inspire and educate them as they craft their journeys.
Special note: For the Breast of Us will host their inaugural sneaker ball, “We Run This Gala,” during Breast Cancer Awareness month on October 15, 2022, in Houston, Texas. The Gala provides a platform where breast cancer survivors and thrivers are celebrated nationwide, along with those advocating and educating our community and those no longer with us. This Gala is another creative idea from the organization aiming to mobilize support in the fight against breast cancer, connecting their favorite wear – sneakers – with their favorite elegance.
