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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Barbados’ Cynthia Johnson Pushes Education.

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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.”

Barbados born, Cynthia Johnson

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. 

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Della

    24th October 2022 at 4:36 PM

    Great read!

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Be The Change

Dwayne Bravo Foundation Charity Golf Tournament Returns for Year Two, With Team Wilco Taking Back-to-Back Victory.

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The Dwayne Bravo Foundation Charity Golf Tournament returned to St. Andrews Golf Club, Moka, Maraval in Trinidad on Monday for its second year, bringing together some of Trinidad and Tobago’s biggest names in sport, corporate T&T and a new generation of golfers for a day of competition, camaraderie and giving back.

When the final putt dropped, it was a familiar trio at the top of the leaderboard.

Team Wilco, comprising Liam Bryden, Ryan Gomez and Willie Medford, successfully defended the tournament title, becoming back-to-back champions after taking the inaugural title in 2025 as Team MRI. The three players returned this year as Team Wilco, proving that their winning combination remains intact.

The tournament was hosted by Dwayne Bravo, head coach of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) and former West Indies all-rounder, and featured a strong gathering of sporting legends, TKR personalities, corporate leaders and young golfers.

2nd Place – Team TKR2 (62.2)

Among those in attendance were West Indies batting legend Brian Charles Lara, Trinidad and Tobago football legend Russell Latapy, TKR CEO Venky Mysore and members of the TKR team, along with representatives from corporate Trinidad and Tobago. The event also welcomed members of the Trinidad and Tobago national youth golf team, giving some of the country’s emerging golfers the opportunity to share the course with established sporting figures and business leaders.

While the competition on the course was spirited, the purpose behind the tournament remained at the heart of the day.

Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony, Bravo shared his long-term vision for the Foundation and the impact he hopes its work will continue to have on children across Trinidad and Tobago.

Since its establishment in 2015, the Dwayne Bravo Foundation has supported children, families and communities through a range of charitable initiatives. The Foundation has now donated more than $200,000 to causes and programmes across Trinidad and Tobago including the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Martha El Katow Home, he Credo Foundation for Justice, the Margaret Kistow Home, , the Living Water Community – Our Lady of the Wayside Home, St Jude’s Home for Girls and Helping Her TT.

3rd Place – Team Sanitation Solutions (62.7)

The Charity Golf Tournament is an extension of that commitment, using sport to bring people together while raising funds to support the Foundation’s ongoing work.

Year Two was made possible through the support of sponsors Ansa Motors, Proton, Carib, Bmobile, Coca-Cola, Dynamed Medical and Rhino Pack, whose partnership helped bring the tournament back to the greens for another year.

For Bravo, the event is about more than a day of golf. It is about creating a platform where sport, business and community can come together to make a tangible difference.

The Foundation will continue to build on its charitable work, with its focus firmly on creating opportunities and providing support for children and families in need.

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Be The Change

Season of Anansi Returns, Bringing Folklore, Afro-Futurism and Epic Storytelling to a New Generation.

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Trinidad and Tobago’s beloved trickster spider is once again spinning a web across the nation as the Season of Anansi National Folklore Festival returns for its fourth edition, continuing a decade-long mission to transform local folklore into a dynamic force for education, performance and cultural innovation.

Produced by the Wire Bend Folklore Theatre, the festival has become one of the country’s most ambitious youth-focused cultural initiatives, blending storytelling, theatre, literature, visual arts and Afro-Futurist imagination while reaching thousands of students and audience members across Trinidad and Tobago.

This year’s festival has already been making its way through primary and secondary schools nationwide via its popular Anansi Storytelling Tour, which runs throughout April, May and June. Students have been treated to immersive performances inspired by the bestselling New Adventures of Anansi book series, as well as engaging explorations of folklore, history and Caribbean identity.

Schools visited so far include Naparima Girls’ High School, St Mary’s College, Sangre Grande Secondary School, Chaguanas Government Primary School, Four Roads Government Primary School, Curepe Fatima RC School, St Helena Presbyterian School, and the Pentecostal Light and Life Foundation Multifaceted Educational Complex in Tobago, among others.

The festival’s reach has extended beyond the classroom. In a recent collaboration with the Alliance Française during its Week of Latin America and the Caribbean, audiences packed the venue for a sold-out presentation that explored the origins of Anansi, the enduring relevance of folklore, and live dramatic excerpts from the New Adventures of Anansi novels.

Building on a Landmark Year

The 2026 season follows what organizers describe as a breakthrough year for the festival.

In 2025, the festival significantly expanded its footprint through the multimedia exhibition and seminar Black Infinite: The Global Rise of Afro-Futurism, staged at CinemaOne IMAX. The event attracted international contributors, academics, creatives and pop-culture enthusiasts, introducing global science fiction and fantasy audiences to Trinidad and Tobago’s growing presence within the Afro-Futurist movement.

The festival also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the acclaimed stage adaptation of Anansi & the 10 Dragons with a major production at Queen’s Hall, while a moving Tribute to the Storytellers at the Little Carib Theatre honoured legendary cultural figures Paul Keens Douglas, Aunty Thea and the late Rapso artist Brother Book.

Organizers say the 2026 edition aims to deepen those international and local relationships while strengthening the schools outreach programme that has long been at the heart of the festival’s mission.

Reimagining Folklore for the Future

For 11 years, Wire Bend Folklore Theatre has been dedicated to presenting curriculum-aligned cultural programming that introduces young audiences to folklore through contemporary performance techniques and cutting-edge technology.

Since 2015, the company has created 13 original productions and performed for thousands of students and public audiences throughout the country. Its signature style combines elaborate costumes crafted by master artisans with interactive animation, digital media and immersive theatrical storytelling.

At the centre of the movement is founder and artistic director Rubadiri Victor, author of the bestselling New Adventures of Anansi series. Victor’s novels have helped pioneer a new wave of Caribbean folkloric fantasy fiction, reimagining ancestral stories for modern readers while inspiring live performances that continue to captivate school audiences.

One of the series’ most distinctive innovations is its focus on a female Anansi character—the young grandmother of the famous spider trickster—offering fresh perspectives on gender, leadership and resilience while challenging traditional storytelling conventions.

The stories tackle themes that resonate strongly with contemporary audiences, including community breakdown, misinformation, tyranny, slavery, greed and self-absorption, all while remaining rooted in the rich traditions of Trinidad and Tobago’s folklore.

Folklore Meets Afro-Futurism

A major highlight of this year’s programme will be the return of Black Infinite: The Global Rise of Afro-Futurism, which will be remounted at the National Library’s Rotunda in Port of Spain from July 6 to July 16.

The exhibition explores the growing global influence of Afro-Futurism and its connections to Caribbean storytelling traditions, offering visitors a unique blend of visual art, history, speculative fiction and cultural commentary.

For festival organizers, the objective remains clear: to inspire young people to see themselves reflected in epic stories and to recognize their own communities, landscapes and cultural traditions as worthy of imaginative exploration on the grandest scale.

As the Season of Anansi continues throughout June, the festival once again demonstrates that folklore is far from a relic of the past. In the hands of a new generation of storytellers, artists and dreamers, it remains a powerful force for creativity, identity and cultural transformation.

The Black Infinite: The Global Rise of Afro-Futurism exhibition opens at the National Library Rotunda, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, from July 6–16, 2026. Admission is free.

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