Ebuzz News
T&T’s Budget Day is Here. UNITTY Campaign Launched to Aid in Curbing Crime. Will Government Do More?
Trinidad and Tobago’s government will announce its 2024 fiscal budget at 1:30pm today- October 2nd, 2023. It comes as the country continues to face a crime situation that many fear has affected international investment and foreign exchange earnings. On Friday, four children between the ages of 10 and 19, were laid to rest after being shot and killed at their Arima home one week earlier. There has been no arrest in the case.
With unceasing criminal activity taking place in a country once coined, ‘paradise’ by many of its nationals, both at home and abroad, there is a weight being carried by many citizens, that has become overbearing. Entertainer, Orlando Octave has stood resolute in his personal mission to use his celebrity and voice, to change the present situation though. Aided by two close friends and like-minded entertainment professionals, and engaging other artistes daily, Octave’s mission is becoming clearer with minute by minute.
Orlando, together with events professional, Jean Marc Aime and music producer, Randal Alexander of PengCo Music, have launched a campaign they call, UNITTY. Firmly leading the effort, Octave uses his spiritual enthusiasm and love for life and people to fuel his desire. Together with other Trinidad and Tobago creatives, such as Isasha, Erphaan Alves, Preedy, Jaron Nurse, DJ Lila and others, the mission to cleanse the minds of the country’s aggressors, is now underway.
“The overall mission is to curtail crime in our country- to give our young boys and girls a fighting chance,” explained Randal Alexander. A father himself, the super producer who has worked in the entertainment industry for many years, says he stands firmly in support of positive reinforcement. “What we would like to do is transform the media’s narrative, turning it from negative, to positive. The loudest noise is heard from a distance. If that noise is negative, a larger cross section of our society feeds on this negative noise. We must change that- flipping it from negative to positive,” he enforced.
Already, team UNITTY has produced a number of short interactive videos, engaging artistes on the topic of the crime epidemic that is sweeping through the land. In one of the videos, soca artiste Preedy, whose real name is, Akeem Chance, says he’s learnt that the most powerful words in the art of war is “I apologize.” “The problems and the solutions are right there,” he noted, mindfully telling the world that he will forever stand for unity. These videos have been making the rounds on social media, trickling into the subconscious of the people looking in.
Support for the initiative is tantamount to its overall success. “Our mission’s success is based on the amount of support we receive from people who have the resources to help – people who want to help,” said Alexander. Together with the core members of the team, Alexander revealed that a number of partners have shown interest and as such, a 100 day ‘POSITIVITY’ campaign has been launched. “This will be the forerunner to the main event – a coming together, a unifying and uplifting concert for change – a peace festival, which will take place at the close of the year.”
Radio stations and other media groups have been invited, and encouraged to partner on this tremendous undertaking. “This is no small feat. This has to be intentional. We also understand the importance of a covert approach, because our desire is not to turn the youth away,” said Alexander.
Trinidad and Tobago’s international reputation tarnished to a large extent, as a result of crime, Octave, Alexander, Aimey and so many others who’ve committed to the cause, say something must be done. “It’s better to try and fail than the alternative. This is our country. Our children and generations to come, will inherit our individual legacies, here, in this land. How can we stand by and watch this place, once considered Paradise, fall apart and not even try to create change?, he questioned.
Team UNITTY is calling on citizens, and corporations near and far, to take a leap of faith, in the name of little Faith and others like her. “They did not ask to be here. It is our job as parents, leaders, professionals, businessmen and women, to take care of them, provide a safe world for them, establish a no-nonsense approach to crime and criminal behavior. It can be done and it must be done. We must save our nation.”
To learn more about UNITTY, follow @codeisunitty on Instagram and to partner, call, 868-685-7364.
Ebuzz News
Patrice Roberts Pulls 10K Plus Crowd At Flava Village in Port-of-Spain.
The national Carnival Commission says more than 10,000 patrons came out to Flava Village at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Thursday night to see female Soca artiste, Patrice Roberts.
An event dubbed, ‘Always Us,’ held as a free showcase for Carnival lovers, delivered a number of truly entertaining soca stars, among them, Shal Marshall, Shurwayne Winchester, Nadia Batson, Farmer Nappy and Mical Teja. The NCC, in a media statement said, “an estimated 8,000 people filled the popular Carnival venue, with an additional 2,000patrons enjoying the show from viewing screens along The Drag, creating an electric Carnival atmosphere despite heavy rainfall earlier in the day.”
With her usual high energy performances, Patrice held the attention of fans throughout the night.The concert was described by the artiste as a heartfelt “thank you” to her fans and
supporters. NCC’s Chief Executive Officer, Keiba Jacob-Mottley, said the organisation welcomed the opportunity to partner with Roberts. “We commend Patrice for her decision to give back in this meaningful way and applaud her commitment to ensuring that high-quality local entertainment remains accessible to everyone during the Carnival season, Mottley said, adding, “Our collaboration reinforces the NCC’s focus on creating memorable Carnival experiences that celebrate our artistes while removing financial barriers for the public,” she added.
The NCC CEO noted that the Flava Food Village, one of two signature Carnival villages at the
Savannah, alongside the John Cupid Carnival Village, is offered as a vibrant, inclusive space
where patrons can enjoy food, culture, and nightly performances free of charge. She added
that other NCC events, such as “Welcome to the Gayelle” represent the continuing work at
delivering a successful Carnival 2026.
David Baptiste, President of the Carnival Entrepreneurs Association, described the night as a milestone for vendors at the Savannah. “Last night was truly beautiful and something I have never seen before – an event of this magnitude in terms of crowd size, and people supporting the vendors. Many vendors sold out last night. We need more of this, and I am looking forward to the next event. Events like these boost business for our vendors at the Savannah and make them truly feel like they are a part of the Carnival festival,” Baptiste said.
Ebuzz News
Squeezy Rankin’s Pivot. Artiste Goes Hard into Calypso to Change Mindsets.
From dancehall music with rough lyrical content to social commentary that aims at changing mindsets, East Trinidad native, Squeezy Rankin says he has found his true calling in Calypso music. The entertainer is on the road to the preliminary round of the Calypso Monarch Competition later this month, with a single called ‘Rat Race’ – this, one year after ‘Justice’ influenced younger audiences to take a stronger look at the Calypso genre, something that he hopes he can continue to do as his journey in music continues.
In a recent radio interview, the reigning Young King, whose real name is Anthony La Fleur, said prior to 2025, he had not done music professionally in 13 years. Jumping back into the spotlight, he said, was a bit intimidating, but the exposure last year has prepared him for 2026 and the artiste is expected to confidently claim his space in the Calypso Monarch competition this year.
As real as it gets, Squeezy Rankin- a man on the ground, has always fought for his place in the music industry locally. Now, as Calypso music embraces him even more, he says he believes he’s found his place. “I plan on releasing two songs during the year because I want to change the narrative that Calypso music is old people music,” he said, adding that his hope is that urban radio stations see the value in sharing topics of social commentary, such as ‘Justice’ and ‘Rat Race’- songs deep in meaning and valuable beyond measure, in the greater scheme of things.
Determined to change mindsets one song at a time, Squeezy Rankin says his strong suit is certainly social commentary and he will not, at any time, delve into political commentary. “I was advised by someone who is deep in politics to stay out of it and I literally listened. You know sometimes we hear people, but we aren’t listening. I thought about what he said, and it made sense. I literally listened, even though they say I don’t listen,” he said with a laugh.
‘Rat Race’ was written by Squeezy and Angelo Pantin with production by Q-Ban Production.
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