Ebuzz News
T&T’s DJ Charlotte, Others Join Campaign to End “Period” Stigma.
U by Kotex will launch a campaign aimed at addressing period stigma on International Women’s Day, Wednesday 8th March 2023.
This latest public awareness initiative includes a powerful cast and crew that includes well-known Trinidad and Tobago personalities, including music aficionado DJ Charlotte, former beauty queen and media personality Yia-Loren Gomez, marketing professional Laura Narain, radio personality Virmala ‘Shala’ Balkaran and regional culinary consultant, Chef Brigette Joseph.
The national campaign is in line with the brand’s goal to provide products that meet women’s health needs and ensure that all women have access to period products across Trinidad and Tobago.
Designed to call out Period Stigma, the campaign tackles the social taboo and gender stereotypes that stigmatize menstruation as ‘unclean’ and ‘dirty’, something that has caused several women to experience menstruation under a cloak of secrecy and shame. The stigma has leaving many without access to the resources needed to manage their menstrual health safely. “Being a part of this campaign lets me highlight both the stigma of having a period and period poverty – both topics being very important to me, all while working with a women-led team; from photographer and videographer to content creators and other accomplished women in their fields was nothing short of fulfilling,” said Chef Brigette Joseph.
This influencer marketing campaign, developed and managed by award-winning advertising agency 10 Caribbean Marketing, will encourage people to engage in open discussions about women’s menstrual cycle, while advocating for improved access to sanitation products through its critical messaging on period perceptions.
Together with its brand ambassadors, U by Kotex is working to bring awareness to challenges faced in menstrual health, by sharing messages that encourage conversations among adolescents to normalize menstruation and to view women as the capable, competent period-having people they are. As the founding sponsor of the Alliance for Period Supplies, the company has already donated more than 53.1 million period products globally to help women in need.
U by Kotex’s Brand Manager, Samantha Chandool said, “U by Kotex created the feminine category 100 years ago and believes nothing should get in the way of a woman’s progress – not her period or the negative perception around periods.”
The launch date of the campaign, International Women’s Day, is in direct alignment with this year’s global theme of #EmbraceEquity. U by Kotex’s mission is clear: nothing should get in the way of a woman’s progress, especially not her period or the negative perceptions around periods.
Ebuzz News
Stevie Wonder Joins KestheBand On Stage at DC Jazz Fest – A Big Moment for Caribbean Culture.
Internationally loved and embraced Soca band, KesTheBand delivered yet another unforgettable moment for Caribbean music last Saturday, September 5th – this time at the DC Jazz Festival. It was there, in the midst of the enjoyment that a special opportunity presented itself – Kees Dieffentaller would meet the global music icon, Stevie Wonder.
The surprise appearance marked a continuation of a weekend that placed KestheBand and Caribbean music at the center of some of the most significant cultural moments of Labour Day weekend. The set included an uptempo lyrical mashup of “I Just Called To Say I Love You” and “Savannah Grass,” which received thunderous applause from adoring fans.
Crediting his parents in an emotional social media post following their debut at DC Jazz Fest, lead singer, Kees Dieffenthaller shared that the Stevie Wonder hit “was the first record I had on repeat as a child.” The moment was a powerful one as Soca music and a Trinidad and Tobago band that dedicatedly promotes the genre along with their country, came face to face with one of the most influential global artistes in music history.
Just one night earlier, on Friday, September 4th, KesTheBand electrified Soca Fest at Brooklyn museum in New York, where the band was introduced by Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. The appearance brought together Caribbean music, culture and community in one of New York’s most prominent Labor Day weekend celebrations and venues.
Kees went on to serve as an Honorary Grand Marshal of the West Indian Day Parade. The honor was shared with dancehall and reggae superstar, Buju Banton.
Kes the Band with New York City Mayor, Zohran Kwame Mamdani
Ebuzz News
A Band That’s Building Legacy for Culture. Blow Mano Blow Promises Memorable Carnival 2027 with Tribute to The Birdie.
Amid a chorus of consistent calls across the length and breath of the country for more creativity and commitment to cultural preservation in Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, one band continues to answer the call. Bert and Dianne Marcellin’s ‘Blow Mano Blow’ have once again stepped up to the cultural plate, prepared to remind the world, through mas, of the contributions made by a true stalwart of Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival and culture.
Though born in Grenada, The Mighty Sparrow was raised in Trinidad and Tobago from a young age. His achievements over decades at the forefront of Calypso music, have been plenty. World- over The Mighty Sparrow is known as The Calypso King of the World. Now, ahead of another Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago in 2027, ‘Blow Mano Blow’ – an all-inclusive, Carnival Monday T-Shirt band, is set to revel with five well thought-out sections that were revealed this past Saturday night, in Port-of-Spain. The theme is for 2027 is ‘To Birdie with Love.’
The band launch, hosted at the Garden Theatre of the Queen’s Hall in St. Ann’s, saw band faithfuls and friends gather to view and choose the sections they’d be hitting the streets in, come Monday, February 8th, 2027. A well-produced theatrical showcase unfolded just after 10pm – marking the start of what would be a band launch filled with much humour and excitement. From ‘Happy School Days’ to ‘Congo Man,’ ‘Marajhin,’ ‘Margarita’ and ‘Jean and Dinah,’ the songs that have brought great laughter and joy to Calypso lovers around the world for many years, now becomes tangible expressions for the road in T&T Carnival 2027.
On launch night, Bert Marcellin said he was pleased to continue the work that his father, Mano Marcellin began many years ago. With his father’s dedication at the core of Bert’s determination to keep culture alive, the younger Marcellin paid it forward on Saturday night.
Presenting a young, female musician with a gift from the the band, he shared that his father believed musicians were lovers. “Tonight we are paying tribute to Sparrow but we also need to pass the baton on. My dad used to say, musicians are lovers, not fighters so all the folks who have kids, get them to pick up an instrument and get into music; Do something positive,” said Bert, explaining that music is a recipe for stress relief. The owner of Brass 2 the World, the brass band that accompanies his mas band on the road on Carnival Monday, Bert advocates for creatives in a strong way. “Music is enjoyment, it’s an occupation and it makes people happy,” he said, before presenting Tiquana Joseph with an instrument, courtesy Brass 2 The World. “Tiquana started her music career. She is in the Trinidad and Tobago cadets and she just started her theory. She is reading music and we want to give her a start,” he said before presenting the young lady with her very own trombone.
The band is all-inclusive and presents an alternative option that’s reasonably priced, safe and at its core – an ode to Trinidad and Tobago’s culture. In 2026, Blow Mano Blow will be joined in partnership with Sweet 100FM. The radio station presents Jean and Dinah for the road. Over the years, Blow Mano Blow has paid tribute to several well known and well loved legends, among them, Calypso Rose and Lord Kitchener.
Fun, culturally sound and welcoming to every true fan of Trinidad and Tobago’s Greatest Show on Earth, Bert and Dianne Marcellin’s Blow Mano Blow is expected to once again offer patrons an amazing time on the road on Carnival Monday. Live instrumental accompaniment courtesy Brass 2 The World, with Snakey and Sanelle Dempster, food, drinks and a costume that pays homage – what more could a real culture lover want? On Saturday night, patrons got a taste of what’s to come on the road come 2027. The band delivered powerfully, Sanelle proving that she is still the woman who can command any audience. Also appearing as a guest at the event was Ding Dong who made the crowd feel every bit of excitement for yet another carnival on the way.
The energy of the season of revelry in T&T may be months away, but for die hard carnival lovers, this taste of what’s to come was incentive enough to go secure their costumes with Blow Mano Blow. In the audience, one patron could be heard discussing her choice for the road – “I like Congo Man,” she told her friend excitedly. “That is what we going with eh!”
No matter which section’s chosen, one thing’s for sure, Blow Mano Blow will deliver yet again, with the people in mind, on Carnival Monday next year.
For more information on how you can play with Blow Mano Blow, follow them on Facebook.
