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Showing posts from October, 2014

Antigua's Potent Mix Of Heritage

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Panoramic view of English Harbour from Shirley Heights Most potent mixtures come in small packages, it is said, and this could be true for a piece of heritage that is tucked away in Antigua. In Antigua and Barbuda, the visitor is invited to experience the 365 beaches, and, of course, the unofficial cricketing capital of the Caribbean. The drive to Nelson's Dockyard is replete with the scenic beauty of this eastern Caribbean island, just before the break of dawn, the smell of nature - foliage, dewdrops and the skies waking up to welcome the new day. The winding road leads to this sheltered marina, the masts of yachts anchored rising from the distance, Nelson's Dockyard is home to a range of structures, which house a museum, restaurant and a bakery, which is perched up on a hillock, accessed by stone path. Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua - cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour On the steps of Dockyard Museum, which was the naval officer's and ...

Ska Vengers - An Indian Band's Journey Transcends Boundaries

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Ska Vengers: Raghav 'Diggy' Dang; Stefan Flexi K, Tony Bass, Begum X, 'The Late' Nikhil Vasuedan, and Delhi Sultanate Think music and India - the image of damsels in their ethnic chic finery gyrating to the beat of percussions flashes in mind. But the home of Bollywood and the lip-smacking curry is whipping the tunes of ska. Begum X and Delhi Sultanate, lead singers of Ska Vengers, the new kids on the ska block from the heart of India's capital, breezed through Jamaica recently. "This trip is about absorbing the culture and the vibe from the birthplace of reggae and ska," exuded Begum X. The couple had their share of mystic, divine and serene eastern vibes to share as they sought to create a confluence of music in divergent cultures. "Music has the ability to bring people from different backgrounds together," said Delhi Sultanate. "So what I would really like to see is more alternative venues, more street dances etc." ...

Shades of beauty in black + white

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'The Head' (right), one of the most intriguing photographs taken by Jamaican art photographer Ken Ramsay The soft lights reflected off the row of framed, black and white photographs, and as sun set in the distant horizon and the trees swayed in the cool evening breeze at Redbones Gallery in Kingston, the hues in the skies provided a creative perspective to the silhouettes and faces frozen in the frames. The occasion was to showcase and celebrate the works and life of Ken Ramsay, one of Jamaica's most prolific and well-known art photographers. "He always had different perspectives of life," recounted Anthony Bailey, Ramsay's nephew and one of the organisers of the exhibition. "This always reflected in whatever he did - from the riding boots and the scarf, which made a statement to his love and passion for capturing the beauty around him." Each piece of Ramsay's work, a heady mixture of creativity, craftsmanship and detail, has a story ...