The Toronto Reggae Festival
By
JuLion
Last year 2003, Lionel Gayle of the Jamaica Star and the Extra, asked me of what I thought of the reggae scene for 2004. At the time I had completed another year with www.canadianreggaeworld.com, pushing and promoting live Canadian reggae music. When Mr. Gayle asked me the question my mind was squarely on the fact that the rumor mill had it so that The Bambu - supposedly an improvement on the old Bamboo on Queen Street - was in dire straits and in the process of closing.

My thoughts were of finding proper accommodation for live Canadian reggae to continue. As a venue, the Bamboo / Bambu was angel and devil. The "angel', many Canadian acts deserve whatever notoriety they have received through the weekly performances at the 'Boo', who has fans dating back 20 years.

The 'devil' comes form the treatment many of these acts received from the man who did the booking for years who treated everyone like dirt, knowing his was the only place to perform. If he liked you, he did have some favorites; you got shows on a regular. If you were not on the 'ins' you needed to call weekly and remind him that you were out there.

Good or bad, it was still a place keeping the Canadian reggae flag flying alongside Jones and Jones who successfully included Canadian acts with the international acts to a knowledgeable reggae audience.

As I looked forward, I told Lionel that I saw a very bleak future for the Canadian reggae scene for 2004 and I was totally right and totally wrong. I was correct, as live Canadian reggae is not reaching the large audiences as it has in the past. Michael Garrick, Steele, LeeJahn, Donna Makeda, King Ujah, The Mountain Edge Band, Leroy Smart, The Sattalites, IBADAN and many, many more are on the shelf or performing at special events to smaller audiences, very infrequently. Canadian reggae is currently in a lull. As with anything else, we will eventually climb out of this funk.

I was wrong because I did not know of the Montreal Reggae Festival www3.sympatico.ca/reggae.festival/, or of the Calgary International Reggae Festival www.calgaryreggaefestival.com. These are exciting times for the Canadian reggae scene. Both are in the embryonic stages of development, but are getting it right by bringing huge international reggae stars to our shores and including Canadian reggae artists like, Belinda Brady, King Ujah and Donna Makeda. They are worthy of our support promoting and pushing Canadian reggae talents. Special mention also to the Irie Festival who put many of our Canadian stars on the stage alongside the big stars.

I was most right, as The Toronto Reggae Festival deserves much FIRE underneath them. For the folks who do not understand the lingo, when you "bun a fire" ie, Burn Fire, you detest said person or institution or situation. So on behalf of Canadian Reggae artists I say a collective "BUN FIRE" on the Babylon Toronto Reggae Festival.

Where are the invitations to Canadian Reggae artists?

Where are the Canadian DJ's, sounds and or announcers?

Fire bun dem until they include Canadian stars like Juno winners Lazo, The Sattalites, Sonia Collymore, Nana Maclean or Leroy Brown.

Canadian Reggae World Association will NOT support the Babylon reggae show.