Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network is an alliance of artists, artistic organizations and professionals of Caribbean heritage. We are interested in the presentation and promotion of creative products inspired by the art and culture of the Caribbean.We begin with the mobilization of these art practitioners to attend the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA) on an ongoing basis. This year, 2019 marks the 2nd occasion a Caribbean diaspora delegation from Canada will be participating in CARIFESTA XIV in Trinidad and Tobago, August 16-25th, 2019.
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Canadian Pride. Caribbean Vibe.
"Asserting ourselves. Celebrating our culture" |
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Who we are'
C-CAN was founded by Rhoma Spencer on April 15 2017, when a chosen group of arts practitioners and professionals began to plan and manage the Canada- Caribbean contingent for CARIFESTA XIII. Fast forward to CARIFESTA XIV and after a successful representation of the Caribbean artistic genres in Canada, C-CAN is excited once again to be a contingent at CARIFESTA XIV in Trinidad and Tobago. C-CAN’s current focus in CARIFESTA is aimed at opening up regional, national and international opportunities to present, promote and effectively market the artistic works of Ontario’s artists and artistic organizations of Caribbean heritage with potential Canada-wide impact. MISSION To instill and explore our cultural capacity through awareness of our creative 'Caribbeing' while remaining anchored to our Canadian reality. MANDATE To present and promote the Artistic products of our arts and creative practitioners of Caribbean heritage, whose works are inspired by the art and culture of the Caribbean. From the performing arts and film to multimedia and the culinary arts. |
WHERE WE ARE NOWPresently, we are planning our Toronto Fringe Festival Showcase, Danse Macabre Written and Directed by Rhoma Spencer with Costume Design by Candice Dixon of Sugacayne Designs from June 30- July 12. We are feverishly soliciting the financial support of the community, in addition to Corporate and Governmental support. We begin with our first fundraiser on March 14 and another on May 30. Get your tickets at nyamcomedy dot com. FUTURE INITIAtiVES
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THE COmmittee
MICHAEL LASHLEY| Project Manager / Chef De Mission
Is a Consultant in Business Development whose practice is frequently focused on culture and community development. Music is a key aspect of his passion for these two fields which he sees as effective community builders. He was the Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago in Toronto for many years and was also the Dean of the Consular Corps of Ontario. His range of academic and professional training includes International Relations, International Trade, and Foreign Languages. Fully trilingual: English, Spanish, and French, he currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Festival Management Committee (FMC) which is responsible for the Toronto Caribbean Carnival formerly known as Caribana; A Different Booklist Cultural Centre; and the Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network (C-CAN) where he was instrumental in organizing the first Diaspora contingent officially accredited to the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA).
Is a Consultant in Business Development whose practice is frequently focused on culture and community development. Music is a key aspect of his passion for these two fields which he sees as effective community builders. He was the Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago in Toronto for many years and was also the Dean of the Consular Corps of Ontario. His range of academic and professional training includes International Relations, International Trade, and Foreign Languages. Fully trilingual: English, Spanish, and French, he currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Festival Management Committee (FMC) which is responsible for the Toronto Caribbean Carnival formerly known as Caribana; A Different Booklist Cultural Centre; and the Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network (C-CAN) where he was instrumental in organizing the first Diaspora contingent officially accredited to the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA).
RHOMA SPENCER| C-CAN Artistic Director
Rhoma Spencer – A multi-hyphenated arts practitioner practicing in Toronto since 2001. A graduate of York University with an MFA in Directing, she formed Theatre Archipelago(TA) in 2005 and under her Artistic Direction the company produced Mad Miss /Just Jazz in 2005, Fallen Angel and the Devil Concubine (2006), Twilight Café (2007), I Marcus Garvey (2009) Obeah Opera (2012).
Acting credits include: House of Bernarda Alba (ModernTimes/Aluna), Solitudes (Aluna Theatre), Jean and Dinah (Lordstreet Theatre) Mad Miss, Fallen Angel and the Devil Concubine (TA/bcurrent), Stori Ya (bcurrent) and two seasons of the groundbreaking Afri-Canadian sitcom, Da Kink in my Hair for Global TV. Film: Sound of Tears (Short) which received an African Academy Award for Best Narrative Short (Diaspora). The Apartment (TV series Pilot for CCN TV6, Trinidad). The award winning film, Scarborough (Comfy Films), Deep Blue (HaMa Films). Dora nominee in 2023 and winner in 2005.
Directing credits include: Queen of the Road- The Calypso Rose Musical, Login Logout Password, Queerantine (C-CAN). Just Jazz, I Marcus Garvey, Our Lady of Spills, Twilight Cafe (Theatre Archipelago) Carnival Medea- Trinidad, For Colored Girls- USA and many more. In addition to stage, she has been the Artistic Director of Pan Alive, the Steelband Music Festival during Toronto Carnival . Follow her on Instagram: Rhoma Spencer, Facebook: Rhoma Spencer Entertainment
Rhoma Spencer – A multi-hyphenated arts practitioner practicing in Toronto since 2001. A graduate of York University with an MFA in Directing, she formed Theatre Archipelago(TA) in 2005 and under her Artistic Direction the company produced Mad Miss /Just Jazz in 2005, Fallen Angel and the Devil Concubine (2006), Twilight Café (2007), I Marcus Garvey (2009) Obeah Opera (2012).
Acting credits include: House of Bernarda Alba (ModernTimes/Aluna), Solitudes (Aluna Theatre), Jean and Dinah (Lordstreet Theatre) Mad Miss, Fallen Angel and the Devil Concubine (TA/bcurrent), Stori Ya (bcurrent) and two seasons of the groundbreaking Afri-Canadian sitcom, Da Kink in my Hair for Global TV. Film: Sound of Tears (Short) which received an African Academy Award for Best Narrative Short (Diaspora). The Apartment (TV series Pilot for CCN TV6, Trinidad). The award winning film, Scarborough (Comfy Films), Deep Blue (HaMa Films). Dora nominee in 2023 and winner in 2005.
Directing credits include: Queen of the Road- The Calypso Rose Musical, Login Logout Password, Queerantine (C-CAN). Just Jazz, I Marcus Garvey, Our Lady of Spills, Twilight Cafe (Theatre Archipelago) Carnival Medea- Trinidad, For Colored Girls- USA and many more. In addition to stage, she has been the Artistic Director of Pan Alive, the Steelband Music Festival during Toronto Carnival . Follow her on Instagram: Rhoma Spencer, Facebook: Rhoma Spencer Entertainment
Sashoya Simpson | Producer
Sashoya Simpson is an Afro-Jamaican multidisciplinary creative spanning producing, creative writing, and oral storytelling, alongside being a cultural leader and theatre interventionist whose work reimagines Caribbean ancestral narratives within a contemporary framework. She’s the award recipient of the ArtReach Pitch Contest (2016), an Emerging Arts Finalist for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts (2017), a Siminovitch Playwright Protégé Finalist (2023), and her work has been shortlisted in the CANSCAIP Writing for Children Competition (2023). She’s the founder of The Walking Griot collective, a space designed specifically for young Black audiences where they engage with stories rooted in their cultural mythology, Caribbean knowledge systems, and embodied experiences. Her stage play, LULU, recently won the Patron’s Pick Award at the Toronto Fringe Festival (2025), and her debut children’s picture book, The Instrument Maker, is forthcoming in 2027 (Annick Press). In addition, her screenwriting debut short film, A Quiet Morning, is slated for 2026. She is the recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation Che Kothari Artist and Instigator Award (2025) as well as a Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes Protégé (2025).
Sashoya Simpson is an Afro-Jamaican multidisciplinary creative spanning producing, creative writing, and oral storytelling, alongside being a cultural leader and theatre interventionist whose work reimagines Caribbean ancestral narratives within a contemporary framework. She’s the award recipient of the ArtReach Pitch Contest (2016), an Emerging Arts Finalist for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts (2017), a Siminovitch Playwright Protégé Finalist (2023), and her work has been shortlisted in the CANSCAIP Writing for Children Competition (2023). She’s the founder of The Walking Griot collective, a space designed specifically for young Black audiences where they engage with stories rooted in their cultural mythology, Caribbean knowledge systems, and embodied experiences. Her stage play, LULU, recently won the Patron’s Pick Award at the Toronto Fringe Festival (2025), and her debut children’s picture book, The Instrument Maker, is forthcoming in 2027 (Annick Press). In addition, her screenwriting debut short film, A Quiet Morning, is slated for 2026. She is the recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation Che Kothari Artist and Instigator Award (2025) as well as a Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes Protégé (2025).
Andil Gosine | Art Consultant is author of Nature’s Wild: Love, Sex and Law in the Caribbean and Professor of Environmental and Urban Change at York University, Toronto. His research and writing consider the operation and work of power and desire through analysis and creation of visual cultural expressions of animality, labour and sexuality.
In 2026, Dr. Gosine is a Resident Scholar at The Getty, and at Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme at L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). In 2024, he held the Beinecke Fellowship at the Clark Art Institute, and in 2025 was awarded a research fellowship at the Wereldmuseum’s Research Centre for Material Culture. Dr’ Gosine’s artistic and curatorial projects have been presented at galleries and museums in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, and he is also Curatorial Director of sx art.
In 2026, Dr. Gosine is a Resident Scholar at The Getty, and at Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme at L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). In 2024, he held the Beinecke Fellowship at the Clark Art Institute, and in 2025 was awarded a research fellowship at the Wereldmuseum’s Research Centre for Material Culture. Dr’ Gosine’s artistic and curatorial projects have been presented at galleries and museums in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, and he is also Curatorial Director of sx art.
Andil Gosine | Art Consultant is author of Nature’s Wild: Love, Sex and Law in the Caribbean and Professor of Environmental and Urban Change at York University, Toronto. His research and writing consider the operation and work of power and desire through analysis and creation of visual cultural expressions of animality, labour and sexuality.
In 2026, Dr. Gosine is a Resident Scholar at The Getty, and at Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme at L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). In 2024, he held the Beinecke Fellowship at the Clark Art Institute, and in 2025 was awarded a research fellowship at the Wereldmuseum’s Research Centre for Material Culture. Dr’ Gosine’s artistic and curatorial projects have been presented at galleries and museums in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, and he is also Curatorial Director of sx art.
In 2026, Dr. Gosine is a Resident Scholar at The Getty, and at Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme at L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS). In 2024, he held the Beinecke Fellowship at the Clark Art Institute, and in 2025 was awarded a research fellowship at the Wereldmuseum’s Research Centre for Material Culture. Dr’ Gosine’s artistic and curatorial projects have been presented at galleries and museums in North America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, and he is also Curatorial Director of sx art.
ROGER GIBBS | Music Director
Is a singer, music composer and Music Director with over three decades of contribution to the music scape in Toronto. He has produced Barbados on the Water for the Barbados Tourism Authority. Founded and produced Calypso Stars in 2012 for the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes (OCPA), an event that remains the biggest annual concert of Canadian Calypso and Soca. In 2009 and 2012 he worked as an Artistic Director for the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival. In 2011 he was the Musical Director of Theatre Archipelago’s critically-acclaimed I, Marcus Garvey by Edgar Nkosi White, directed by Rhoma Spencer. He has two solo CDs – “Spirit of Calypso” (1999) and “Calypso Classics on Guitar – vol. 1” (2005), and two with his band Shak Shak (2012). The first CD “Hot So” featured eleven tracks – seven original Caribbean Acoustic songs and three covers from the folk and calypso songbook.
Is a singer, music composer and Music Director with over three decades of contribution to the music scape in Toronto. He has produced Barbados on the Water for the Barbados Tourism Authority. Founded and produced Calypso Stars in 2012 for the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes (OCPA), an event that remains the biggest annual concert of Canadian Calypso and Soca. In 2009 and 2012 he worked as an Artistic Director for the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival. In 2011 he was the Musical Director of Theatre Archipelago’s critically-acclaimed I, Marcus Garvey by Edgar Nkosi White, directed by Rhoma Spencer. He has two solo CDs – “Spirit of Calypso” (1999) and “Calypso Classics on Guitar – vol. 1” (2005), and two with his band Shak Shak (2012). The first CD “Hot So” featured eleven tracks – seven original Caribbean Acoustic songs and three covers from the folk and calypso songbook.
KEVIN A. ORMSBY| Strategic Partnerships Consultant
Artistic Director of KasheDance, Adjunct artist with the Dance Exchange (Washington D.C), Mr. Ormsby is an Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Fellowship Recipient and a KM Hunter Award Nominee (2016), Toronto Arts Council Cultural Leaders Fellow (2015) and the Canada Council for the Arts’ Victor Martyn Lynch – Staunton Award recipient (2014). With many interest in dance from creative practice, administration, advocacy, writing and Arts Education, he is Program Manager of Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) delivering programming for professional and organizational development in the Arts. Kevin was a dancer with Garth Fagan Dance (NY), Assistant to the Artistic Director and Marketing / Outreach Coordinator for Ballet Creole, and has performed in works by Marie Josee Chartier, Allison Cummings, Ron K. Brown, Menaka Thakkur, Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, Garth Fagan and Liz Lerman and Lemi Ponifacio. He is Co- Vice President of the Canadian Dance Assembly, and Chairs both the National Standing Council (Dance Companies) and the Pluralism Committee while lending his time to the Boards of Nia Centre for the Arts as Chair of the Board of Directors and also on, Toronto Alliance of the Performing Arts (TAPA) and Dance Collection Danse. He has sat on Toronto Arts Council’s Community Arts Program and Dance Committees. His company KasheDance is in it's 10th Anniversary, has toured nationally and internationally to critical acclaim.
Artistic Director of KasheDance, Adjunct artist with the Dance Exchange (Washington D.C), Mr. Ormsby is an Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Fellowship Recipient and a KM Hunter Award Nominee (2016), Toronto Arts Council Cultural Leaders Fellow (2015) and the Canada Council for the Arts’ Victor Martyn Lynch – Staunton Award recipient (2014). With many interest in dance from creative practice, administration, advocacy, writing and Arts Education, he is Program Manager of Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) delivering programming for professional and organizational development in the Arts. Kevin was a dancer with Garth Fagan Dance (NY), Assistant to the Artistic Director and Marketing / Outreach Coordinator for Ballet Creole, and has performed in works by Marie Josee Chartier, Allison Cummings, Ron K. Brown, Menaka Thakkur, Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, Garth Fagan and Liz Lerman and Lemi Ponifacio. He is Co- Vice President of the Canadian Dance Assembly, and Chairs both the National Standing Council (Dance Companies) and the Pluralism Committee while lending his time to the Boards of Nia Centre for the Arts as Chair of the Board of Directors and also on, Toronto Alliance of the Performing Arts (TAPA) and Dance Collection Danse. He has sat on Toronto Arts Council’s Community Arts Program and Dance Committees. His company KasheDance is in it's 10th Anniversary, has toured nationally and internationally to critical acclaim.
Mitzi Allen |Marketing and Media
Mitzi Allen is an award-winning film and television producer and broadcast journalist with a distinguished career spanning over three decades. She is the Managing Director of HAMA Inc., an independent film/tv production company she co-founded with her husband, filmmaker Howard Allen, in 1992. Mitzi has produced five feature films, including the most recent, Deep Blue (2023), along with four television series and numerous documentaries that have contributed significantly to Caribbean cinema and storytelling.
Allen began her media career in Canada as a reporter for CFTO-TV (now CTV), where she made history as the station’s first Black reporter. She later returned to her roots in Antigua & Barbuda, where she continued to build her career across various media organizations before establishing HAMA Productions.
She is a passionate advocate for media education and youth development. She has led numerous training initiatives across the Caribbean. She hosted the regional television program LIVE UP, earning recognition from the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS for her impactful work.
In 2019, Mitzi Allen was honored by the Motion Picture Association of Antigua & Barbuda for her outstanding contribution to the development of the country’s film industry. In 2024, she received two prestigious honors: an award from the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Toronto for her commitment to media services, and recognition from the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda for Faithful and Meritorious Service in the Arts and Cultural Development.
Mitzi Allen is an award-winning film and television producer and broadcast journalist with a distinguished career spanning over three decades. She is the Managing Director of HAMA Inc., an independent film/tv production company she co-founded with her husband, filmmaker Howard Allen, in 1992. Mitzi has produced five feature films, including the most recent, Deep Blue (2023), along with four television series and numerous documentaries that have contributed significantly to Caribbean cinema and storytelling.
Allen began her media career in Canada as a reporter for CFTO-TV (now CTV), where she made history as the station’s first Black reporter. She later returned to her roots in Antigua & Barbuda, where she continued to build her career across various media organizations before establishing HAMA Productions.
She is a passionate advocate for media education and youth development. She has led numerous training initiatives across the Caribbean. She hosted the regional television program LIVE UP, earning recognition from the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS for her impactful work.
In 2019, Mitzi Allen was honored by the Motion Picture Association of Antigua & Barbuda for her outstanding contribution to the development of the country’s film industry. In 2024, she received two prestigious honors: an award from the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Toronto for her commitment to media services, and recognition from the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda for Faithful and Meritorious Service in the Arts and Cultural Development.
technical support TEAM
IVOR PICOU | Technical Director / Archivist
An actor, stage manager, musician, video documentarian and teacher. His work in the performing arts began with the Trinidad Theatre Workshop where he appeared in several productions as an actor and worked as stage crew whenever he was not on stage. Since then, he studied theatre, dance and music at York University and has worked in numerous productions in Toronto and in other South West Ontario venues. He has gained extensive experience as stage manager and technical director working in both professional and community spaces. As a musician Ivor toured several cities in Eastern Canada. He has been a member, since inception, of the production team for Pan Arts Network whose signature event is the annual Snowflakes On Steel concert. Ivor taught Drama and music in the Toronto District School Board for over a decade. Currently he is working to develop his video documentary skills and co-producing indie projects.
An actor, stage manager, musician, video documentarian and teacher. His work in the performing arts began with the Trinidad Theatre Workshop where he appeared in several productions as an actor and worked as stage crew whenever he was not on stage. Since then, he studied theatre, dance and music at York University and has worked in numerous productions in Toronto and in other South West Ontario venues. He has gained extensive experience as stage manager and technical director working in both professional and community spaces. As a musician Ivor toured several cities in Eastern Canada. He has been a member, since inception, of the production team for Pan Arts Network whose signature event is the annual Snowflakes On Steel concert. Ivor taught Drama and music in the Toronto District School Board for over a decade. Currently he is working to develop his video documentary skills and co-producing indie projects.