Time to reclaim our Caribana, with accountability, not intimidation

By Anthony Joseph

When I wrote an op-ed titled “Toronto Carnival: It’s Time to Deliver,” I did so with optimism. I praised the Festival Management Committee (FMC) for securing the largest government investment in the history of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, over $4.65 million. It was a historic win for our community and for cultural funding in this country.

But I also posed an important question: With historic funding must come historic accountability. My article wasn’t an attack, it was a challenge to rise higher, to build a Carnival that truly reflects the Caribbean spirit: joyful, open, and community-rooted.

The response from the FMC? They pulled all advertising from The Caribbean Camera.

In a letter to our publication, the FMC claimed the op-ed portrayed their leadership in an “unfair and inaccurate” light, accused us of implying mismanagement, and said our article created a potential “security risk” by naming public-facing figures. It was a stunning overreaction, not just disappointing, but dangerous.

What message does this send? That any outlet daring to scrutinize a publicly funded organization should prepare to be punished? That independent Caribbean media must choose between silence or starvation? That asking questions is tantamount to sabotage?

Let me be clear: accountability is not an attack. Public scrutiny is not slander. And The Caribbean Camera will not be bullied into submission.

We’ve served our community for over 30 years. We celebrate our people, our cultures, our contributions. But we are not a public relations firm for those in power, whether government officials, cultural committees, or festival boards. Our role is to inform, uplift, and yes, question. Especially when millions of public dollars are involved.

The Facts: Historic Funding, Historic Responsibility

Let’s lay out the facts. Over the next two years, more than $5.1 million will flow into the FMC’s hands:

$3.15 million from the federal government, announced by Minister Gary Anandasangaree.

$1.5 million from the Ontario government, up from just $125,000 last year.

$650,000 from the City of Toronto.

Plus additional revenue from sponsors, vendors, gates and other partnerships.

This is no small responsibility. But in return, the community received what? In some cases, stakeholders who’ve contributed to the Carnival for decades saw token increases of just $3,000. Meanwhile, core elements of the festival, like the steelbands, are being shut out.

Yes, the FMC has allegedly banned steelpan groups from participating in the Grand Parade. Steelpan, the heartbeat of Carnival, the soul of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, the pride of generations, is treated like an inconvenience.

Worse still, The Caribbean Camera has learned that the FMC secured a $100,000 federal grant to fund “Pan in De Park,” an event that rightfully belongs to the Ontario Steelpan Association. Not only were the steelbands never consulted, but they didn’t see a single dollar. If not illegal, it is at the very least ethically indefensible.

Is this leadership? Or is it gatekeeping?

A Pattern of Silencing and Control

Since that first op-ed, the floodgates have opened.

Community members are speaking out, many for the first time, about the FMC’s dismissive, opaque, and exclusionary leadership. In a follow-up article titled “Reclaiming Caribana and Our Freedom,” the groundswell of support was clear: people are fed up.

Then came the open letter, “The Last Shoe Has Dropped,” addressed to the Prime Minister, the Premier, and the Mayor. It detailed concerns not only about governance but also about allegations of human rights violations, issues that demand a legal and ethical response.

One whistleblower, writing under the name “A Broken Stakeholder,” put it best: “The time to stand is now.”

They are right.

The FMC’s behavior, diverting ad dollars to media that never cover Caribbean issues, silencing community criticism, sidelining legacy participants, has revealed a fundamental truth: this organization no longer sees itself as answerable to the people. It has weaponized public funding to create a closed circuit of power.

But Carnival doesn’t belong to any one board. It belongs to the people.

The Role of Community Media

Let’s talk about media. Community media is not here just to publish press releases or pose for photo ops. Our job is:

-To celebrate culture

-To investigate issues

-To tell untold stories

-To challenge injustice

And to amplify the voices mainstream media ignores

We don’t shy away from tough questions. That’s our duty. If all we did was applaud and promote, we’d be abandoning the very people we serve.

The Caribbean Camera serves the full mosaic of our region: Jamaican, Trinidadian, Guyanese, Bajan, Haitian, Lucian, Grenadian, Antiguan. Black, Brown, South Asian, Indigenous, and mixed. Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Rastafarian. All of us. Our Carnival, like our paper, must reflect that diversity, not suppress it.

Time for Change, and for Reclaiming Our Festival

Let’s be honest. This is no longer about one article, one ad pullout, or one committee. It’s about the soul of the Carnival. About how we govern our cultural institutions. About how we treat community stakeholders, not as nuisances to be pacified, but as vital partners.

The 60th anniversary of the Toronto Caribana is just two years away. If we do not act now, we risk celebrating that milestone under the same climate of control, confusion, and exclusion.

It is time for the community to organize, seriously, strategically, and urgently. To build a new structure for Carnival oversight. One that is transparent, inclusive, and accountable. One that returns the festival to its roots in liberation, not bureaucracy.

Let’s create a festival where steelpan players are honoured, not disinvited. Where youth are mentored, not ignored. Where elders are respected, not sidelined. Where community media is treated as a stakeholder, not a threat.

Final Word: We Will Not Be Silenced

To the FMC: If our questions made you uncomfortable, perhaps that discomfort is a mirror. Maybe it’s time to reflect, not retaliate.

Leadership is not about controlling the narrative. It’s about listening, evolving, and embracing accountability.

The Caribbean Camera will continue to cover the Carnival. We will spotlight the artistry, the masqueraders, the music, the joy. But we will also continue to ask hard questions.

Because we write not for the big shots.

We write for the people.

And to our readers: thank you. Your support reminds us why we do this work.

In the Caribbean tradition, we don’t just sing and dance.

We speak truth.

Even when it’s hard.

Especially when it’s hard.

Anthony Joseph is the publisher of The Caribbean Camera newspaper. He writes on politics, culture, and the intersection of race and democracy in Canada.

To register your concerns or those of your group, send an email to: reclaimcaribana@bibda.org

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