From GAY PRIDE to AFROFEST: Toronto Partied and Got Political

This year we marched in the PRIDE Parade. It was great fun, with a sharp political message. Marching behind the International Grand Marshall, Gareth Henry we all became “Jamaican for a while”. But more importantly, bringing questions and desires for human rights and the politics of sexuality back to PRIDE was deeply satisfying and fun. Maybe the parade can always have a move overt political component that speaks to imagined desires and futures? The chants along the parade (march?) route were reminiscent of when the struggles for rights were much more a part of the urgency and immediacy of PRIDE parades and appeared unattainable. See what marriage can do to politics visions? Make them wither!

At the end of the parade Henry and many of his supporters released a torrent of emotion, which capped the exhilarating march. “What out is about” the slogan of the march was an ethical and moral call to out queers everywhere to resist the infringement of rights everywhere. The calls appeal stuck with us all day.












And…

Later that day BLOCKO, the black gay party/lime at Toronto’s PRIDE offered another edition of black and African queer entertainment that IN its 10th YEAR demonstrates a matured, and in our view the most exciting and still politically engaged example of what Pride is about. BLOCKO represents to us the struggle to make imaginable a community of all the misfits living together in peace and harmony. But no, seriously, BLOCKO remains politically important because of the kind of community it gathers in which “people are people so why shouldn’t we/get along in harmony”.

With performances by Mildred, Deadlee, Mandy (the African Queen) and a host of others the large crowd was more than pleased. For the second year in a row BLOCKO has been moved to a new location. It seems as though the Pride Committee is attempting to confuse BLOCKO enthusiasts with where to find the show. As Michele Ross, drag queen extraordinaire quipped “Next year we will be on the island”. And she did not mean an island in the Caribbean. Pride’s movement of BLOCKO calls to mind the ways in which the city moved Caribana around until it landed at the edge of the city on the lakeshore with a sign that states “music ends here”. In a strange kind of way however BLOCKO’S move to GEROGE HISLOP PARK was fitting since George Hislop was not only a queer pioneer but also he liked to party too!














Rounding out Pride was Last Dance at Circa. Rupaul’s set was glamorous, over the top and worth the price of admission (even if Ru did not sing)! The audience paid much respect to the untouchable super model and slavishly followed her every move and lip-synch…

Check the photos of the other superstars of the night, some of whom performed at BLOCKO too. BLOCKO had the beautiful Vodka Bar at Circa all to itself.






Pride was a pleasurable political blast this year!! Congrats to BLOCKO on 10 years!!


AFROFEST celebrated 20 years this year. But it was uneven celebration. AFROFEST’S growth seems to be characterized by some kind of weird security concerns. This lime in the park (Queens Park) at the back of the provincial parliament has been a cool, enjoyable tension free event for 20years and yet one can sense a strange kind of tension around expectations of violence that from all accounts have never occurred.

In the last five years AFROFEST has grown by leaps and bounds. This year the festival took over more of the park and moved its main stage from the south end of the park to the north end. The beer garden, which sat beside the mainstage when it was in the south end remained in the south end this year it did not move with the stage. So if drinking beer and hearing the acts on the mainstage was your thing, it did not work this year. The mainstage could not be heard from the beer garden. But equally troubling was the ever increasing guard rails or walls that surround the beer garden; the constantly suspicious private police that roam the beer garden; and the very clear indication that the changes are not about improving the vibe of the festival but about some kind of imposed crowd control and threat. It is too bad cause all of this makes the festival less welcoming. We are sure that AFROFEST make less from beer sales this year too!

(Photo by Christopher Cushman)

Despite all those concerns AFROFEST continues to please with musical styles, with fabulous food and amazing people. The city’s diversity is always really quite evident at AFROFEST with black, Indian, Asian, white, First Nations and a host of others mingling, loving, eating and dance to African, Pan-African and black diasporic rhythms well into the night from the searing heat of the early afternoon.






Let’s come up with some better solutions to retain the vibe that has helped AFROFEST become a necessary summer hang out on the provincial parliamentary park for many folks who can’t get near to parliament under other circumstances.

We look forward to 20 more years of AFROFEST!!

All images and text is copyrighted by Abdi Osman and Rinaldo Walcott unless otherwise specified.

Circa/Circus: a piece of the first year

On three visits to former New York club mogul Peter Gatien’s new Toronto club Circa, its circus qualities shine through brightly and joyously. Circa’s spacious, artist decorated fun-house is a pleasure dome full of potential eye-popping candy; potential dance innovation and under-cover, dying to pop out hedonism.

Given Gatien’s difficulties in getting the club up and operating I am pretty sure that the hedonism is going to be keep pretty much under-wraps and when it pops out it will not at all be tolerated. The numerous security guards that patrol the place send the message that certain kinds of behavior will not be allowed. Nonetheless Circa still pleases.

Our first visit was for a fun night out on the town with friends. It also happened to coincide with the gay night at the club. Circa’s dancers performed both in the Mirror Ballroom and in the internal windows of the club. While the dancing does not always live up to the artistic desires of the club, it does add an extra bit of spice to what could be a run-of-the-mill night in club-land. People watching at Circa is more fun, especially watching the 905ers get carried away in their youthful exuberance about being in a potential history making space. You can almost sense the desire to be able to tell friends they partied THERE when and if Circa becomes a member of the list of legendary North American nightclubs.

The two other occasions at Circa were more interesting. The first was for a community thank you from EGALE that hosted an after-party for Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Tour, it was a blast. Some of Circa’s dancers, alongside guests, danced up a storm and added lively color to what could have other wised been a boring night of gazing at celebrities like Lauper, one of the dudes from Queer Eye; the B-52s and The Cliks and their various entourages. What was even more special about that night was the attendance of a number of US military defectors at the party. There presence added something special to the night.






The second visit was for the launch of Stella Artois’s new beer; but more importantly the Wycleft Jean concert. Wycleft performed for a mostly white, suburban looking crowd who seemed down with his vibes. Nonetheless it was an eerie scene. With few black folks at this concert and even fewer Haitians Wycleft seemed to be working extra time to get the carnival going. And by the way when did Wycleft become such a cover artist? Anyway, the concert proved to be fun despite its strange audience of the burbs mixed with corporate big wigs who were not at all interested in the music, but instead checking the younger women out. Fun-strange-fun.



Circa as circus promises to emerge as a significant cultural contributor to nightlife in Toronto. Its massive space and well-designed rooms has much to offer scenesters, 905ers and others (old and young) looking for nightly pleasures for various kinds of release. Let’s hope that Gatien has the cash to keep it going until it can keep itself going. On the downside, it is too bad that Circa arrives in town at a time when Gatien’s activities are so closely watched. Circa could be a hedonist dream come true and really spark pop culture creativity in a way that this city badly needs. Additionally, Circa should curb it no baggy pants rules. Baggies don’t just suggest thug life. I hope they realize this soon since if they don’t a significant and sexy element of the queer community will not be able to enter their doors. I am looking forward to dancing again at Circa for Toronto Pride’s closing party. Let’s think of that party as the beginning of Circa’s second year of its circus!



All images and text is copyrighted by Abdi Osman and Rinaldo Walcott unless otherwise specified.