One Road- Ariann Mieka

The drumming, singing, and dancing were captivating. As I looked on I was totally engrossed in what I was witnessing and I felt like I was on a tour in another country when I was in fact only a stone’s throw away from Port of Spain! We were in Laventille to learn more about the Orisha religion for a project on East Port of Spain and the camera crew was dutifully filming three ladies who belong to the faith.   Several shrines of different colours were laid out in a row in one section within an open yard. They went to each shrine and told us about the deity they were built for, what offerings were usually given and a short sample of what songs might be sung in various ceremonies throughout the year. The singing was mesmerizing as their voices and the Yoruba derived lyrics they belted out pulsated a rhythmic vibration through the air. The ladies explain different aspects of the faith and answer questions The Yard with some of the shrines to the various Deities A tour of t

Under the night sky I danced excitedly to a soca set that the DJ was playing. Sand was under my feet and the ocean breeze blew softly passed me. While it sounds like I was partying on one of my favorite beaches in Tobago I was far from the island and from the way the day started I would have never thought I would have felt like I was right at home by the end of the night! That morning, a white sheet blanketed the sky as we explored the town. We were back in Belgium in a town called Oostende . This town, with its North Sea coastline, is popular for those looking to get away for even just a day trip and reap the benefits of resting at the seaside, soaking up the rays and enjoying a respite from city life. Verse was going to be performing at a festival called “Kingston Beach” and as I stuffed my scarf into my handbag I figured it wasn’t going to be the kind of beach party this Caribbean lady was used to. As we headed to the gig the weather was still very overcast and a chill hung i

When I scroll through my archives, I see so many images that I want to share. I remember the story that is behind every shoot and enjoy the memories that surface while looking through the images. I’ve decided to do a series on my blog where I feature a few of these images that people may have never seen, along with any stories from the shoot. I’m going to start off this series with a memorable shoot that I did in 2012. Four of us hiked into the forest in Chaguaramas , Trinidad to get to the the gorge where I wanted to do this particular shoot for the Harmony series . My model R was a trooper as she easily climbed over fallen trees and crawled over boulders as we excitedly traversed the overgrown trail. The spot was just as beautiful as I remembered and I quickly got to work applying the paint and abeer on R as we hung out and munched on our snacks. When R’s paint job was complete we climbed into the water and she posed among the rocks as we made our way to the end of the narro