Episodes

  • Rooted in Storytelling (w/ d'bi young anitafrika)
    May 3 2022

    Beneath the Ceiba Tree - Season Finale,  Meghan and Sedina invite the magnetic and revolutionary d'bi young anitafrika to talk with us about the vitalness of storytelling. 

    To follow & support d'bi and their incredible work, please consider donating to the Go Fund Me Campaign below:


    Official Website - dbiyounganitafrika.com

    Go Fund Me Campaign - bit.ly/gofunddbi

    Decolonial Arts Centre - decolonialartscentre

    Decolonial Arts Residency June 6-13, 2022 (2 spots available) - decolonialartscentre.com/residencies

    Ubuntu International Decolonial Arts Festival Aug 25-27, 2022 - decolonialartscentre.com/ubuntu-fest

     

    Show More Show Less
    57 mins
  • Dedicated to Miss Lou
    Apr 6 2022

    This week's very special episode of Beneath The Ceiba Tree is dedicated to Miss Lou, Jamaican poet, folklorist, writer, and educator, Louise Bennett-Coverley   (1919-2006).

     

    Beneath The Ceiba Tree is hosted by Sedina Fiati and Meghan Swaby and presented in association with Nightwood Theatre.

     

    Audio Clips used in this episode:

     Linstead Market - Jamaican folk song , 1954

    Noh Likkle Twang (Aunty Roachy Seh / Miss Lou's Views, 1993)

    Miss Lou  in  concert 

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Creepy Ghost Children AKA The Duennes (w/ Michelle Walker)
    Mar 22 2022

    This week on Beneath the Ceiba Tree, Sedina speaks with  the wonderful Trinidadian born, artist and artsworker Michelle Walker.  She shares stories of  growing up in Trinidad and what she thinks about The Duennes folklore. 

    *

    Books  about Caribbean Folklore mentioned in this podcast: 

    The Jumbies by Tracy Baptiste

    The Famished Road by Ben Okri

    *

    *

    *

    To keep up with Michelle:

    https://www.instagram.com/warahoun/

    https://www.facebook.com/MeeshWalker.tdot

    Twitter: @de_warahoun

    Michelle's Bio
    Kairi (Trinidad)-born, Tkaronto settler, Michelle Walker is a proud descendant, mother and grandmother of artistic humans. A performing and recording artist and arts worker with four decades of experience, she's a regular face at parang shows around the GTA from November to January, and infrequently, as a member of David Rudder's Contra Band.  Her weekdays are spent supporting artists as Toronto Arts Council's and Toronto Arts Foundation's Office Manager. Michelle is super excited to feature as a supporting vocalist on her daughter's recent release of womanist anthem I Am Wombxn, available on all platforms.

    Do you have a Caribbean folklore that you'd love to share?

    Get in touch with us!  Send an email to theceibatree@gmail.com

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Indo Caribbean Folktales (w/ Tiara Jade Chutkhan)
    Mar 7 2022

    This week we chat to new friend of the podcast blogger, writer and editor Tiara Jade Chutkhan and get into some creepy Indo Caribbean folklore.
     

    About Tiara

    Tiara Jade Chutkhan is a book blogger. writer and editor born and raised in Toronto. Her love of literature led her to start blogging and sharing her reads, particularly those by BIPOC authors. Through her blogging, Tiara has had the opportunity to review books for HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and Dundurn Press.

    Tiara is the Editor-in-Chief at The Brown Gyal Diary and Marketing Coordinator at Diaspora Dialogues. She is a regular contributor for The Brown Gyal Diary blog and Caribbean Collection Magazine. Tiara is also working towards a certificate in Creative Writing from University of Toronto.

    Tiara's first book, Two Times Removed: An Anthology of Indo-Caribbean Fiction, was released in May 2021. She is currently working on her second book, set to be released in May of 2022.

    You can keep up with Tiara 

    IG: @bookwormbabee 
    Website: https://www.tiarajade.com/

    Youtube: bookwormbabe

    Twitter: @_TiaraJade

    Check out Tiara's blog post  - Jumbees of the Caribbean 

     

    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • Anansi (w/ Daniel Jelani Ellis)
    Feb 7 2022

    In this week's episode, we welcome Jamaican  performer, playwright and educator Daniel Jelani Ellis to chat with us about his spiritual  connection to Anansi.

    To keep up with  Daniel Jelani Ellis  on insta -    @danjelani      

    Check out his theatre company groundwork redux

    We'd love to hear from you! 

    Hit us up at theceibatree@gmail.com  to share your favorite  Caribbean folklore 

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • The Soucouyant
    Jan 24 2022

    This week's episode features another fascinating folklore within Trinidad and Tobago. We caught up with the wonderful Rhoma Spencer to chat about the infamous soucouyant, and why you won't find her in these frigid Toronto streets.
     

    To keep up with Rhoma Spencer and her work - find her on IG  @rhomaspencer

    Send us your thoughts! 

    Hit us up at theceibatree@gmail.com and tell us about the  Caribbean folklore you heard growing up. We'd love to chat

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • La Diablesse
    Jan 10 2022

    This week  Sedina Fiati interviews her uncle Rodney Clark to discuss La Diablesse.  We discuss the feminist implication of the Trinni take on the femme fatale.  In another family affair,  music featured at the end of the episode by the wonderful Savannah Taylor (Sedina's cousin Roodney's daughter). 

    Find Savanah:

    Insta & Ti k Tok @savtaylormusic, Spotify  and Bandcamp.

    See the full performance of Savannah's interpretation of La Diablesse on youtube.

    If you have any Caribbean folktales you'd like to share with us, hit us up at  theceibatree@gmail.com    we would love to hear from you! 

    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • Rolling Calf
    Dec 6 2021

    In this episode, the rolling calf folklore is a jumping off point for conversation on how to outsmart a duppy, nine nights and how Caribbeans approach living with the unrested spirits amongst us, with a special appearance from future star (and Meghan's nephew) Xavier Oliver Burke.

    Book mentioned in this episode

    Essie's Kids & The Rolling Calf.Essie's Kids & the Rolling Calf #1 By Luke A M Brown 

    Interweaving research, conversations, family and expert interviews, join hosts Meghan Swaby and Sedina Fiati in Beneath the Ceiba Tree, an exciting podcast about Caribbean folklore, exploring how its impact ripples through history to present day and beyond. 

    Beneath the Ceiba Tree is a Podcast-in-Residence with Crow's Theatre and is presented in association with Nightwood Theatre.

    This episode was mixed and sound engineered by alaska b

     

    Show More Show Less
    18 mins