Latest news with #Elamin
CBC
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
How well does the show Washington Black capture Nova Scotia?
Social Sharing Esi Edugyan's novel Washington Black is a modern Canadian classic. Set in the 19th century, the epic story follows a young boy named George Washington Black who is born on a Barbados sugar plantation. He has an exceptionally sharp mind that leads him on an adventure around the world, to places like Virginia, Halifax, and even the Arctic. The book was released in 2018 to critical acclaim, including a Giller Prize win. Now, it's been adapted into a TV show — but not by a Canadian production company. The Hulu original series is available to watch in Canada on Disney+. Today on Commotion, culture critic El Jones and TV producer Floyd Kane join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the new series, and what it gets right (and wrong) about Black Canadian history. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: You are both Nova Scotians. This series is largely shot in Nova Scotia, Halifax, Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg. El, as a professor, what grade would you give the show in terms of its depiction of African Nova Scotian history? El: What I do like is that Halifax is portrayed as at the centre of the world…. We often don't think of ourselves as central to global Blackness, and that is a beautiful thing. At the same time, as I think Floyd's about to get to as well, there's some historical difficulties — perhaps starting with the idea that we were the last stop on the Underground Railroad. I think that's a pretty loose interpretation of how Black people actually came to Halifax, most of which was not through the Underground Railroad. Elamin: Those are the first words you hear in the show, right? El: Yes, so I think it's simplified for an American audience, which is a shame because the history of Black journey into Halifax is actually a very wide-ranging and interesting one. And then of course — I know Floyd is gonna say this, so I don't wanna steal his thunder — but the accents are very American. It would be nice to actually see what is African Nova Scotia: the specific accents, the specific way of being that is unique to the nation that is Nova Scotia. Because they obviously want to universalize it and perhaps sell it into an American market, they want to kind of use the frame of, "Oh, it's Canada, this place of freedom," — but not actually give us the substantiveness that is Black Canada. So we end up— which by the way, when we were talking about 40 Acres, we kind of see the same thing: that often, we have these productions— Elamin: 40 Acres is the movie that we talked about a few weeks ago. El: —that will be set in Canada, yeah, but then really want to vibe [as] American just so it doesn't seem too Canadian. I think we see that here as well. Elamin: Floyd, you know, El didn't want to steal your thunder, so let us hand you your thunder. Do you think the show would feel different if a Canadian had made it? Would there be a different kind of sensitivity there? Floyd: I haven't read the book, but one of the things that I felt watching the TV show is that … he felt all of these things happen to him as a child.... It didn't always feel like those things were with him, if that makes sense? I feel like if Canadians made this, there probably would have been a bit more of that heaviness with him. But also, I have to say as a Nova Scotian and as a Canadian, I would have loved to have seen more of the geography of where those Black communities were actually settled. There's some amazing photography in this limited series, just incredible…. In some cases I'm like, "Wow, this would have played great in a movie theatre." But I did kind of feel like when the Black characters were on-screen and in-community, I would have loved to have actually been in one of those communities, depicting what life was like in those communities at that time. It is very hard to get Canadian history on camera. Having an opportunity to tell Black Canadian history, it's five times as hard.
CBC
21-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Is Substack the future of media?
Social Sharing Substack has grown exponentially since its launch in 2017. Last week, the newsletter platform company raised $100 million and is now valued at over a billion dollars. The platform has become a hotspot for journalists to disseminate their own writing and reporting. Substack offers writers control over their audience and their output in a time when legacy media continues to lay off its reporters and sometimes dictates their political coverage. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, . WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: The metaphor here [with Substack] is: what if you could pay for one specific columnist instead of paying for the entirety of the newspaper? How would that change your relationship to the stuff that you consume? Kate, what's your read on why Substack has been so successful? Kate: I think it's a little bit capitalizing on what you were talking about, which has always existed, that people have these parasocial one-on-one relationships with the people who make the media they consume. But I would say that's really exploded over the past few years by the creator economy. And even though I know some journalists bristle at the idea that they're anything like an influencer— Elamin: Many journalists just slammed their fists, but yes, absolutely. Kate: But they benefit from that same relationship that influencers have been cultivating. Any one of us can write about the Astronomer CEO drama [at the] Coldplay [concert] — and every single one of us are — but you want to get that from the specific person whose voice you like. I think it's [also] this very simple concept of email. And they [the Substack founders] were just the ones to do it in the best way in terms of both building a platform that makes it easy for anyone to make a newsletter and it looks really polished, but also this ecosystem they built around it that has helped with discovery. Elamin: This is what the Substack co-founders said when they were announcing this new round of funding: "We aim to prove that a media app can be fun and rewarding without melting your brain. An escape from the doomscroll, and a place to take back your mind." Vinson, when you hear that, that positioning of saying, "Hey, we can solve a problem that you are definitely feeling," how does that land for you? Vinson: If the email ethos of Substack says that you can spend your time looking at things that you have desired to see, and therefore you are not on various toxic forms of social media, well, great. Anything that takes us away from that is a good thing. On the other hand, I'd never really realized that Substack has become kind of a social media site. There's a feed, it looks like Twitter, there's an app. And if you read that, after a while, you'll get depressed like you do on everything else. There's a lot of hustle culture on it, there's a lot of "I can teach you how to make your newsletter." And for me, it's like, no, no no no, I'm not interested in any of that. I'm interested in reaching people who are looking for things to focus their attention on. But the coin of the realm these days — it's been said many times in many ways — is attention. And if you can have a wholesome relationship with your own mind, which various concerns in our society want to colonize. AI says: "You don't have to use your mind." Certain forms of TV said: "Turn it off and just look." If I can be a part of helping grab people's attention back for themselves — and that's what I'm interested in in everything I do, whether it's for a company like Condé Nast or for myself via a company like Substack.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Pup is about to take Canadian pop-punk to the next level
Social Sharing Pup's new album, Who Will Look After The Dogs, is the cherry on top of an already great week for Canadian pop-punk. Released today, it comes on the heels of a national revelation that our new prime minister is a certified Down With Webster fan — and about a month after Sum 41's last live performance ever at the 2025 Juno Awards. But will this renewed interest in Canada's contributions to the genre be a blip, or the start of a new wave? Today on Commotion, culture writer Niko Stratis, rapper/author Rollie Pemberton and music journalist Emilie Hanskamp join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the new album from Toronto punk band Pup, the resurgence of early 2000s Canadian pop-punk, and the joy of seeing Prime Minister Mark Carney get down with Down With Webster. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: Emilie, Pup are one of those bands that seem to get more and more popular with each record. Next week they head out on this big European tour. They're gonna be playing five homecoming shows in Toronto in July. You're a long-time Pup fan. What got you into them? Emilie: Well, I'm from Montreal. I moved here about nine-ish years ago and had my own insular scene thing going on here. I didn't know who Pup was…. And at a time — I mean, still we're dealing with a problem where you kind of try to divorce yourself from your inner Canadiana — and I was introduced to this hyper-local, super popular, beloved band, went to a show, almost got absolutely annihilated in the pit and fell in love with them. Fell in love with the self-deprecation, the self awareness, that sharpness of that self awareness. And I think we'll talk about their evolution a little later, but they haven't changed in that way, which is why I've stayed with them. They're about my age, mid-30s, and we've evolved kind of together in this really comforting and cathartic way. I just admire and love that they've stayed true to that, through and through. Elamin: Two things. One, people from Montreal never miss an opportunity to let you know that they're from Montreal, and I just want to admire the dedication to that. Emilie: I promise it's not the only time it's going to happen. Elamin: And two, you know who does not try to divorce themselves from their inner Canadiana is Niko Stratis. I think she has a Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald tattoo on her body. Is that correct? Niko: It's a full back piece, yeah. You see the ship slowly sink down. Elamin: This is a derailment, and I'm gonna get back to Pup. OK, so the band has been at it for over a decade. They've built this incredibly loyal following, and they have this really high-energy music. After hearing this new record, how would you say they've evolved, Niko? Niko: Well, I'm from the Yukon. I feel like we're just going around and talking about where we're from. Elamin: Sure are. Niko: But you know, I was a punk rock kid and I grew up with what we would consider to be a Southern California skate-punk style. And when I was kid, I never expected this music would grow up with me…. And to my surprise in my adult years, it has kind of happened, and Pup is one of those bands that is really doing that, right? They are evolving not just sonically but also in their songwriting, how they are approaching talking about mental health, and the self-deprecating and all that. Even that sort of evolves as you get older and as you have a deeper understanding of yourself. You don't really grow old in punk rock; that was never supposed to be a thing. So it is interesting now to be old and be like, "Oh, this music can still be for me." Even though it is still very youthful. It is still very loud and fast and angry. We can still be loud and fast and angry, and be older and still have concerns and worries. It is a really beautiful, fun thing. Like, it is both sad and also about Olive Garden. Elamin: Rollie, I mentioned that the Pup are playing those five shows in Toronto this summer. You are opening one of them, you're opening July 18 at Danforth Music Hall. Let's talk about the fact that they have used their shows quite often as platforms to go, "Hey, you've got to meet our friend and listen to them because they mean something to us." Talk to me about the importance of Pup in the larger Canadian music ecosystem. Rollie: Pup, they're one of those bands that at first you start seeing them blowing up, and you're like, "Wow, I'm surprised that they're Canadian." They're just popping, and I really appreciate the connection they've cultivated with their audience. They've been grinding, and you feel like they're progressively getting bigger and bigger. They keep tying into that emotional connection with their fans, and I feel like they are just best practices for a band in 2025. I feel like they use their platform probably better than most bands out there. They're putting up the trans flag, having really diverse artists opening for them…. They don't have to do any of that. That's something that I just really want to point out: they make a conscious decision to platform other people themselves. And I think it's a really special thing.
CBC
24-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
How non-traditional media platforms have played into this federal election
Social Sharing The ongoing Meta news ban has made it increasingly difficult for news organizations to cover this federal election campaign and share their reporting via social media. As a result, some non-traditional media organizations have begun to play an increasingly influential role in this election cycle. Justin Ling is an investigative reporter based in Montreal. Riley Yesno is an Anishinaabe scholar and commentator based in Toronto. Robyn Urback is a current affairs columnist at The Globe and Mail. Today on Commotion, the three political commentators join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the role social media and non-traditional media platforms have played in politics and civic engagement in this federal election. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: Riley, what are you hearing in terms of where people are getting their election information? Riley: I find it scary because even though there can't be news on so many of these platforms, people do still feel like they're getting all their information from these platforms…. There is, I think, a growing number of people who are in places like Substack and Discord and Bluesky and Signal, who are still able to share information there and to get things there. But it's definitely more curated, and probably is very specific to their media ecosystem and their politics. And so it's not a big picture. I notice myself on my newsfeed, I follow these accounts that post year-round, and often not about elections at all. So I'm thinking like @ And I usually follow them for memes and media updates. And then all of a sudden when the election comes around, they switch to posting more left-leaning news. And people are sharing them that I know, and liking them. And then I have a moment of being like, "We're sharing @ as the news of this campaign?" So there are these unlikely voices and players that have entered into the election race, both on the right and the left. Though I do agree that I think the left is much worse at it, and has less of a presence and power, perhaps, there than the right does…. Elamin: This stuff has real-life implications…. It ends up affecting the way that institutions function. A good example of this is what happened last week at the post-leaders debate scrum at the English language debate. Do you want to elaborate on what happened there? Because I do think it's a perfect example of how sometimes something that you think is only happening online knocks directly at the door and says, "No, no. It's also right here." Justin: Yeah. I mean, the really short version of it is that a constellation of right-wing broadcasters, including Rebel News, the biggest of the lot — which is not a journalism organization; it is registered with Elections Canada as a third party advertiser. It has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars … advertising against Mark Carney, right? So they are advertising a political partisan organization. They showed up to the debates. They got accredited, after a bunch of legal threats. They got room for 16 of their staff, and they decided to monopolize the post-debate scrums, and then disrupted the initial French debate so [much] that after the English debate, they canceled all the scrums. They got their way. You know, they were inside meddling with the debates, and they were outside driving a box truck around that said Mark Carney has ties to Jeffrey Epstein and that he is a big fan of Hamas. Like, this is all of the weird, kooky Twitter conspiracy theories kind of metastasizing in real life and actually disrupting a thing that is really important, right? The leaders debate, and the access journalists get to our leaders afterwards — and I know there were so many people at home watching TV going, what's happening? Who are these people? How did they get here? How did we get here? And it's really a shame.
CBC
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Is it safe for trans artists to tour the U.S., and Canada's contribution to dancehall
Montreal singer-songwriter Bells Larsen joins Elamin to talk about why he was forced to cancel an upcoming U.S. tour due to Trump-administration visa policies that directly target trans people. His upcoming album 'Blurring Time' is out April 25. Plus, 'Art of Dancehall,' is a new book by Major Lazer's Walshy Fire, and it documents the genre's rise from the streets of Jamaica to the global stage through the flyers and posters used to promote local dancehall club nights and street parties. Elamin speaks with one of the book's contributors, Toronto-based dancehall archivist Sheldon Bruce, AKA Muscle.
