Spice Isle Cultural Festival (Montreal) Magazine July 2021 | Page 53

For Yvette Noel-Schure , ALL ROADS LEAD ME
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For Yvette Noel-Schure , ALL ROADS LEAD ME

BACK TO GRENADA By : Sophia Bishop Sophia is the founder of Elevated Living - a Personal Effectiveness lifestyle company .

IT ALL STARTS HERE
A sense of history . A sense of the future . A place to be yourself and to grow into your best
self . A true sense of community . A place to be remembered and protected . A place to call home . A place called Grenada .
Listening to Yvette Noel-Schure , you can ’ t help but feel surrounded by the passion and love with which she speaks about her first love – the Island of Spice itself – Grenada . Black , beautiful , bold and brilliant . Heavily influenced by her grandmother ’ s wisdom and grandfather ’ s business acumen – Yvette ’ s love for her people , island , and culture is infectious . Her explanation ? Grenada stays in her heart wherever she goes . The people she has experienced , lessons she has learnt , values she holds ... the things that make her successful , unique , and in-demand - it ’ s all Grenada .
Listening to Yvette , you can ’ t help but be enveloped in her recollection of growing up a young girl in Birchgrove . She recounts falling in love with the island through the eyes of her grandfather who – despite being a successful businessman – could frequently be found down at The Carenage is St . George , with his white shirt and brown pants , welcoming the tourists by his taxi , exuberantly embracing the opportunity to show off and share his beloved island . Yvette attributes the beginning of her lifelong love affair with the island to living vicariously through Grandad Noel . He unearthed the treasures of the island for the tourists , along with the accompanying history that often evades the eyes , but can be felt in the quiet pulse of the island .
It ’ s a history proudly celebrated through the island ’ s tradition of food , music , and festivals such as the legendary Jab-Jab . A not-to-bemissed celebration , it is Yvette ’ s favourite festival - a true Grenadian Gem . De-emphasizing its catholic religious roots and fears it has been known to evoke , she embraces this rich cultural festival , “ When I think of Jab Jab , I think about all African descendent people coming together and painting their skin one colour . Saying this is who we are ... look at all of us . We are one people , don ’ t try to divide us based on our skin colour . We are one .” In painted skin , with music and dance , Grenadians exalt their past and present . That is the power of Jab-Jab .