Roger McTair Remembered as the Consummate Creative Person at Memorial

By Neil Armstrong

Photo installation of Roger McTair at a memorial held at The Theatre Centre in Toronto

Yesterday, the Franco Boni Theatre, Gallery, and Cafe of The Theatre Centre on Queen St. West in Toronto were filled with people who knew and loved the late filmmaker, poet, author, columnist, aesthete, and teacher Roger McTair. The evening was one of libation, tributes, songs, music, readings, and ole talk. Those on the programme included Jesse Ryan on sax; Kemba Byam, libation; Danae Peart, land acknowledgment; tributes from James Cullingham, Carl James, Alexander Francis, Rita Cox, Joe & Bell Jacobs, John & Gail Campbell, Sam Lewis, Herman Silochan, and AnnMarie Roberts; readings by Alison Isaac, Ramabai Espinet, and Dionyse McTair; and a song by Tuku Matthews. Danilo McCallum did live painting on stage, Ian Kamau’s photo installation was in the Gallery, and sorrel, sweet potato pudding/pone, doubles, and vegetables were among the refreshments. 

 

Roger was definitely celebrated in this space which included his urn flanked by candles and flowers. He was described as “a consummate creative person,” a lover of jazz, literature, theatre, philosophy, filmmaking, and the bibliophile had an overflow of books in Trinidad and Canada. Hence the title of his book, My Trouble With Books, published in 2018 and launched at The Theatre Centre on May 25 of that year. Looking back, there was an overflow of the theatre then, as it was last night. Storyteller Rita Cox, who was there in 2018 and yesterday, reminded us that Roger “contributed a lot and the memories will last.” Claire Prieto shared some of her memories of them living in the Bathurst/Bloor St. area, raising their son Ian Kamau,  attending Ryerson Polytechnic, and the challenges they faced as pioneering Black filmmakers in the 1970s. At that time, they were asked “who would be interested in a film about Black people?” Their documentary “Home To Buxton” was made in 1987. “We are here, and we were here, and we have a right to be here,” she said profoundly.

Ian Kamau speaks at the memorial for his father, Roger McTair, at The Theatre Centre.

Claire Prieto reflections on her life with Roger McTair. Standing beside her is Kemba Byam.

Ian Kamau being greeted at the memorial.

Working alongside Ramabai Espinet, Roger’s sister, Dionyse, found 200 poems of his underneath the covers of books or in folders. She said they have compiled a 500-page book that will be published posthumously by a UK entity. Ian Kamau spoke at the conclusion of the memorial of his father telling him that when he died, he wanted jazz played. As a dutiful son, he, working with his mom, Claire, aunt, Dionyse, and others did that and more yesterday. Ian reminded us that Roger loved people and community hence his reason for bringing so many together to remember him. He told us to take one or more free copies of his father’s book — there were 200 of them in the Gallery — and to take the photos too from his installation if we saw any we wanted. The closing curtain of the evening included a short film of an intimate father-son moment of haircutting, thoughts from Roger, Dionyse and Ian, and ended with James Brown’s 1950s song Please Please Please” — a poignant moment in the event given his sister’s reflections of their childhood.

 

Ian did a great job in honouring his father last night. We will continue to wrap him and his family in love and support. Well done, Ian Kamau. Thank you.