One SOCA

One SOCA Spirit of Caribbean Arts (S.O.C.A.) is a nonprofit rooted in decades of cultural work by founder Tashia Antoine.

Our mission is to promote, preserve, and pass on Caribbean heritage through arts education, community programming, and cultural advocacy.

Caribbean culture didn’t begin at carnival, it began in resilience. From the steel pan’s invention in Trinidad to th...
12/05/2025

Caribbean culture didn’t begin at carnival, it began in resilience.

From the steel pan’s invention in Trinidad to the freedom songs born in Jamaica’s cane fields, every rhythm tells a story of survival and creation.

At One S.O.C.A., we celebrate that lineage by preserving the traditions that built us while inspiring new generations to carry them forward.

Heritage is not history, it’s living memory, moving through music, art, and unity.

Bare feet on stage. Flags in hand. Pans ringing out in rhythm. This is what Caribbean pride *looks* like, loud, joyful...
12/02/2025

Bare feet on stage. Flags in hand. Pans ringing out in rhythm.

This is what Caribbean pride *looks* like, loud, joyful, and unapologetic.

Our youth aren’t just learning music or movement. They’re learning history, discipline, and identity through rhythm, tradition, and teamwork.

Every note they play and every step they take continues a legacy that began long before them and now lives within them.

At One S.O.C.A., we believe the arts aren’t extracurricular. They’re cultural inheritance.

These young musicians and dancers remind us that the future of Caribbean culture isn’t uncertain it’s already here, rehearsing, performing, and shining.

**Because when we teach the arts, we teach identity. And that’s what lasts.**

Did you know that traditional Caribbean drumming was once a form of coded communication? Across islands, enslaved Afri...
12/01/2025

Did you know that traditional Caribbean drumming was once a form of coded communication?

Across islands, enslaved Africans used rhythm to share news, coordinate gatherings, and preserve identity when language was forbidden.

At One S.O.C.A., we keep that history alive, not as a memory, but as a method.

Our youth learn drumming, design, and storytelling as tools of self-expression, community building, and cultural education.

Because when young people understand the past, they shape a stronger future.

On 30 November 1966, Barbados claimed its future and raised its banner of sovereignty. ⁣⁣Today we honour that spirit, th...
11/30/2025

On 30 November 1966, Barbados claimed its future and raised its banner of sovereignty. ⁣
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Today we honour that spirit, the island’s creativity, strength, and unbreakable cultural heartbeat.⁣
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At One S.O.C.A., we recognise our Caribbean family and the islands that shape our rhythm.⁣
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Here’s to Barbados, may its legacy continue to inspire, connect and move us all.⁣
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These young performers didn’t just learn routines , they learned heritage. Each certificate represents hours of rehear...
11/28/2025

These young performers didn’t just learn routines , they learned heritage.

Each certificate represents hours of rehearsals, discipline, laughter, and growth.

But more than that, it represents *continuation*. The passing of cultural knowledge, artistry, and identity from one generation to the next.

At One S.O.C.A., every workshop and performance is designed to do more than entertain, it builds confidence, pride, and purpose.

From the first drumbeat to the final bow, our youth are learning that Caribbean culture isn’t just history. It’s a living legacy, and *they* are now part of it.

Today, we celebrate their accomplishments and the community that keeps showing up, supporting, and believing in the next generation.

💬 **The culture is in good hands because they’re holding it.**

In 1877, British colonial authorities banned African drums in Trinidad, calling them “instruments of rebellion.”⁣⁣Caribb...
11/27/2025

In 1877, British colonial authorities banned African drums in Trinidad, calling them “instruments of rebellion.”⁣
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Caribbean people didn’t stop creating music. They adapted.⁣
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**Here’s how the steelpan came to life:**⁣
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🥁 **Tamboo Bamboo (1890s–1930s)** – Bamboo sticks replaced banned drums.⁣
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🛢️ **Tin and Metal (1930s–1940s)** – People used biscuit tins, lids, and cans to make rhythm.⁣
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🎶 **Oil Barrels (1940s)** – Workers found that different dents produced different sounds.⁣
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🎵 **The Breakthrough** – Innovators like Ellie Mannette learned to shape and tune the steel to create musical notes.⁣
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By the 1950s, the steelpan orchestra was born.⁣
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It became the only acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century.⁣
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What began as an act of resistance became:⁣
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→ The national instrument of Trinidad & Tobago⁣
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→ A symbol of Caribbean pride⁣
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→ A lasting reminder that culture can’t be silenced⁣
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Today, steelpan is heard in schools, festivals, symphony halls, and One S.O.C.A. workshops, where youth learn not only how to play, but why it matters.⁣
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When you play steelpan, you carry history in every note.⁣
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11/26/2025

We move between classrooms, community centres, Toronto neighbourhoods, Scarborough hubs… anywhere culture can grow, we show up with glue guns, fabric, feathers, and history.

This is the real pipeline of Caribbean arts here, hands-on learning, shared knowledge, music in the background, and everyone contributing something only they can bring.

It’s not a season.
It’s a cycle.
And this video is just one window into a year of culture being built, shaped, and carried forward together.


11/25/2025

The last country to break free. And almost no one talks about it.

November 25, 1975. Suriname’s independence. The final domino in Caribbean decolonization.

While Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, and Guyana celebrated independence in the ‘60s…

Suriname waited.

Smallest country in South America.
Most Caribbean place you’ve never heard of.

Same colonizers. Same slavery. Same indentureship.
Same fight for freedom.

But here’s what made Suriname different:

When independence finally came?
Nearly 150,000 people fled.

Forty percent of the population. Gone.

They weren’t paranoid.
By 1980: military coup.
By 1982: the December Murders.
Years of chaos.

But the culture? Unshakable.

They speak Dutch, but live Caribbean.

• Carnival like Trinidad
• Roti like Guyana
• Kaseko drums that hit like calypso
• Holi powder like Indo-Caribbean cousins in Brampton and Scarborough

CARICOM saw what geography tried to hide:
Suriname is Caribbean.

Not by map. By memory.
Not by borders. By beat.

Today, Surinamese Canadians dance at Caribana.
Their food sits beside patties and doubles.
Their families carry the same colonial scars.

Suriname didn’t just gain independence.

It closed the book on European control in the Caribbean.

Address

100 Consilium Place, Suite 200
Scarborough, ON
M1H3E3

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5am
Friday 9am - 5am

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