In January of 1998, Canada had what’s considered to be one of our worst natural disasters to date: an ice storm, resulting in over 100 millimetres of freezing rain and ice showering large parts of Quebec, eastern Ontario, and pieces of the Maritimes. In Quebec, it was referred to as the “storm of the century”, and rightfully so. Public Safety Canada’s disaster database says that 35 Canadians died as a result of the storm, and over 1000 were injured.

As layer upon layer of sleet blanketed the province, the weight snapped branches off trees, causing the limbs to come crashing down on powerlines. Hydro Quebec’s towers, previously thought to be indestructible given their ability to withstand up to 45mm of ice accumulation, buckled under the weight. 

Which is why I have no problem admitting to you that I had a difficult time becoming accustomed to a Quebec winter (one that I’ve been told by many was really not that bad). But the extent of which we are truly formed by our surroundings, particularly when we’re still in the womb, has been something of great interest to Dr. Suzanne King, a Montreal-based researcher, for decades.

When the ice storms of 1998 took place, Dr. King had already been curious about prenatal maternal stress. After the storms, she turned her curiosity into a study on how that stress impacts a child’s health.

The study, titled (arguably the coolest name ever) Project Ice Storm, was (and is) conducted by scientists from the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University, and started by addressing the maternal personality factors of 178 women who had been exposed to the storms, who either were pregnant at the time, or became pregnant soon after. Researchers also factored in the amount of days without power each woman went through, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and physiological reactions.

Follow-ups with the children born from these women happened every year or every other year, though it’s clear that the follow-up is ongoing, as the goal of the study as it currently stands is “to understand the long-term effects of the prenatal exposure to stress… by studying developmental trajectories through early adulthood,” according to the Project Ice Storm page on McGill’s website.

What this meant is that, for the first time ever, researchers were able to conclude that maternal hardship predicted the degree of methylation (modification) of DNA in the T cells, a type of cell found in the immune system, and that the objective stressor (the days each woman went without power) was the long-lasting influencer on these changes, not the degree of emotional stress.

The changes in T cells specifically, or in any genes related to immunity and sugar metabolism, put a person at a greater risk for developing asthma, diabetes, or obesity later in life. In June of 2014, Project Ice Storm had results published in both BioMed Research International and Psychiatry Research highlighting the links between prenatal maternal stress and the development of not only asthma, but autism in the children.

And curiously enough, all of the children participants were found to be more prone for anxiety and depression, starting at an age as young as 4.

Researchers for Project Ice Storm acknowledge that the results need to be replicated, and with a larger testing pool, but this is tricky for a variety of reasons. 

Pregnant women, have you managed to calm down? Excellent, now go find someplace peaceful, serene, and immune to any kind of natural disaster.

To date, nearly 100 families are still participating in Project Ice Storm while researchers “continue to analyze the rich data collected over the years,” though their page also states there are currently no new assessments planned.

It’s 6 p.m. in Dubai when Danny Aridi and I first speak. He’s so soft spoken and polite, it doesn’t come as a surprise when he tells me how shy he was as a child: the catalyst behind the songwriting and storytelling he’s made into his career. He performed for the first time in high school, a step that he says helped shape his personality and root his passion even deeper. Finding a way to communicate his thoughts through music, was (and has remained) therapeutic.

Raised in Lebanon and the UAE, Aridi made his way to Montreal in his late teens to attend Concordia University, and spent seven years in Canada. His first professionally recorded song, “Home”, was produced by Aridi in Montreal, as was the music video that accompanies it.

He would post videos of song covers weekly, but initially pursued a career in hospitality after graduating and moving back to Dubai. Aridi made the decision to give music a genuine go by competing in (and winning) not one, but two, contests: Virgin’s “Best Artist” competition, placing first among over 150 artists across the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the Emerging Talent Competition in Abu Dhabi, where he went up against over 250 singers from around the region.

Through the competitions, Aridi won a contract with Universal Music, and a position opening up for musical acts booked to perform on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, including Katy Perry, Post Malone, Guns N’Roses, and the Backstreet Boys. I can’t help but ask him about the different crowds he encountered, opening up for such a spectrum of musicians. He says the experiences were all positive, but his setlists obviously needed to be adjusted accordingly.

It’s hard to tell how soulful of a singing voice Aridi has through our phone conversation, but you can certainly hear it in his music. At times, he reminds me of a raspy George Ezra, and showcases an impressive vocal range.

“Wanderlust”, Aridi’s most recent single, and its music video, were a brainchild that begun on a recent trip to India. The video is stunning – a perfect accompaniment for the bright, sunny pop earworm, and Aridi is the person to thank for it. On top of writing his music, he also comes up with the concepts and storylines for the videos, and self-produces all of his content. He knew that he wanted to showcase the country and people he encountered, so he reached out to a friend in the Bollywood scene to collaborate. They rented a camera, went to four different cities, and hopped out of the car to film whenever they wanted.

“Wanderlust” certainly isn’t Aridi’s only visually stunning work; the videos he produced to accompany his singles “Solo” and “Home” show a deep creativity that goes beyond songwriting. When I ask where the ideas come from for his videos, Aridi tells me that it all happens at once – every song he writes is already accompanied by a visual story in his mind, the song and the idea for the video going hand-in-hand. 

For now, Aridi’s focused on exposure. He’d love to tour in North America, but the crossover is tough and slow coming. In the meantime, Aridi has many more stories to tell, and he’ll keep creating content. He’s showing the world what he’s made of – not only genuine talent, but determination and grit, too.

I learned just last night that the Larousse Dictionary has a new word – cadeauter – which in the French of North Africa means to offer a gift. And Montrealers are about to be offered a gift: the 33rd Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, the line-up of which was released at a press conference May 28. Starting July 9 and continuing until July 21, more than 700 artists from 30 countries will be showcasing music from the cultures of Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Kicking off the official start of the festival is the legendary Golden Voice of Africa, Salif Keita, who’ll be celebrating both his 70th birthday and his 50th anniversary of his career. He’ll be performing his 14th and final album, Un autre blanc, at the MTELUS on July 11.

Keita is featured in one of seven concert series hosted by the festival, the Grands événements series, among the likes of Colombia’s Systema Solar (July 12), Brazillian samba group Casuarina (July 17) and Guinea’s Soirée Urban Africa (July 18).

There will be 135 concerts and activities taking place at 6 indoor venues – MTELUS, Le Gesu, La Tulipe, Club Balattou, Theatre Fairmount, and Le Ministere – and an outdoor site located on the Parterre of the Quartier des spectacles, where the Nuits d’Afrique Village will be from July 16 to 21. Festival International Nuits d’Afrique is one of Montreal’s most unifying celebrations, and offers a variety of free activities for attendees of all ages, including traditional dance and musical instrument workshops, a children’s play area, and the authentic Timbuktu Market.

This year, the festival is focused on providing space for the growing number of female voices; the Voix du monde series is devoted entirely to giving those voices a platform, and features Cape Verdean singer Elida Almeida (July 9), the female-led Afro-Cuban group Okan (July 10), Réunion Island’s Maya Kamaty (July 14), and Cameroonian singer Valérie Ékoumè (July 16).

Another striking feminist voice in the mix is that of Mali-born Montreal-based singer and griot Djely Tapa, who was recently named 2019-2020 Radio-Canada Revelation in world music. Her first album, Barokan, was released in early 2019 and is both a tribute to the strength of African women and youth, as well as a call for the protection of water resources. Barokan features songs sung in the Mandinka, Bambara and Kassonke languages. Those in attendance at the festival’s press conference yesterday evening at Theatre Fairmount had a chance to witness Ms. Tapa’s overwhelming and powerful stage presence, and her truly unforgettable voice. Don’t miss her performance at Le Ministere on July 16.

The festival is also shining light on voices of the new generation, like Songhoy Blues, a desert blues group from Mali (July 15), Jamaican reggae marvel Jah9 (July 13), and the Algerian Tuareg desert rock quintet Imarhan (July 18).

This year, host of the radio show Rapophonie, Myriam Fehmiu, is championing the festival as spokesperson. Fehmiu shared that “the musical selection is as extensive as ever,” and that “Every sound, every generation, will enliven the atmosphere of this 33rd edition.” She’ll also be hosting two ICI Musique DQ sets on July 19 and 20 on the TD-Radio-Canada Stage as well.

Prices for shows vary, but all tickets (as well as Show Packages) are available for purchase online at the official Festival International Nuits d’Afrique website, or in person at Club Balattou, 4372, boul. St-Laurent – 514-845-5447. Once the concerts move to Quartier des spectacles, however, shows are free from early afternoon until midnight-ish.