Caribbean Connections hosted ‘Tropical Heat’

In honor of International Week, the Caribbean Connections club hosted “Tropical Heat” Wed. Nov. 18. Students were greeted by a slideshow of facts about the Caribbean while tropical rhythms satiated the atmosphere.

Senior Cassanni Laville, vice president of Caribbean Connections, said “One of the main reasons we did this is to raise awareness. We’re a small organization trying to get our name out there so that Caribbean students here have a place to feel at home.”

President Jamal Potter opened the event with a prayer, then addressed the crowd; “We hope that you truly experience this small piece of the Caribbean…we hope to unite UNCC with the Caribbean.”

The KJ Dance Troop performed a routine, followed by vice president Laville read the poem “Revolutionary” by Michael Smith. The poem’s narrative voice is a little boy living with his mother in poverty. The mother goes from man to man seeking financial support, and the little boy wishes he could care for her and show her a better way.

This literary example of common socioeconomic problems of the Caribbean was followed by brief history and overview of its 7,000 islands, keys and islets of the Caribbean, from the Lesser to the Greater Antilles. Some parts of South America can also be considered part of the Caribbean, such as Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana and Suriname.

When approximately 750,000 natives were nearly wiped out due to colonization, the West African slave trade as well as European, Chinese and Indian immigrants mixed to create the racial composition present in the Caribbean today.

This mixture also accounts for the variety of languages spoken in the region, including English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Haitian Creole, and Papiamento.

Carnivals, annual celebrations of life, are found throughout the Caribbean. There are also carnival celebrations found outside the Caribbean but maintained by immigrants, such as Caribana in Toronto and smaller versions in New York, Atlanta, and Miami.

Students danced in their seats as a series of videos by Caribbean artists were shown. Club members offered an explanation of the diverse types of the region’s music; calypso, soca, chutney, and limbo originated in Trinidad while rocksteady, reggae, dancehall, and roots reggae originated in Jamaica.

Students were then asked to form a circle and dance to everything from more familiar rhythms such as soca and dancehall to more obscure tunes such as the stookie and the Scooby Doo.

A $25 Macy’s gift card was awarded to the best performer. When asked if he felt that he worked hard for the prize, The winner, freshman Ulysses Rhone, said “I’m sweatin’, tired! But I might give it away as a gift.”

Students left the event armed with an impressive arsenal of Caribbean knowledge. Potter said, “It was a little bit stressful planning this toward the end of the semester but I felt that it was important to get together. It went pretty well. I would’ve liked to seen a bigger turnout, but I’m happy with those who came out.”