Intern Edition Summer 2008

Washington, D.C. celebrated its 16th Annual Caribbean Carnival this past June, during a two-day festival held on the 28th and 29th of the month. Caribbean bands and dancers decked out in colorful costumes laden with feathers, topped with exotic headdresses, swarmed the Georgia Avenue, NW, corridor during the first-day parade.

The festivities kicked off at 11 a.m. at Georgia and Missouri Avenues, and continued down to Banneker Field by Howard University. Each year the “De Savvanah” festival grounds hosts an international marketplace packed with vendors featuring Caribbean food, crafts, and entertainment. Live music can be caught throughout the day, both during the parade and at De Savvanah. Headlining this year’s live entertainment were Fay-Ann Lyons & Bunji Garlin, and The Soca Queen Alison Hinds.

The DC Carnival is made possible through DC Caribbean Carnival, Inc., a non-profit organization based in the District. According to its website, the carnival is intended to “develop and encourage cross-cultural program within the Washington Metropolitan Area” in the “expansion of Caribbean culture, and educate youths and adults in the Caribbean arts, crafts, and culture.”

In just 13 years, the carnival has grown from nine bands, representing different Caribbean islands, and 150,000 spectators to 25 bands and nearly 300,000 visitors. The carnival not only attracts Caribbean immigrants living in DC and the greater east coast, but from Canada, Australia and the Caribbean islands themselves, most notably Jamaica and Trinidad.

While enjoying the tail-end of the parade on the first day of the Carnival, I spotted a group of guys covered in mud, laughing and joking on the side of the street. Reflective of their inviting and inclusive culture, they called me over and I had the chance to spend some time with this hilarious bunch as they cooked food and wound down from the day’s festivities. All immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago, they made their way from various parts of the country to enjoy their annual journey to the DC Carnival. Below, you can hear from the guys themselves about why they come to the carnival and their thoughts on being a member of Caribbean immigrant community.

Selwyn Williams, NY resident, on why he keeps coming back each year, and explains why he’s covered all over in mud:

Dexter Griffith, on his role in the Carnival, and what being a Caribbean immigrant in America means to him:

Harvey Neptune, a professor at Temple University, describes how he prophesized Obama’s run for the presidency, and how he “convinced” Michelle to let him do it:

New York City just held the “mother of all U.S. carnivals,” as Harvey Neptune puts it, called the West Indian American Day Carnival. The festivities draw in over 3 million people each year for a weekend celebrating Caribbean crafts, music, and food. To get a peek into what went on during the event, click here.

If you missed the DC or NYC carnivals, you have another chance to join in the festivities at the Broward Caribbean Carnival in South Florida, October 12th. Get all of the details here.

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