A tall, scantily clad man struts down the runway in time to the music. Suddenly he sheds his bathrobe and then, his towel. He gyrates wildly in his American-flag thong to the elation of the audience below. Sexually explicit screams – ‘Woo, baby!’ – erupt from the crowd. Welcome to the madness of Caribfest 2003.

More than 400 people attended the Caribfest day show in a sold-out Goldstein Auditorium on Saturday. The event, an annual festival sponsored by the Caribbean Students Association, celebrated Caribbean culture and life. The goal of Caribfest was to highlight the diverse elements of the culture and show its traditions, said Andrea Skerritt, public relations officer and communications chairperson for CSA.

‘We wanted people to know that it’s more than just what they see on BET and MTV,’ said Warren Howe, CSA president. ‘That’s just scratching the surface. It’s more than just reggae and Bob Marley. We didn’t want to focus on just Jamaica. The idea was to link every aspect of Caribbean culture.’

‘There was a different mission this time,’ said Jamaall Knight, CSA manager of outside resources. ‘We got feedback that we had alienated the non-Jamaican and Trinidadian members of the Caribbean community, so we made a conscious effort this time to incorporate all aspects of Caribbean life.’

Hosts Jose Vilson and Anna Phillips explained several aspects of Caribbean life. Caribbean culture not only involves countries such as Jamaica, but also regions of Africa and Asia. This was reflected in the dance, food, music and poetry of the day.

‘We love it when people come visit our homeland – I mean Syracuse University,’ Phillips said. ‘The academic plantation we call Syracuse University.’

Students read poetry about Asian-Pacific Americans that were frustrated by the common attitudes toward their culture. They lamented that much of Asian-Pacific-American culture is not taught in public schools.

Fashion shows covered many different aspects of Caribbean life, from colonial garb to saris to tie-dye to freestyle clothing.

‘I think the freestyle part was the females’ highlight,’ Howe said. ‘They were jumping out of their seats and hollering.’

‘Y’all feelin’ the show?’ Howe asked following the freestyle segment. Given the loud female feedback, he responded: ‘So, y’all like the flashin’? Fellas, take note of the horny ladies in the audience.’

Many of the show’s models wore authentic clothing – pieces were imported from Trinidad, Tobago and Antigua, and others were made in India and Africa.

‘I live in Trinidad, so I spoke to a lot of people there about donating,’ said Sarah Rudder, co-coordinator of the fashion show. ‘They usually have a few leftover costumes after all the festivals are finished, so we were able to use them in our show. We tried to get Asian clothing, but it was too expensive.’

‘I was really pleased with how beautiful the costumes turned out,’ Skerritt said.

The show intended to portray the evolution of Caribbean culture through clothing, said Rudder, who worked closely with co-coordinator Laila Ntim. The final scene of the fashion show was based on the Caribbean tradition of Carnivale, she said.

Carnivale is an annual Caribbean tradition celebrating life. Hundreds of years ago, Catholics in Italy began the tradition – they held a wild costume festival the day before the first day of Lent. Since Catholics are not allowed to consume meat during Lent, they called their festival ‘carnevale,’ or ‘to put away the meat.’ This European festival eventually developed into today’s Caribbean Carnivale celebrations, which incorporate both European and African influences. The festivities include steel drum bands, thematic bands with costumes and other artistic interpretations of culture. Today, Carnivale celebrations can be found throughout the Caribbean, Canada and the United States.

Various Caribbean dance troupes were also showcased, including the Kalabash Dance Troupe, Smith College Gumboot Troupe and Ithaca College Caribbean Dance Ensemble. Dance styles ranged from hip-hop to boot slapping.

‘The Big-Guns’ dance routine was one of the most popular,’ Howe said. ‘At one point, dancers were laying on the floor, and the music made a reversal noise and everyone went back to their original positions. It got a great audience reaction.’

‘Smith College came to us during the summer and wanted the opportunity to perform,’ Knight said. ‘Ithaca was also very eager to come, given that they hadn’t had a very good response on their own campus.’

The organizers considered the event a huge triumph.

‘Judging by the audience reaction, I thought it was a great success,’ Howe said. ‘A lot of people came up to me and told me how much they liked it.’

‘Overall, the feedback I got from the audience was positive,’ Skerritt said. ‘The day show sold out, and the food was great. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed myself that much all year.’

In addition to Caribfest, CSA is launching a new radio show on Z89. ‘The Island Ride’ airs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. For its next event, the association is planning a Bob Marley weekend, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 6 to Feb. 8.

‘The weekend will focus on heroes of the Caribbean, not just Marley,’ Howe said. ‘Expect good things.’

Published on November 16, 2003 at 12:00 pm