Caribbean experience celebrated


Monday, April 6, 1998	Caribbean experience celebrated By EVA LOAYZA Collegian Staff Writer Out of the dark, a thunderous voice filled the room and announced the beginning of cultural enlightenment. More than 500 people gathered Saturday at Johnston Commons to celebrate The 21st Annual Caribbean Experience: "The Caribbean: Past, Present and Future," hosted by the Caribbean Student Association.
`Penn State Caribbean Students Association web site`	"The purpose of the event is to let the State College community and the Penn State community experience a little bit of our Caribbean culture," said William Harvey, vice president of the association. After enjoying typical Caribbean dishes such as curry goat, jerk chicken and Gungo beans and rice, the attendees were presented with historical and cultural information that took them a step closer to understanding the "Caribbean Experience."
Winston Theobald plays the steel pan for attendees of The 21st Annual Caribbean Experience. The event, sponsored by the Caribbean Student Association, was held Saturday at Johnston Commons. (Collegian Photo/Elizabeth Anne Nolan - click for full size image)	There were poetry readings, followed by the melodic sounds of the steel pan, an instrument from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The contemplative mood created by the enriching sounds of the steel pan was transformed, however, with the throbbing beats of Haitian music and the rhythmic movements of four dancers. A colorful backdrop symbolized this year's theme of the Caribbean past, present and future. Dancers swirled around, giving off a contagious energy. Clifford Radhay sustained the lyrical flow by reciting a monologue that comically explored the notion of "staying true to your roots." The sounds of Ian Baptiste & company enhanced the energy in the room. They had the audience clapping, dancing and singing along to a medley of songs. A collage of dancers moved to the music. With flags representing different islands of the Caribbean tucked in their skirts, the dancers made instruments of their bodies and allowed the music to overtake them. "I thought it was a wonderful performance. It brought out everybody's roots. Like all the dance steps that everybody has to their music, it all comes from one place. The dances that they did definitely represented a lot of people's cultures regardless of whether they're from the Caribbean," said Rosa Molina (sophomore-international business management). The event, which had been planned since last June, ended with the crowd singing along to Bob Marley's "One Love" and reflecting on memories of the past, goals for the present and hopes for the future. "(Saturday night) was very nice because I'm from the islands and so it felt like I was back in the islands, being around the island," said Sassy Ross (freshman-French and African and African-American studies). "The people, the music, the food -- it was very refreshing to get that culture at Penn State."