Musical melodies from steel drums and the aroma of fried plantains, curry chicken and jerk pork introduced many to a taste of the Caribbean culture Saturday evening at the Penn Stater Conference Hotel.
"The best part is the diversity of food," Lisa LaDriere-Konan (graduate-education) said. "You can't get this at State College."
The 30th annual Caribbean Experience, called "Traditions ... Taste the Tropics," is a way for the Caribbean Student Association (CSA) to educate others about the culture, politics and history of the Caribbean nations. Aside from music and food, about 420 guests got to watch a fashion show, skits and dances.
"We want to expose [the] Penn State community to Caribbean culture because people always think of sandy beaches, fruit punch and palm trees," Shinelle Pierre (junior-biobehavioral health), one of the event's emcees, said. "They don't think we have a cosmopolitan culture."
The show incorporated the Carnival, one of the Caribbean's traditions. The Carnival, a musical celebration that has roots in West African festivals, was portrayed in one of three featured scenes in the fashion show. Models wore elaborately seductive garments with bright-feathered headdresses and beads at their sides. Pierre said the outfits and beads are meant to express the beauty, spirit and livelihood of the people of the Islands.
After the fashion show, Moko Jumbies, performers on 10-foot stilts, entered the room. Wearing brightly colored satin outfits, the traditional folk characters danced around the room to ward off bad spirits. Many audience members waved their hands and napkins in the air in support.
The audience also got a chance to cheer for a winner when CSA members split up into two music teams, a 1990s and a 2000s team, and participated in a dance-off. Other performances included the 4H Group Calypsonian, an organization based in Trinidad to empower youth with life and leadership skills. The 4H Group Calypsonian sang two songs and performed an Indian-inspired dance.
Pierre said the Caribbean culture is influenced by Indian, Asian and African culture.
Kristal Morrison (junior-crime, law and justice), a member of CSA, said the skits were also included in the show to illustrate how Caribbean culture has grown over the years.
"We wanted to show the cultural differences in the skits because we can only appreciate what we have now if we understand what happened in the past," Morrison said.
