J’ouvert (joo-VAY), a vibrant street carnival celebration, may have started in 18th-century Trinidad to mock French colonists, but the Caribbean Student Association (CSA) brought it to Bradley on Sept. 26 to celebrate their heritage with everyone.
“Traditionally, in Trinidad and other Caribbean islands, it’s done in the morning. People will get out at three, four, five o’clock in the morning, with music, food and paint powder,” Stacey Layne, CSA president and senior music entertainment industry major, explained. “Obviously, we can’t do that on Bradley’s campus, so we tried to still keep it as authentic as possible with the paint and the powder and the water and the performances.”
However, students who attended last year’s J’ouvert may have noticed one big difference.
“Last semester, we had our original J’ouvert, but because of the weather, we couldn’t have it outside. So this is our opportunity to actually do the full-fledged plan,” Tianna Davis, CSA vice president and senior industrial engineering major, said.
The event was held at the Alumni Quad and kicked off with distinct performances from Synergy, a dance team at Bradley. The group incorporated Michael Jackson’s music as well as Caribbean hits from the soca genre, known for its high-energy rhythms and upbeat themes.
Attendees also noted the spirit of Caribbean culture.
“Anytime I’ve heard [Caribbean music], I think it inspires dance. It inspires people to move–move freely. None of it’s rigid,” Selah Turk, a junior user experience design major, said.
The energy didn’t stop at the music; once done performing, CSA dancers rushed the crowd with water guns and paint powder, immediately setting the celebration into full swing.
“We always had the dances there, but now we’re able to really bring the color in,” Curtis Johnson, CSA senior treasurer and computer science major, said.
The color came from both the powders that painted everyone and Caribbean culture itself.
“It was kind of the desire to finish out the black diaspora on campus, since we do have BSA [Black Student Alliance] and ASA [African Student Association],” Layne said. “I felt like there was a good amount of Caribbean students on campus who just didn’t have an outlet for their culture.”
For Layne, CSA is about recognizing every culture in the Caribbean without limitation.
“I wanted to have a club like that where we can have events, celebrate our culture and get it out there because I feel like a lot of times when people talk about the Caribbean, it’s only like Jamaica or Haiti,” Layne continued. “I wanted to make sure that everybody’s island and country gets recognized.”
Aside from hosting celebrations, CSA intends to educate others about the culture.
“I’m making sure that we do monthly posts about [different Caribbean islands], so that way, the whole school can see that,” social media director Sanaa Parker, a senior music business major, said.
These goals have already inspired many to branch into new experiences.
“This is my first time ever doing this,” senior psychology and Spanish double-major Dylan Holman said. “I didn’t think I’d get covered in paint. But here I am.”
The next J’ouvert events are set to be held exclusively during spring semesters and include every aspect of the celebration, but for now, the association showed Bradley their most colorful tradition with promises of more to come.
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