The 6th Annual South Atlanta Caribbean Festival
The Atlanta Caribbean Cultural Festival, sponsored by the Caribbean Association of Georgia was held in Jonesboro, GA on Saturday August 22, 2015.
The festival was created to provide a family friendly event geared toward: celebrating the many contributions made by Caribbean Americans; educating and exposing the community to a diverse and rich range of cultural expressions; celebrating the diverse culture; invigorating community spirit; enhancing the quality of life in the community.
Upon arriving to the Clayton County International Park, I was immediately greeted with smiles, the laughter of children playing in the fun zone, delicious food at the vendor booths and yes….MUSIC! Ms. Chris Scott, the association president and Mr. Thaddeus Nathaniel said that they were happy to see such a great turnout of people wanting to learn and embrace the beauty of the Caribbean culture and take pride in providing this event year after year.The kid’s fun zone comprised of inflatables, face painting, caricature art and a variety of contests. There was also various vendors, contests, prizes, free medical screening, free dental exams, Caribbean cultural dancers a fashion show and more.
While at the festival, I had a chance to talk with Marcc Rose, who portrayed Tupac in the hit movie “Straight Outta Compton”. Marcc told me that he is very humbled by the support of the Atlanta area in his latest endeavor and so whenever he’s home, he shows love to the community and support as many events as he can. (So far, Atlanta has had the highest ticket sales of the movie).
Music performances included “Atlanta’s Hottest Caribbean Artist 2014” Guche Londan, Antigua’s Former Soca Monarch King Danskie, a reunion performance from the DFB, and 2015 GA Music Award Nominee Soca Artist Princess Imani Ray.
The highlight of the day was a special presentation to Reggae great Everton Blender for his contribution to the preservation of the culture and reggae genre. The award was presented by Jewel Scott, the Honorary Consulate to Jamaica. Ms. Scott told me that she was “Excited about this great thing and that this is such a rich culture and that is important to pass it on our children and keep it alive”.
After accepting his award, Blender set the stage on fire as he performed some of his greatest hits and surprised the audience by announcing that he has a new album out “Where is the Love?” Blender told me that he felt humbled and was happy to be able to attend the festival.
The sounds of the evening were provided by Columbus’ own Magnum Sound Int. It was indeed refreshing to see the familiar faces of D.J. Sniper, D.J. Anthony C (Representing Jamaica) and D.J. B-locks (representing Barbados). There were also soldiers in attendance from WHINSEC here on Fort Benning .
“Caribbean Association of Georgia, Inc. is a non-profit humanitarian and cultural organization founded in June 2008 and incorporated in April 2009. With the help of our members we have become a vital part of the community. Our organization has been committed to providing services, support, cultural awareness and information to the Metro Atlanta area. We take pride in educating and sharing our Caribbean culture, and giving back to the community and also partnering with other organizations. Our focuses include children, senior citizens, veterans, homeless, students, and low income individuals.” (As stated on the Caribbean Association of Georgia Website)
For more information of the festival or the organization, visit www.caribbeangeorgia.org or email caribbeangeorgia@gmail.com
