Chafeeza

Today was Junior Carnival, what many of us still lovingly call Kiddies Carnival.

Junior Carnival, or “Kiddies Carnival,” is where the next generation steps into culture, learning the music, the dance, the beauty of mas, and the pride of carrying our heritage forward.

I was invited by friends whose daughter calls me Auntie, and I take that role seriously. For the past couple of years I have attended Kiddies Carnival to support my niece and each time I am present as a witness, I am reminded of something powerful: culture is alive when we keep it alive.

This expression of freedom is a celebration and an inheritance.

Our culture is more than music and jeweled costumes. It’s language, food, laughter, and stories passed down through generations.

Culture isn’t accidental, it’s intentional. That means sitting with our elders while we can. Listening to their dialect, their stories, learning their mannerisms and wisdom.

When we let others tell our story it is often overshadowed by negativity and the plot is missed. The narrator chooses what to highlight, what to erase, and what to distort.

We have to become narrators. Take pictures, write blogs, preserve who we are.

Iz we culture.

Preserve it. Share it. Live it.

💕Kiddies Carnival 2022