Program Content

The islands of the Caribbean share a culture of ethnic, racial and linguistic diversity which has created a culture that is rich and varied and unlike any other. In its inaugural year Caribbean Culture Week™ will focus on four key areas of Caribbean Culture- cuisine, fine art, literature and music.

Cuisine

Thanks to the proliferation of mom and pop restaurants and in recent years of the pioneering franchise Golden Krust and the appearance of Caribbean products on super market freezers, Caribbean beef patties, jerk chicken and curry goat have now made it into the American culinary mainstream. When Americans think of Caribbean cuisine these are the foods that come to mind.  However, Caribbean Cuisine is far more diverse and rich, with a unique fusion of the cultures that come together to form the Caribbean- African, Indian, Chinese, European and Middle Eastern.  Caribbean Culture Week™ will showcase wide spectrum of Caribbean restaurants ranging from the mom and pops to the upscale fine-dining establishments.

Fine Art

For many Americans, their fist and only exposure to Caribbean art is the “Tourist Art” they encounter on their visit to the region. They remain largely unaware of the immense well spring of creative talents in the region, of the large number of artist who have created beautiful and powerful works of art equal in quality to that of their American and European counterparts. Drawing their inspiration from the colonial experience, struggles for independence, social and economic hardships, traditional culture and international art movements, Caribbean visual artists are poised to take on the world. 

Literature

Caribbean writers have been at the forefront of the movement to encourage Caribbean people to forge their own identities, and the region has produced literary giants like Claude McKay, V.S. Naipaul, Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott, the much-acclaimed Kamau Braithwaite, the lyrical genius Bob Marley and now a new generation of young giants like Edwidge Danticat, and Colin Channer. Caribbean Culture Week seeks to create greater awareness of the regions literary talents.

Music

Like its food and its art, the music of the Caribbean represents a syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences. Reggae, ska, salsa and calypso have found global popularity. Caribbean Culture Week™ is committed to sustaining interest in these musical forms, but with a primary goal of exposure for the vast grouping of musical genres that is Caribbean music.