ACA Night

Hey Guys!

Last weekend was probably the highlight of my term and my freshman year. Last week after traying down Evans Hill I got sick. This was arguably the worst cold I’ve had in my entire life. Thankfully, it cleared up just the day before my big performance in Kracum.

Choosing what to perform

I’ve been a member of ACA (African-Caribbean Association) since Fall term. I love being a part of this association because it reminds me of home. I’ve always lived in a predominately Caribbean neighborhood so you could imagine the culture shock when I came to Carleton. I found out about ACA night the first meeting of the term and tried my best to dodge the performance and just be a figure backstage. Relentless back and forth and the fact that I was outnumbered led to me committing to perform something.

I started looking for Jamaican choreography and figured out that I wasn’t a strong dancer. This process called me to question what was my culture really like without music and dancing. That’s when I remembered Ms. Lou or Louise Bennet, a Famous Jamaican folklorist and poet. I remembered reading much of her poems and stories in Primary School. I figured this would show another beautiful side of the Jamaican Culture, the language.

Executing

Through careful research, I planned to do “Nuh Lickkle Twang” a satirical poem about the expectations of the Jamaican people when a family member migrates to the United States. This poem perfectly complimented ACA’s theme of immigration “Across Oceans, Beyond Borders”. The entire show focused on the common misconceptions surrounding Africa and the Caribbean. The satire started in the opening speech when Anesu ’20 made fun of the fact that people still think Africa is a country. It continued with our parody of Family Feud. In Family Feud we touched on the microaggressions immigrants of African descent face. From being asked “where are you really from” to forcing us to assimilate to be comfortable in ourselves.

While bringing light to the struggles of immigration from an Afro-Caribbean perspective we showed the beauty and diversity in our cultures. Watching people from very different parts of the African Diaspora collaborate to make medleys of dances demonstrated how we could use culture to unite us. The most important point is we all had fun while performing. It was really nothing but good vibes. At the end of the day, I am glad that the members of ACA pushed me to perform. ThanksACA! And a very special thank you to all the students and faculty that came to support us!

See You Later!

Jevon is a first-year student from the Big Apple. Other than defending that he is an authentic New Yorker (he’s from Long Island), Jevon spends his time immersing himself into Carleton’s vibrant student social atmosphere. He is considering majoring in Biology or Chemistry; either way, Jevon has plenty of time to decide. Meet the Other Bloggers!