Caribbean comes to the Union, students to experience its culture
Maiko Michishita
Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: News
At the Caribbean Cruise Immersion 5:15 to 8 p.m. today in the Arkansas Union Ballroom, people will experience a variety of cultures and food from the Caribbean islands.
At the event, people will get a chance to not only learn the Caribbean culture, but also to participate by playing music, speaking their languages or trying their food. The event is hosted by the Caribbean Students Association, International Students and Scholars and the Multicultural Center.
"This isn't just a presentation - we interact with each other," said Kordero St. Cyr, CSA president and a junior civil engineering major from the Bahamas. "[The event is] giving a taste about the Caribbean countries that are represented at UA."
In addition, people will see the various kinds of cultural and religious clothes of the Caribbean at the event, said Jaselle Martino, a student from Trinidad and Tobago who contributed to planning the Caribbean Cruise Immersion.
Participants also will have an opportunity to listen to different dialects and stories about the Caribbean culture and countries as well as to taste Caribbean food.
"The cuisine shared at the event would depict a variety of flavors and tastes of the Caribbean," Martino said. "It is truly an authentic feel of the Caribbean culture."
Other than eating Caribbean food, students will listen to steel drum and soca music, both of which originated in Trinidad and Tobago. They also will hear popular Jamaican music, such as reggae and dancehall.
"[Participants] would feel as if they are actually in the Caribbean," Martino said.
Caribbean Cruise is part of the annual Cultural Immersion series. The past immersion series featured Ghana, Austria, Colombia, Jordan, the Philippines and Japan.
"[The Caribbean Cruise Immersion] is a great opportunity to learn firsthand about the different and various islands of the Caribbean," said Laura Mullins, who works for the ISS.
People will have a certificate or "passport" at the entrance and can stop at several demonstration tables or "ports" of Caribbean countries such as the Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, said Mullins, who estimated that about 150 people will attend the event.
"There's a colorful history behind the Caribbean culture," said Leiaka Welcome, a graduate student and assistant professor of geology from Trinidad and Tobago who volunteered for the CSA and the ISS.
Even from the Union Ballroom, people will see different aspects of Caribbean people and places, she said.
"We have rich and unique cultures among the rest of the world because within our history we combine African culture and tradition with Europeans… You'll get to see that special blend that you don't see anywhere else," St. Cyr said.
"It's going to be fun," he said. "If you want to see what the Caribbean is like, this is the event."
Students must sign up to attend the event. To sign up, visit the Employee Development page on the UA Human Resources Web site at http://hr.uark.edu/training and click on "Training Calendar." From there, students can find the Caribbean Cruise Immersion page to sign up.
At the event, people will get a chance to not only learn the Caribbean culture, but also to participate by playing music, speaking their languages or trying their food. The event is hosted by the Caribbean Students Association, International Students and Scholars and the Multicultural Center.
"This isn't just a presentation - we interact with each other," said Kordero St. Cyr, CSA president and a junior civil engineering major from the Bahamas. "[The event is] giving a taste about the Caribbean countries that are represented at UA."
In addition, people will see the various kinds of cultural and religious clothes of the Caribbean at the event, said Jaselle Martino, a student from Trinidad and Tobago who contributed to planning the Caribbean Cruise Immersion.
Participants also will have an opportunity to listen to different dialects and stories about the Caribbean culture and countries as well as to taste Caribbean food.
"The cuisine shared at the event would depict a variety of flavors and tastes of the Caribbean," Martino said. "It is truly an authentic feel of the Caribbean culture."
Other than eating Caribbean food, students will listen to steel drum and soca music, both of which originated in Trinidad and Tobago. They also will hear popular Jamaican music, such as reggae and dancehall.
"[Participants] would feel as if they are actually in the Caribbean," Martino said.
Caribbean Cruise is part of the annual Cultural Immersion series. The past immersion series featured Ghana, Austria, Colombia, Jordan, the Philippines and Japan.
"[The Caribbean Cruise Immersion] is a great opportunity to learn firsthand about the different and various islands of the Caribbean," said Laura Mullins, who works for the ISS.
People will have a certificate or "passport" at the entrance and can stop at several demonstration tables or "ports" of Caribbean countries such as the Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, said Mullins, who estimated that about 150 people will attend the event.
"There's a colorful history behind the Caribbean culture," said Leiaka Welcome, a graduate student and assistant professor of geology from Trinidad and Tobago who volunteered for the CSA and the ISS.
Even from the Union Ballroom, people will see different aspects of Caribbean people and places, she said.
"We have rich and unique cultures among the rest of the world because within our history we combine African culture and tradition with Europeans… You'll get to see that special blend that you don't see anywhere else," St. Cyr said.
"It's going to be fun," he said. "If you want to see what the Caribbean is like, this is the event."
Students must sign up to attend the event. To sign up, visit the Employee Development page on the UA Human Resources Web site at http://hr.uark.edu/training and click on "Training Calendar." From there, students can find the Caribbean Cruise Immersion page to sign up.
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