Caribfest features dance, music, pageant and poetry performances by SU students
Jaden Chen | Assistant Photo Editor
Sophomore Shakira Santos, who stunned the audience with her cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You,” was crowned Miss Caribfest.
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At first there was darkness. Suddenly, strobe lights illuminated the massive audience in Goldstein Auditorium as dancers flooded the aisles with Caribbean flags draped across their backs. Pageant contestants skipped down the catwalk and waved to the crowd, and the audience’s cheers boomed with energy and approval.
All over the walls were flags for multiple Caribbean nations, including but not limited to Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, Belize and St. Lucia.
Caribbean pride was in the air Sunday night at Caribfest 2022, hosted by Syracuse University’s Caribbean Student Association. The event featured TikTok star Ojay Suave, performances from SU dance groups, a pageant and a performance from Jamaican dancehall and reggae musician Kranium.
“I’m so excited to be your host, because y’all know I’m ghetto just like y’all,” Suave said.
When CSA started Caribfest over a decade ago, the event was just a pageant without the multiple performances this year’s event had. But the organization is thrilled to see the celebration’s growth, said Valkyrie Hardy, CSA president and co-host of the event.
The pageant portion dominated the event, with contestants vying for the title of Miss or Mr. Caribfest. A panel of three judges deliberated throughout the pageant’s various events to decide whom to crown this year.
The CSA executive board chose contestants for this year’s pageant based on ties to Caribbean culture and involvement in the SU community, Hardy said. They also wanted to include students from all academic years, and this factored into the decision process.
Contestants included six SU students: senior Andrew Prado-Alipui, sophomore Ashanté McCord, freshman Milan Imari, junior Fabryce Fetus, junior Omar Wallen and sophomore Shakira Santos.
Each contestant represented a country that they or their parents are from. Imari and Wallen both represented Jamaica, while Fetus and Santos competed for Haiti and Puerto Rico, respectively. McCord represented both Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada.
“The Caribbean is the most beautiful place in the world, and I’m the most beautiful man here,” Prado-Alipui said in his introduction, which received a roar of applause.
While Prado-Alipui represented Ghana, an African country, he regularly enjoys Caribbean music, food and other aspects of the culture. He was welcomed with open arms by Hardy and the CSA e-board to this year’s Caribfest pageant due to his connections to the community, Hardy said.
Between the pageant portions of the event, the Raíces Dance Troupe, One World Dance Team and Kalabash Dance Troupe lit the stage up with high-energy moves. Jaden Chen | Assistant Photo Editor
Carnival wear, the second portion of the pageant, was an ode to one of the Caribbean’s biggest celebrations.
“Carnival wear has to be in Caribfest. We can’t have a Caribfest without Carnival wear,” Hardy said in an interview. “Carnival wear, in essence, is the bright colors, the feathers and showcasing and highlighting being comfortable in your own skin and your own body.”
As the pageant briefly morphed into a fashion show, all three women let feather headdresses and wings take center stage, while the men literally dripped in jewels as they marched down the catwalk. The vibrant, extravagant fashion was a crowd favorite — as each contestant flaunted their costume, the audience cheered with support.
The talent portion gave the audience a more personal look into each contestant’s passions, as well as their love for their countries. Imari and Wallen made full use of the stage and captivated the audience’s attention as they danced to upbeat numbers.
Santos sang “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, which stunned the audience so much that there were cheers and a few standing ovations before the song was finished. Similarly, Prado-Alipui performed a song that he wrote himself called “Love Story,” receiving thunderous support from the crowd.
Fetus recited a poem he wrote, entitled “Ode to Haiti,” which was written like a love letter and explored his persisting love and longing for his country.
“I was 7 years old when I left you, but I still think about you like the first day that I met you,” Fetus said. “When I faced loneliness, I dreamt you, and when you faced sadness, I wept too.”
McCord performed a spoken word piece entitled “An Ode to My Caribbean,” a deeply personal piece that discussed how her Caribbean culture healed her as she grew as a woman.
“And my Caribbean ascendants gave to me the swaying of the waist, allowing me to find peace beyond trauma in a womb space. Soca is culture, and countless historical ties,” she said. “Soca connects me to myself and a world beyond the scope of physical eyes.” McCord paused briefly as the crowd gasped and cheered at the power of that line before she finished, “Soca I love you, thanks for granting me peace, and all those before me, strength to stay alive.”
Contestants brought elegance to the stage during the evening wear portion of the event, which featured dresses and suits fit for a red carpet. During this segment, Suave asked them various questions on topics about social progress for the Caribbean community.
For one question, Suave asked Wallen what he thought community for Caribbeans looked like on this campus.
“I feel like (for) these organizations, creating a place that we can all call home, make good memories, network and create friendships that last beyond college will mean that they succeeded,” Wallen said. “Just bringing us all together, because we’re a very small number on this campus, and making us feel larger than life.”
With anticipation building for the crowd and contestants, finally, Santos was crowned Miss Caribfest, alongside Fetus as Mr. Caribfest.
The Raíces Dance Troupe, One World Dance Team and Kalabash Dance Troupe electrified the stage between pageant portions with their intricate, high-energy moves and dramatic hair flips. Fueled by the audience’s cheers and applause, the dancers embodied confidence and Latin, African and Caribbean style, respectively.
At the end of the event, attendees flocked towards the stage in eager anticipation for Kranium. The auditorium darkened, and Kranium immediately captivated the crowd with his catchy beats and vocal strength. The night rounded out to the sound of his dancehall tracks.
“The bright colors, the music … just everyone being together, dancing, having a good time, educating people a little bit,” Hardy said. “Caribfest is just a big showcase of Caribbean culture.”
Published on March 7, 2022 at 11:48 pm
