Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, St. Kitts, Trinidad, Haiti, and many others make up the beautiful and cultured Caribbean Islands.
The repetitive sounds of base, chimes and a mix of island tones blast through the speakers in Roy Irving Theatre. Reggaeton, Soca, and Calypso play throughout the night while students wave their bright colored flags in the air, shaking their hips and shuffling their feet to the beats of the Caribbean.
Saint Peter’s University hosted its Annual Flag Party November 6th. This party compared to the others held on campus is different; it shines a light on the West Indian culture and is about more than raising a flag.
President of the Students of Caribbean Ancestry Club Arelene Ganess has done all the planning for this event, and being Caribbean herself, it’s very close to her heart.
“I've been to my fair share of parties hosted by the student organizations”, Ganess said. “Being able to plan events such as our Annual Flag Party is a privilege. I love being able to see students with cultures similar to mine enjoy the night and bond together through music.”
SOCA is a club that prides themselves on bringing people together, and sophomore member Anyah Bryan joined to be a part of something that was familiar.
“What I enjoy most is the people we meet, because in some sense they are just like you”, Bryan said. “We might not be from the same island but we all come together because of our heritage.”
Although they are a Caribbean club, they plan the Flag Party every year to share the culture of their heritage with everyone.
“It’s a Caribbean themed party, but students from all different countries are welcome to represent their flag”, Ganess said. “It allows students to show pride in where they are from and show that they appreciate their culture.”
Many people know the catchy and fast tempo Reggaeton songs that come on the radio, but this year many will be introduced to some of the classics that only native Caribbean people are familiar with.
“In other parties, you will only here a couple Caribbean songs and the rest is mainstream music”, Ganess said. “For this year's party, we wanted to take a spin on our regular Flag Party and decided to do a Throwback Edition, highlighting, Soca, Reggaeton, Bachata, Kompa, and African, tunes that we Caribbean’s grew up listening to.”
The Flag Party is for everyone at Saint Peter’s to be proud of their heritage and open themselves up to the Caribbean sound.
“The thing that is special about the flag party is that you get to come out and show your West Indian pride”, Bryan said. “You don’t even have to be West Indian to love the islands, you may just love the music, and I enjoy dancing and having fun with my Caribbean and non-Caribbean people at the party every year.”
The repetitive sounds of base, chimes and a mix of island tones blast through the speakers in Roy Irving Theatre. Reggaeton, Soca, and Calypso play throughout the night while students wave their bright colored flags in the air, shaking their hips and shuffling their feet to the beats of the Caribbean.
Saint Peter’s University hosted its Annual Flag Party November 6th. This party compared to the others held on campus is different; it shines a light on the West Indian culture and is about more than raising a flag.
President of the Students of Caribbean Ancestry Club Arelene Ganess has done all the planning for this event, and being Caribbean herself, it’s very close to her heart.
“I've been to my fair share of parties hosted by the student organizations”, Ganess said. “Being able to plan events such as our Annual Flag Party is a privilege. I love being able to see students with cultures similar to mine enjoy the night and bond together through music.”
SOCA is a club that prides themselves on bringing people together, and sophomore member Anyah Bryan joined to be a part of something that was familiar.
“What I enjoy most is the people we meet, because in some sense they are just like you”, Bryan said. “We might not be from the same island but we all come together because of our heritage.”
Although they are a Caribbean club, they plan the Flag Party every year to share the culture of their heritage with everyone.
“It’s a Caribbean themed party, but students from all different countries are welcome to represent their flag”, Ganess said. “It allows students to show pride in where they are from and show that they appreciate their culture.”
Many people know the catchy and fast tempo Reggaeton songs that come on the radio, but this year many will be introduced to some of the classics that only native Caribbean people are familiar with.
“In other parties, you will only here a couple Caribbean songs and the rest is mainstream music”, Ganess said. “For this year's party, we wanted to take a spin on our regular Flag Party and decided to do a Throwback Edition, highlighting, Soca, Reggaeton, Bachata, Kompa, and African, tunes that we Caribbean’s grew up listening to.”
The Flag Party is for everyone at Saint Peter’s to be proud of their heritage and open themselves up to the Caribbean sound.
“The thing that is special about the flag party is that you get to come out and show your West Indian pride”, Bryan said. “You don’t even have to be West Indian to love the islands, you may just love the music, and I enjoy dancing and having fun with my Caribbean and non-Caribbean people at the party every year.”