Twenty Years of Calle Ocho
Over the years, the Calle Ocho festival has brought hundreds of smiles to thousands of people. Behind the smiles, the laughter, and the dances, there is a serious side to the festivities. In the beginning, Willy Bermello just wanted a little backyard get-together that would bring neighbors closer, but the festival turned into something much, much bigger. With the festival's growth and inevitable commercialization, Bermello increasingly felt that its importance was being forgotten. He wanted to let people know this was more than just a big party. He wanted people of different races and different ethnicities to be able to feel comfortable with each other, and not just for one day. He wanted Calle Ocho's influence felt throughout the year.
In 1998, Cuban refugees are still being held captive in camps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Many refugees left Guantanamo last year in hopes of reaching America, but unfortunately, few have yet to make it here. In the hearts of many people, there lies the hope, that, by the next festival, those Cubans wishing to be in South Florida will be able to celebrate the festival with their friends and family. On Calle Ocho, people of all races and backgrounds are helping to make the Cuban exile community party a success. It has been a difficult year for divided families everywhere. Many of the proceeds from various stands at the festival go to giving financial aid to Cubans who are brought over from the island. A portion of the festival proceeds go to support Operation Angel; the MCI long-distance telephone tents are giving away five minutes of free calling time. This calling time gives families the chance to call Cuba; many are calling their families for the first time. Furthermore, T-shirt stands are raising money to help those still interred in camps.
Block after block, people from all over are packed in Little Havana; they form a river of cultural unity. Unfortunately, the Calle Ocho festival of 1996 was cancelled due to the ill-fated shooting down of four Cuban exile aviators, from the Brothers to the Rescue organization, by Cuban warplanes on February 24, 1996. People who attended the festivals after that incident maintain, in their hearts, the memories of those pilots who gave their lives to help refugees in need.
To conclude, this essay has looked at several ways in which the melting pot myth has been represented in Once Upon a Quinceañera by Julia Alvarez. Practicing one’s cultural beliefs is a very noble idea because it keeps ones culture alive and passed down from one generation to the next. This is what Alvarez describes in her book regarding the quinceañera tradition. However, these coming of age celebrations in America have encountered the MTV era where festivities focus more on the extravagance than on the real coming of age Hispanic culture. Quinceañeras have now become corrupted because they teach girls how to behave irresponsibly when they become women. Furthermore, the ritual itself has now become a show off. It is for these reasons that Alvarez fears the future generation will totally deviate from the original intent of holding quinces.
The story explores many vital concepts accompanied by beautiful illustrations. I felt a strong sense of cultural understanding, spirituality and connection to family and land as though I was on this journey too. I could sense an underlying meaning in each dance, holding great importance to Bertie’s family and a strong connection to their culture. Pryor has attempted to fuse the then and now, by speaking of changes in the land, from a once spiritual gathering place, to a now busy town street where through food, they keep the culture alive (Pryor, 2010).
In the heart of Miami, Florida, the Calle Ocho Festival is an event open to people of all ethnic backgrounds and age groups. This event dates back to the late seventies. The festival originated in 1977. It was organized by two men, Leslie Pantín Jr. and Willy Bermello, who wanted to start a project with the Miami Herald to bring the community closer together. They decided on a festival while scribbling on the back of a place mat at lunch one day at the Red Coach Inn during the summer of 1977. Pantín and Bermello's goal was to have a street party that would display the Latin-American lifestyle in the city of Miami for non-Spanish speakers. Today, this festival has grown into the largest Hispanic festival held in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of people attend the event for the dancing, eating, and getting to know everyone and everything that is part of Little Havana.
A girl from Sarajevo Bosnia settled in Florida along with her family after escaping Bosnia as war refugees. Since her aunt lived in Florida, she helped facilitate the proper paper work for acceptance into America. In the interview we discussed, gender roles, spiritual beliefs, food, in addition to the benefits and disadvantages of being part of this cultural group. It was a fascinating experience to learn about her family, history and culture.
The documentary “Rize” by David LaChapelle, focuses on the lives of Black Americans who live in South Central Los Angeles and the struggles they go through in their daily lives. Moreover the film also introduces two types of dancing groups that they have in the community. These dance groups are meant to keep the youths and children occupied and distracted from all the problems that have been going on in their community, such as the LA riot. The two styles of dancing are Clowning and Krumping. Clowning was created by Tommy the Clown in 1992. Tommy used to be a formal drug dealer, he went from having his life together to losing all his money and house. However, instead of doing nothing productive with his life, he decided to help his community by changing the lives of others through entertainment. In addition, not only did this dancing group help him get to a better place in life but also the group members are like his family. His main goal was to help put similes on people’s faces and help get some of these children and youths away from gangs. On the other hand, Krumping was also generated from Clowning, however Krumpers believe that their form of entertainment is different from clowning. Moreover, these dancing groups main focus is to distract the youths and children in the community by giving them the opportunity to do something they love, which is dancing. Furthermore, passion, spiritual connections and connection to the African culture are conveyed through the film by Clowning and Krumping.
The Republic of Haiti is in the western part of the island of Hispaniola in the West Indies. It is densely populated and has the lowest per capita income in the western hemisphere (Kemp, 2001). The population of more than seven million is made up of mostly descendents of African slaves brought to the West Indies by French colonists. The horrible conditions in Haiti, such as crushing poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, and high rates of acute and chronic illnesses and child and infant mortality, result in the illegal immigration of many Haitians to the United States, France, and other countries in Western Europe. Most immigrants are adults and teens who leave Haiti in tiny boats, despite the risk of drowning and other hazards. According to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) 2001 statistics, the number of refugees has declined to several thousand per year since the early 1990’s.
A well-known program in New Orleans is The Covenant House. It is a well establish program that offer assistance to thousands of youth. Each day, scores of kids walk into Covenant Houses across the Americas for the first time. They get what they need immediately: a shower, a meal, clothes, a warm bed, and medical care if they require it – more than a third do. Then, Covenant House has expectations of the kids. Once they’re safe, clot...
Ngai, Mae M., and Jon Gjerde. "A Cuban Flees to the United States, 1979." Major Problems in American Immigration History: Documents and Essays. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 528-531. Print.
Another festival that is celebrated in Cuba is the Havana Carnival. The Carnival is traditionally a Catholic celebration that is examined internationally
An average night in New Jersey was most likely spent vegging out on the couch watching a movie or show on the television. An average night in Puerto Rico was filled with wonder and excitement. Couples shuffled across the dance floor brushing shoulders but not colliding with perfect grace. Their hips swayed back and forth like a rocking chair and their feet moved quicker than the speed of light. The music never stopped, the recurrent salsa or merengue rhythm flowed through every house and was heard all over the island. For the quieter moments, bachata eased the tension and cooled the fire for a short time. The air was salty and humid from all the sweat and passion, but what better to fill the air with than the smell of an authentic Puerto Rican dinner. The smoky, rich smell of pernil in the smoker or the delectable honeyed aroma of maduros frying in the pan. The food was so good it almost consumed your very soul and controlled you every time you ate it. The food spoke to you, it persuaded you to keep eating. To keep enjoying. To keep indulging. The food can not be simply, described, it must be experienced, it must be appreciated. The food must be loved. Every night was a feast, the joyous cackles of drunk men and flirtatious laughs of tipsy women filled the night air with life. The spirit of the island never slept. The coals of the passionate fire of Puerto Rico never died down completely and
The mass of almost one hundred thousand is edgy. The night is hot, humid, and alive with a feeling in the air so palpable you can almost trace it with your finger. The bleachers are filled to maximum capacity, along a mile-long stretch of paved roadway adjacent to an old brewery. People from all races, classes, and countries are celebrating together at the culmination of the orgiastic, pre-Lenten, hedonistic festival of Carnival. Soon, the first marchers proceed down the corridor to the booming cacophony of bass, snare, and friction drums. The rattling of tambourines, bells, and scrapers add flavor and accent. Like a bird set free, the singing cavaquinho (ukulele) emits its high pitched cries, adding to the frenzy. The marchers and dancers, with their quick, physical movements, undulating hips and heel steps, embody the living sound. It is time for the annual celebration once again in Brazil, time for Carnival, a time once again for the ultimate physical expression of joy: Samba.
amid the music and peaceful motto of the festival some individuals feel the need to be
Ryan, Dave. “Bringing Them All Back Home: Six Months After Katrina, Homeless.” Dollars and Sense (2006): 46-50. Academic OneFile. Thomson Gale. Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile. 28 Nov. 2006.
Green, Garth L., and Philip W. Scher. Trinidad Carnival: The Cultural Politics of a Transnational Festival. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2007. Print.
Lee, Chris. "The Magic Of Coachella." Newsweek 159.16 (2012): 51. MAS Ultra - School Edition.