On Friday, September 5th, The Iona West Indian Student Establishment (WISE) and the Student Leader Alliance for Multiculturalism (SLAM) hosted their very own J’ouvert (joo-vay) celebration throughout the afternoon on Montgomery House Lawn.
Although the event was advertised as the “end of summer” on the SLAM Instagram account, J’ouvert marks the beginning of something else: the invaluable Carribean tradition of Carnival.
Carnival is a global celebration and expression of Caribbean heritage, known for its vibrant colors, steelpan music, and the use of powders and paints. Reflective of tradition, the Iona J’ouvert consisted of flamboyant party music, bodypainting, snacks, and a wonderful turnout of Iona students—all free of charge. Students danced into the evening, throwing paint and water balloons at each other, many of them equipped with plastic hairnets.
The members of WISE and SLAM that attended the event represented their own heritage. SLAM President Kya Joseph represented Trinidad and Tobago as she celebrated J’ouvert with her friends.
“We have people from Antigua and Barbados,” says Joseph, “Even non-Carribean people are here, we have people from Ghana and Ethiopia”.
Similarly, SLAM member Jermaine Wright represented his Jamaican identity.
When asked about the importance of hosting J’ouvert, Wright said that, “A lot of people came but they didn’t really know what J’ouvert was”. This notion was made apparent by some of the attending students’ inability to pronounce J’ouvert correctly, as it is a French Creole word meaning “daybreak” or “morning”. Wright also explains that, “With them showing up, it shows that they’re open minded and they get to experience a culture they wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to.”
In addition to providing an immersive and unique experience to Iona students, Joseph believes that “the significance of J’ouvert is to reaffirm students’ Caribbean identity and to spread diversity on campus”.
By the end of the event, students returned to their dorm rooms wrapped in soaking wet clothes, all covered in hues of blue, green, purple, and orange. SLAM and WISE will continue to maintain a robust tradition of multiculturalism at Iona, especially with plenty more events on the horizon.
