Jamaican-me Laugh

Hey everyone,

Ha-ha, though I'd  make a little pun for you :)

What makes a Sunday afternoon a better Sunday afternoon? Answer; go to the park. Even better answer was to go to Brixton Splash or Crystal Palace Jamaica Day last Sunday.

Officially it was Jamaica's 51st Independence day on Tuesday 6th August 2013, but celebrations have been in full swing since last week.

Sadly I couldn't get to both in one day, so I choose to go to Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace Park was an old favourite of mine as a child; its changed a little bit, but still a really cool place to chill and enjoy the day. There was a great sense of pride in the air, everyone made an effort dressed in Jamaican colours, it felt so welcoming.

So what was going on?

There was some amazing live dance performances. Some of the dancers looked young, but they were so talented. You could tell the performance meant something to them, they looked so happy. I enjoyed watching these two (can't remember their name), I rarely see young people doing dancing like this - so this was a treat.

I'm not going to lie though, there was some parts I found slightly uncomfortable. Number one being the under 13yrs dance competition, what bothered me about it was the dancing itself. I don't think its right for young innocent children to be doing this 'cock up batty', 'jook gal',  'bruk it down' dance moves to a crowd of adults and big ass men. No, no, no not feeling that at all, what kind of messed up impression are we giving here?

Anyway… There where loads of stalls offering delicious Caribbean food, merchandise and arts and crafts. I love Caribbean art, so colourful and calming - its like it takes you to another world. And to top it off Steel pans, I love Steel Pans! I love the way they sound, the atmosphere they create and when I was younger I really used to enjoy playing them too.


Everybody will be eating all the chicken tonight lol

Naturally there was a hell of a lot of chicken, not 100% sure what the obsession is with it, but it really nice. Not dry and chewy, it was tender and well seasoned. Though, I'm more into fish these days but hey-hoo.

It was a really nice day for the whole family, there was even a funfair to keep the children busy. Various DJs for those who fancy a dance or just sit down at your picnic and nod your head. Whenever was 'your thing', there was plenty of room for you to enjoy. It was a happy atmosphere, no trouble just simple fun.

I might not able to afford a ticket to the Caribbean right now but this is a good start.

Hope your well.