• Atlanta World of Arts
• The Caribbean Community

The Caribbean Community

By David Barasoain

The church bells in Lithonia are no match for the tones coming from inside the practice hall next to the Lithonia City Hall. Here members of the Metrolanta Steele Orchestra are rehearsing for an upcoming performance. Its members come from any number of the near two-dozen nations that make up the Caribbean.

The orchestra is led by Mel Snags. He’s an easy going man with a contagious smile. He’s proud of being a member of the Caribbean community and he’s been playing these steel drums, or “pan” since he was a boy.

SNAGGS: After the Second World War there was a lot of celebration in the streets of Trinidad and Tobago. And people picked up anything that they could get their hands on to beat out a rhythm. They would pick up old garbage cans. Every celebration they would do this and somebody decided to set one of these garbage cans down and set some demarcations so that you would get different notes.

The Metrolanta Steele Orchestra performs annually at events like the Caribbean carnival and music midtown. They also perform in churches and weddings, so rehearsals like this are important.

MCLEVEIGHN: An international community brings a city diversity.

Claire McLeveighn is the Director of External Affairs and International Relations for the Office of the Mayor in Atlanta. She overseas several programs that seek to promote international investment. She’s quick to point out the benefit these international communities bring to Atlanta.

MCLEVEIGHN: Different experiences, different perspectives. All of these lead to the development of different skill sets in individuals. These could be business skills; they could be artistic and cultural skills or even bare human survival skills. What is the value of diversity? The ability to do more with a greater numbers of people. And it’s no different for a corporation than it is for a city.

People from the Caribbean can trace their ancestry to parts of Europe, Africa, China, and even India. Some of their foods share these same roots.

In restaurants like the Roti Place in Pine Lake, one of the cooks is preparing roti; it’s a type of seasoned bread common in especially Trinidad. It’s prepared by kneading it out, dabbing it with a little oil and then cooking over a large skillet. The manager of the Roti place is Tony Hernandez-Wallen.

Wallen understands that Caribbean food like this might not be as well-known in American culture and is looking for ways to make it more accessible.

HERNANDEZ-WALLEN: I can sit back and remember from way back when and take some of the dishes that I grew up with and put them into a modern format. So you as an American would say this salad dressing taste great. Someone from the Caribbean will say, oh my goodness, you’ve really captured the flavor of the Caribbean right here. So everyone has something to identify with, I sort of want to bridge that gap.

Another person who is bridging the gap is Jeremy Kart. He actually works for an organization by the same name, working to assist immigrants coming to the United States. He’s an anthropologist and the author of “Globalizing Georgia”. He’s not only studied the international communities that live in Atlanta, but by his own admission has eaten a fair share of their food.

KART: Yea, Atlanta is pretty amazing. I think it reminds me of areas of NYC and Chicago too. With its concentration and diversity within these strips. You know, you go to Caribbean restaurants; the Indian influence there is just amazing. I mean its Roti, but you’re in a Jamaican restaurant. You’re eating curry rice, but you’re in a Jamaican restaurant. TRT: 26

Back in Lithonia, two members of the Metrolanta Steele Orchestra, 16-year old Fabian Valentine and 14 year old Kendra Drakes, take some time away from the group to talk about what pan, means to them.

VALENTINE/DRAKES: My kids are going to have to play. If I have any kids they’re going to have to. From my parents telling me I have to, so I’m going to pass that on and tell them they have to. And their kids have to. Yea, I think so the same for me because every year I go back for Carnival, listen and go to Panorama. I think that my kids will, even if they don’t play they’ll know what it is and be exposed to it and be able to recognize it at least.

While the Metrolanta Steele Orchestra brings together a wide spectrum of people from Atlanta, the orchestra’s bond goes beyond music — to a deep cultural understanding, and a desire to keep things important to many in the Caribbean community alive. Clair McLeveighn looks to the bigger picture, when it comes to the future of metro Atlanta.

MCLEVEIGHN: We are all part of that human family. And when I see this convergence of different countries, I think its very significant. I think that all of this growth in international communities is the beginning of embracing all of humanity.

© Copyright 2005, WABE