January 6, 2026 • 21 mins
In this episode let's explore how cultural anchors like food, music, language, traditions, spirituality and family keep Caribbean identity alive across distance.
Lens 3 of the Caribbean Diaspora Experience Model (CDEM) looks at how cultural anchors keep us rooted. This episode explains why some anchors travel easily, how others need community, and how everyday moments build memory and belonging.
What is your strongest cultural anchor right now?
Mentioned in the episode:
- Caribbean Diaspora Experience Model
- Herman Hall on How the West Indian Day Parade Started in Brooklyn
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode
of Carry On Friends.
I'm your host, Carrie Ann.
There's a plastic containerthat's sitting right by my foot
under my computer desk where I'mrecording right now.
And inside are dozens ofcassette tapes.
There are sound clash, there areparty mixes, they are recordings
(00:23):
from radio here in New York, oractually on a couple trips to
Jamaica with my cousin, Irecorded some of what was on the
radio in Jamaica because Iwanted to bring it back to New
York because I had the hotestting.
I was in Jamaica.
Last year I recorded an episodecalled The Sounds of Christmas,
where I talked about all theChristmas songs that remind me
(00:45):
of back home in Jamaica.
And I mentioned uh I mademention of one of the cassettes
and actually pulled it out inthe video.
There's another storagecontainer that has a whole bunch
of CDs, um, stacks and stacks ofCDs, CD holders, all the things.
And when we thought cassetteswere all over, we went with CDs,
(01:07):
and um now those CDs andcassettes are very special to
me.
Coming of age in Brooklyn, whenI rhythm drop, my cousin and I,
we already knew the tunes.
When a new bus ride video cameout, if you know, you know, or a
video of a big dance in Jamaicacame out.
We went to the video shopbecause we had the connect and
(01:29):
we catch the latest dance moveand we'd be practicing in the
basement until we got it right.
And of course, we add our ownlittle spin and twist to it.
I could tell you which sound,which party, all of these
things.
Even if I wasn't of age, I wasparticipating in what was
important to me, which was themusic, what was happening, what
(01:51):
was the latest, what hadeverybody talking for weeks
within there.
All right.
So those containers with the CDsand the cassettes, people call
them relics.
Like my friend Mikey T commentedon the IG post of the video with
me demonstrating the cassette.
But as we say, all timesomething comeback again.
(02:15):
And I've been reading in thenews that there's a trend where
the younger generation areembracing older technology.
So you see, vinyls are comingback in.
But I still keep my cassettethem because those cassettes
they speak to a moment in time,a vibe, an energy.
(02:38):
They still have value.
It may not be monetary, but letme tell you, rich, rich in
memory, rich in just a vibe,like a time capsule, right?
You have the music, theselectors, voices.
Let me tell you, there's nothinglike a Jamaican selector back in
the 90s.
And this is what we callanchors.
(02:59):
Even though we don't usecassettes anymore, what's on
them still connects me to home.
Again, it connects me to memory,a time in my life, a part of who
I am.
Today, we are talking aboutcultural anchors, the tangible
things that keep us connected toour Caribbean identity.
(03:21):
So, in this episode, we're goingto talk about what are cultural
anchors, why they matter, andhow they function as lifelines
to our culture, especially whenwe're far from home.
So, before we dive in, let megive you some quick context.
This episode is part of a seriesexploring the Caribbean diaspora
experience model, or CDEM.
(03:43):
CDEM is a tool I created throughCarry On Friends to help us
better understand how aCaribbean cultural identity
forms, evolves, and expressesitself when we're living outside
the region.
The model has six lenses, andtoday we're focusing on lens
three (04:00):
cultural anchors keep us rooted.
If you're just joining us, wecovered lens one, where you
start shapes the journey.
And this covers your migrationstory and your starting point,
whether you are born in theregion or you are born in the
diaspora.
And lens two, how geography andmotivation interact to shape
(04:20):
your cultural connection.
I'll drop the links to thoseepisodes so you can go back and
listen to those episodes.
For this episode, you don't needto catch up on those episodes,
but it's important for you toget a context of the entire
model as we go through it.
Cultural anchors are somethingwe all experience, whether
(04:41):
you've thought about them inthis way or not.
So, what are cultural anchors?
Cultural anchors are thespecific tangible elements that
connect us to our Caribbeanidentity.
For the Caribbean diasporaexperience model, I want to
focus on six primary anchors.
And those six primary anchorsare food practices.
(05:02):
We talk about cuisine, cookingtechniques, special dishes that
define our culture, certain mealtraditions, like, you know,
growing up, soup cook panSaturday, and Sundays, rice and
peas, and then on Mondays are,you know, throughout the week is
like dumpling and all thoseother things, right?
(05:24):
So those are part of what I callfood practices.
We talk about holiday food.
So at the time of thisrecording, it's Christmas, and
so you already don't know.
So you have the black cake andyou have other Caribbean
countries that have their owntraditions.
We have family gatherings andwhat foods are happening around
(05:46):
a particular time, you know.
So for instance, when there'sDediad or Gary, you know, that a
goated soup off a run, all ofthese things.
The second anchor is music anddance, musical genres and
artists, knowing what's classicand current, whether the songs
(06:07):
are traditional or contemporaryor folk songs defines aspects of
our lives.
Um, even dance styles andmovements, some of them we don't
do now, but how we move ourbodies to the rhythms, that's
all a part of a cultural anchor.
And as part of the culturalanchor, our body recognizes
(06:30):
those movements, those rhythms,right?
So, I mean, you ever hear a beator a thing uh like a song pass,
and your body just starts tomove, right?
That's all aspects of music anddance as a part of cultural
anchors.
The third cultural anchor islanguage, language patterns,
vocabulary, expressions that areunique to, you know, your
(06:54):
particular Caribbean country,the accent you have, you know,
how Jamaican speak versus Trinispeaks, how Bayesian speaks,
the, you know, how we pronouncecertain words, um, dialect
variations, they're all aspectsof culture and one of a very big
cultural anchor.
Another cultural anchor we'llcall like ceremonial traditions,
(07:18):
right?
So this includes how we observeholidays.
I mentioned earlier that ifsomeone is past, we go, we have
what we call a dead yad, we havegere, you know, some people call
it a nine-night, and there's acertain um code of conduct or
how things are done for these umceremonial.
(07:40):
I call them ceremonial as agrouping, but you know, whether
it's a birthday celebration,whether it's a wedding, a
funeral, etc., you know,independence um celebrations or
other celebrations that um thatcenter around our history, um,
the the way that we recognizethem.
For instance, you know, LaborDay in Jamaica is very different
(08:03):
in how I capture Labor Day inAmerica in my mind.
Labor Day in Jamaica is work,Labor Day in America is jump up
on the parkway.
So, you know, those are verydifferent anchors in my mind.
Um, five spiritual practices.
Again, I didn't put this in theother category because how the
(08:24):
Caribbean does religion andspiritual practices is just very
different, and it is part of ourcultural anchor.
How we show up for our church,synagogue, or you know, um,
mosque, you know, faith-based umpractices are very important and
we carry them with us whereverwe go.
So definitely a cultural anchor.
(08:46):
And last but not least, familystructures.
This is huge for me.
So when I tell people that mycousins, you know, I don't even
explain that this is a third,fourth, fifth cousin because how
we grew up at when I grew up inJamaica, it was very
intergenerational.
We lived in very closeproximities with each other.
(09:08):
We are living as extendedfamilies, and so that's how we
end up knowing cousins that aregenerations removed because we
still live within closeproximity.
Or the my grandparents, right?
They have siblings that areyounger and they're having kids,
especially the male.
So you find that my secondcousin is closer in my age than
(09:31):
she is to my mom.
So that's how you find havingrelationships with extended
family members just because ofhow the birth order and
everything.
But family structure is veryimportant when it comes to a
cultural anchor.
I found myself growing up that alot of my friends were really my
cousins because we grew up againin close proximity and there
(09:54):
were so many of us.
My grandmother is one of 10, youknow, my grandfather, one
bugger, Bretta, and of course awhole bunch of kids.
So you can imagine.
So when we think of culturalanchors, we have to think of how
they function for us.
And they're about fourfunctions.
So you think of a sensoryconnection, think of, you know,
(10:16):
the smell of the curry chicken,the curry goat, the fried
chicken, the oxtail, the smellof whatever the food is, right?
Your body remembers it.
Like, you know, I remembergrowing up, I wasn't big on
Jamaican black cake, but Iremember the smell of my uncle
baking it, right?
My favorite was potato puddingbecause my grandmother used to
(10:37):
done it when she met the potatopudding.
So I love that smell and itopens up memories for me when I
recognize that scent, right?
Um, when I think of certainsongs, I am immediately
transported back to a particularday, a particular time, and it's
(10:58):
just it holds memory from asensory per perspective.
The other function that theseanchors have is knowledge
transmission, right?
Um, so the cassette tapes, youknow, when when they taught me,
you know, lyrics, you know, umthe latest slang, cultural
(11:20):
references, things that I wasjust singing back without even
knowing.
And if I when I play that samemusic for my niece, my nephew,
or my kids, it's telling themsomething different, right?
They're they're learning about atime that everyone talks about,
but I'm giving meaning to itbecause I was there when it was
(11:43):
happening.
And now I'm on this side.
I kind of understand, like whenmy parents or my grandparents
would talk about, you know,music of their time, right?
And so you're trans, you'reyou're transmitting some
knowledge, context, you'regiving real-time examples
because we are living history,right?
So, you know, when beanie andbon to the clash a sting, yo,
(12:06):
when I can tell my niece andnephew what was going on,
because my cousin and I couldre-recite the whole thing and
how everything came together,that's a much different um
understanding of culture and theknowledge that went in behind
creating certain music, whattriggered a clash or which what
(12:27):
triggered this tune or thiscounteraction, all of that is
knowledge transmission.
And even going back further,when you know, Studio One and
all of that, like hearing my,you know, older family members
talk about it to me now doingthe same, it's it's all about
knowledge um transmission.
Um, the other function it has iscommunity building, right?
(12:50):
So all of us, all of ourfamilies, we gather.
Um, every gathering has aparticular pattern, a particular
cadence, you know, is food comeout, there's certain music that
play before the food come out orsimultaneously, you know, food I
prepare, you know.
It's about how we gather aroundall of these anchors.
(13:12):
This, the anchors that we have,they create a structure for us
to find each other and to kindof build community and talk to
each other about them.
We may not stick to them the waythat we did growing up, and I
don't even think back home theystick to it the same way.
But it's a way for us to gatherand commune with each other,
even when we're far from home.
(13:34):
For instance, language becamethe way that we recognized each
other in spaces where we're fewand far in between.
And so function four is identityand expression.
This is the one we think aboutthe most, right?
How we show who we are throughour cultural elements.
But here is what the modelreveals we get to choose which
(13:59):
anchors we express when and how.
And that choice isn't aboutbeing less Caribbean, nor does
that choice make us lessCaribbean.
The reality is some anchorstravel better than others.
Music, food, and language, theseare the most portable anchors.
(14:20):
You can take them anywhere.
I can cook Caribbean food inWisconsin, I can play dance hall
in my car in any city, I canspeak patua on the phone, no
matter where I am in the world.
But other anchors, they needinfrastructure, they need
community.
Let's take Carnival, forexample.
(14:42):
Carnival is absolutely acultural anchor, but you need
critical mass to pull it off.
You need a community, you needan organization to sponsor the
carnival, you need to organizethe carnival, you need permits,
you know, um, you need masscamps, you need a lot of things
(15:04):
to go into our carnival, and notevery diaspora community has
that.
So when we talk about anchors,we have to be honest.
Your geography, where you live,will determine which anchors you
have readily available.
If you're in Brooklyn, Toronto,Miami, you might have access to
(15:25):
all of these anchors in fullforce.
If you're in a smaller city withfewer Caribbean people, you
might lean heavily into the onesthat you can create yourself,
which is usually food you cancook, the music you can play,
the language you can speak athome.
And this is not a deficit,that's just reality.
(15:49):
Um, if you refer to the videowith Herman Hall, he will tell
you the story of how Carnivalcame to be in Brooklyn.
The anchors that can travelmusic, food language become even
more important when otheranchors are not accessible.
So let me give you an example ofhow these portable anchors do
cultural work when you don'teven realize it.
(16:10):
When you bring your lunch, gowork, right?
So let's think about Caribbeanfood at work and someone asks
you, What's that smell?
Pray to God enough fish, becausewe can't save you from a fish
smell or warm up in a anybodymicrowave at work, but I
digress.
But let's say it's curry orsomething else that doesn't have
as strong of a smell, right?
And you're explaining curry oroxdale or anything else that
(16:33):
you've brought for your lunch,right?
When you think about it, you'renot just translating the dish
itself, you're telling a storyabout the dish and the culture
behind it.
This is how I believe Caribbeanfood has spread because you
bring lunch to work and yourcoworkers are curious and they
(16:54):
want to try it, right?
And so even when you bring lunchto work, you sometimes signal to
other Caribbean people at workthat you're Caribbean and you
didn't know it because youworked on different floors or
different sides of the office orwhatever the scenario is.
The food itself creates avisibility and it creates
(17:15):
community.
And it's it's a conversationstarter.
And when non-Caribbean peopleget curious, they want to try
it, right?
Then they start asking where youbuy it, and then they start
seeking out Caribbeanrestaurants and grocery stores,
etc.
That's the cultural anchorworking.
It's creating a visibility, it'sbuilding bridges, it's teaching
(17:35):
people who we are throughtangible things that they can
taste and smell and experience.
So as we wrap up, here's what Iwant you to remember about
cultural anchors.
Number one, anchors aretangible, specific elements that
keep you connected to yourCaribbean culture.
They're not abstract, they'rethings you can taste, hear,
(17:58):
speak, and experience.
Number two, not all anchors areequally accessible in every
location.
Music, food, and language traveleasily.
Others require communityinfrastructure, and that's okay.
Work with the anchors that youhave access to.
Three, these anchors do work,they create sensory memory, they
(18:24):
transmit knowledge, they teachpeople, they build community,
and they let you express youridentity.
They're functional, they're notjust symbolic.
Because we participate in themoften, we don't realize how much
work they're actually doing.
So here's what I'd like you todo.
Uh I want you to think aboutyour strongest cultural anchor
right now.
(18:45):
Not the one that you thinkshould be the strongest, but the
one that actually is.
Is it food?
Is it music?
Is it language?
Is it the way that your familygathers?
And then how is that anchorfunctioning for you?
Is it creating a sensoryconnection when you need to feel
(19:06):
close to back home?
Is it creating a connection tosomeone who's no longer here?
Is it helping you connect withother people in your city?
Is it helping you teach the nextgeneration?
Once you recognize what youranchors are and how they work,
you can be more intentionalabout how you use them.
So do me a favor, share yourstrongest cultural anchor.
(19:30):
When we start to share thesestories, we continue to create a
map, a record of how Caribbeanpeople stay connected across
distance and time.
Not only are we documenting whatcultural anchors travel with us
when we leave home in theCaribbean, but we also document
how it evolves once it gets intothe diaspora.
(19:52):
So, in closing, cultural anchorskeep us rooted.
There are tangible elements,music, food.
Language, traditions,spirituality, family structures
that create that invisiblethread back to the Caribbean, no
matter where you are.
And my plastic container with acassette them, that's not
(20:14):
nostalgia, that's an anchor.
The music on those tapes, theyconnect me to moments, to
people, to a version of myselfand my culture that matters.
I have cultural knowledge.
When people are talking about90s, I have a little expertise
in the 90s and the dance, soI'll come up with all of the
(20:35):
things them.
Your cultural anchor might lookdifferent from mine.
And depending on where you live,you might have access to
different cultural anchors.
But we all have them, and we'reall doing work of keeping our
cultural anchors active andalive.
Thank you so much.
My name is Carrie Ann, andyou've been watching Carry On
(20:56):
Friends.
Connect with me on all platformsat Carry On Friends.
And as I love to say, at the endof every show, walk good.
Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode
of Carry On Friends.
I'm your host, Carrie Ann.
There's a plastic containerthat's sitting right by my foot
under my computer desk where I'mrecording right now.
And inside are dozens ofcassette tapes.
There are sound clash, there areparty mixes, they are recordings
(00:23):
from radio here in New York, oractually on a couple trips to
Jamaica with my cousin, Irecorded some of what was on the
radio in Jamaica because Iwanted to bring it back to New
York because I had the hotestting.
I was in Jamaica.
Last year I recorded an episodecalled The Sounds of Christmas,
where I talked about all theChristmas songs that remind me
(00:45):
of back home in Jamaica.
And I mentioned uh I mademention of one of the cassettes
and actually pulled it out inthe video.
There's another storagecontainer that has a whole bunch
of CDs, um, stacks and stacks ofCDs, CD holders, all the things.
And when we thought cassetteswere all over, we went with CDs,
(01:07):
and um now those CDs andcassettes are very special to
me.
Coming of age in Brooklyn, whenI rhythm drop, my cousin and I,
we already knew the tunes.
When a new bus ride video cameout, if you know, you know, or a
video of a big dance in Jamaicacame out.
We went to the video shopbecause we had the connect and
(01:29):
we catch the latest dance moveand we'd be practicing in the
basement until we got it right.
And of course, we add our ownlittle spin and twist to it.
I could tell you which sound,which party, all of these
things.
Even if I wasn't of age, I wasparticipating in what was
important to me, which was themusic, what was happening, what
(01:51):
was the latest, what hadeverybody talking for weeks
within there.
All right.
So those containers with the CDsand the cassettes, people call
them relics.
Like my friend Mikey T commentedon the IG post of the video with
me demonstrating the cassette.
But as we say, all timesomething comeback again.
(02:15):
And I've been reading in thenews that there's a trend where
the younger generation areembracing older technology.
So you see, vinyls are comingback in.
But I still keep my cassettethem because those cassettes
they speak to a moment in time,a vibe, an energy.
(02:38):
They still have value.
It may not be monetary, but letme tell you, rich, rich in
memory, rich in just a vibe,like a time capsule, right?
You have the music, theselectors, voices.
Let me tell you, there's nothinglike a Jamaican selector back in
the 90s.
And this is what we callanchors.
(02:59):
Even though we don't usecassettes anymore, what's on
them still connects me to home.
Again, it connects me to memory,a time in my life, a part of who
I am.
Today, we are talking aboutcultural anchors, the tangible
things that keep us connected toour Caribbean identity.
(03:21):
So, in this episode, we're goingto talk about what are cultural
anchors, why they matter, andhow they function as lifelines
to our culture, especially whenwe're far from home.
So, before we dive in, let megive you some quick context.
This episode is part of a seriesexploring the Caribbean diaspora
experience model, or CDEM.
(03:43):
CDEM is a tool I created throughCarry On Friends to help us
better understand how aCaribbean cultural identity
forms, evolves, and expressesitself when we're living outside
the region.
The model has six lenses, andtoday we're focusing on lens
three (04:00):
cultural anchors keep us rooted.
If you're just joining us, wecovered lens one, where you
start shapes the journey.
And this covers your migrationstory and your starting point,
whether you are born in theregion or you are born in the
diaspora.
And lens two, how geography andmotivation interact to shape
(04:20):
your cultural connection.
I'll drop the links to thoseepisodes so you can go back and
listen to those episodes.
For this episode, you don't needto catch up on those episodes,
but it's important for you toget a context of the entire
model as we go through it.
Cultural anchors are somethingwe all experience, whether
(04:41):
you've thought about them inthis way or not.
So, what are cultural anchors?
Cultural anchors are thespecific tangible elements that
connect us to our Caribbeanidentity.
For the Caribbean diasporaexperience model, I want to
focus on six primary anchors.
And those six primary anchorsare food practices.
(05:02):
We talk about cuisine, cookingtechniques, special dishes that
define our culture, certain mealtraditions, like, you know,
growing up, soup cook panSaturday, and Sundays, rice and
peas, and then on Mondays are,you know, throughout the week is
like dumpling and all thoseother things, right?
(05:24):
So those are part of what I callfood practices.
We talk about holiday food.
So at the time of thisrecording, it's Christmas, and
so you already don't know.
So you have the black cake andyou have other Caribbean
countries that have their owntraditions.
We have family gatherings andwhat foods are happening around
(05:46):
a particular time, you know.
So for instance, when there'sDediad or Gary, you know, that a
goated soup off a run, all ofthese things.
The second anchor is music anddance, musical genres and
artists, knowing what's classicand current, whether the songs
(06:07):
are traditional or contemporaryor folk songs defines aspects of
our lives.
Um, even dance styles andmovements, some of them we don't
do now, but how we move ourbodies to the rhythms, that's
all a part of a cultural anchor.
And as part of the culturalanchor, our body recognizes
(06:30):
those movements, those rhythms,right?
So, I mean, you ever hear a beator a thing uh like a song pass,
and your body just starts tomove, right?
That's all aspects of music anddance as a part of cultural
anchors.
The third cultural anchor islanguage, language patterns,
vocabulary, expressions that areunique to, you know, your
(06:54):
particular Caribbean country,the accent you have, you know,
how Jamaican speak versus Trinispeaks, how Bayesian speaks,
the, you know, how we pronouncecertain words, um, dialect
variations, they're all aspectsof culture and one of a very big
cultural anchor.
Another cultural anchor we'llcall like ceremonial traditions,
(07:18):
right?
So this includes how we observeholidays.
I mentioned earlier that ifsomeone is past, we go, we have
what we call a dead yad, we havegere, you know, some people call
it a nine-night, and there's acertain um code of conduct or
how things are done for these umceremonial.
(07:40):
I call them ceremonial as agrouping, but you know, whether
it's a birthday celebration,whether it's a wedding, a
funeral, etc., you know,independence um celebrations or
other celebrations that um thatcenter around our history, um,
the the way that we recognizethem.
For instance, you know, LaborDay in Jamaica is very different
(08:03):
in how I capture Labor Day inAmerica in my mind.
Labor Day in Jamaica is work,Labor Day in America is jump up
on the parkway.
So, you know, those are verydifferent anchors in my mind.
Um, five spiritual practices.
Again, I didn't put this in theother category because how the
(08:24):
Caribbean does religion andspiritual practices is just very
different, and it is part of ourcultural anchor.
How we show up for our church,synagogue, or you know, um,
mosque, you know, faith-based umpractices are very important and
we carry them with us whereverwe go.
So definitely a cultural anchor.
(08:46):
And last but not least, familystructures.
This is huge for me.
So when I tell people that mycousins, you know, I don't even
explain that this is a third,fourth, fifth cousin because how
we grew up at when I grew up inJamaica, it was very
intergenerational.
We lived in very closeproximities with each other.
(09:08):
We are living as extendedfamilies, and so that's how we
end up knowing cousins that aregenerations removed because we
still live within closeproximity.
Or the my grandparents, right?
They have siblings that areyounger and they're having kids,
especially the male.
So you find that my secondcousin is closer in my age than
(09:31):
she is to my mom.
So that's how you find havingrelationships with extended
family members just because ofhow the birth order and
everything.
But family structure is veryimportant when it comes to a
cultural anchor.
I found myself growing up that alot of my friends were really my
cousins because we grew up againin close proximity and there
(09:54):
were so many of us.
My grandmother is one of 10, youknow, my grandfather, one
bugger, Bretta, and of course awhole bunch of kids.
So you can imagine.
So when we think of culturalanchors, we have to think of how
they function for us.
And they're about fourfunctions.
So you think of a sensoryconnection, think of, you know,
(10:16):
the smell of the curry chicken,the curry goat, the fried
chicken, the oxtail, the smellof whatever the food is, right?
Your body remembers it.
Like, you know, I remembergrowing up, I wasn't big on
Jamaican black cake, but Iremember the smell of my uncle
baking it, right?
My favorite was potato puddingbecause my grandmother used to
(10:37):
done it when she met the potatopudding.
So I love that smell and itopens up memories for me when I
recognize that scent, right?
Um, when I think of certainsongs, I am immediately
transported back to a particularday, a particular time, and it's
(10:58):
just it holds memory from asensory per perspective.
The other function that theseanchors have is knowledge
transmission, right?
Um, so the cassette tapes, youknow, when when they taught me,
you know, lyrics, you know, umthe latest slang, cultural
(11:20):
references, things that I wasjust singing back without even
knowing.
And if I when I play that samemusic for my niece, my nephew,
or my kids, it's telling themsomething different, right?
They're they're learning about atime that everyone talks about,
but I'm giving meaning to itbecause I was there when it was
(11:43):
happening.
And now I'm on this side.
I kind of understand, like whenmy parents or my grandparents
would talk about, you know,music of their time, right?
And so you're trans, you'reyou're transmitting some
knowledge, context, you'regiving real-time examples
because we are living history,right?
So, you know, when beanie andbon to the clash a sting, yo,
(12:06):
when I can tell my niece andnephew what was going on,
because my cousin and I couldre-recite the whole thing and
how everything came together,that's a much different um
understanding of culture and theknowledge that went in behind
creating certain music, whattriggered a clash or which what
(12:27):
triggered this tune or thiscounteraction, all of that is
knowledge transmission.
And even going back further,when you know, Studio One and
all of that, like hearing my,you know, older family members
talk about it to me now doingthe same, it's it's all about
knowledge um transmission.
Um, the other function it has iscommunity building, right?
(12:50):
So all of us, all of ourfamilies, we gather.
Um, every gathering has aparticular pattern, a particular
cadence, you know, is food comeout, there's certain music that
play before the food come out orsimultaneously, you know, food I
prepare, you know.
It's about how we gather aroundall of these anchors.
(13:12):
This, the anchors that we have,they create a structure for us
to find each other and to kindof build community and talk to
each other about them.
We may not stick to them the waythat we did growing up, and I
don't even think back home theystick to it the same way.
But it's a way for us to gatherand commune with each other,
even when we're far from home.
(13:34):
For instance, language becamethe way that we recognized each
other in spaces where we're fewand far in between.
And so function four is identityand expression.
This is the one we think aboutthe most, right?
How we show who we are throughour cultural elements.
But here is what the modelreveals we get to choose which
(13:59):
anchors we express when and how.
And that choice isn't aboutbeing less Caribbean, nor does
that choice make us lessCaribbean.
The reality is some anchorstravel better than others.
Music, food, and language, theseare the most portable anchors.
(14:20):
You can take them anywhere.
I can cook Caribbean food inWisconsin, I can play dance hall
in my car in any city, I canspeak patua on the phone, no
matter where I am in the world.
But other anchors, they needinfrastructure, they need
community.
Let's take Carnival, forexample.
(14:42):
Carnival is absolutely acultural anchor, but you need
critical mass to pull it off.
You need a community, you needan organization to sponsor the
carnival, you need to organizethe carnival, you need permits,
you know, um, you need masscamps, you need a lot of things
(15:04):
to go into our carnival, and notevery diaspora community has
that.
So when we talk about anchors,we have to be honest.
Your geography, where you live,will determine which anchors you
have readily available.
If you're in Brooklyn, Toronto,Miami, you might have access to
(15:25):
all of these anchors in fullforce.
If you're in a smaller city withfewer Caribbean people, you
might lean heavily into the onesthat you can create yourself,
which is usually food you cancook, the music you can play,
the language you can speak athome.
And this is not a deficit,that's just reality.
(15:49):
Um, if you refer to the videowith Herman Hall, he will tell
you the story of how Carnivalcame to be in Brooklyn.
The anchors that can travelmusic, food language become even
more important when otheranchors are not accessible.
So let me give you an example ofhow these portable anchors do
cultural work when you don'teven realize it.
(16:10):
When you bring your lunch, gowork, right?
So let's think about Caribbeanfood at work and someone asks
you, What's that smell?
Pray to God enough fish, becausewe can't save you from a fish
smell or warm up in a anybodymicrowave at work, but I
digress.
But let's say it's curry orsomething else that doesn't have
as strong of a smell, right?
And you're explaining curry oroxdale or anything else that
(16:33):
you've brought for your lunch,right?
When you think about it, you'renot just translating the dish
itself, you're telling a storyabout the dish and the culture
behind it.
This is how I believe Caribbeanfood has spread because you
bring lunch to work and yourcoworkers are curious and they
(16:54):
want to try it, right?
And so even when you bring lunchto work, you sometimes signal to
other Caribbean people at workthat you're Caribbean and you
didn't know it because youworked on different floors or
different sides of the office orwhatever the scenario is.
The food itself creates avisibility and it creates
(17:15):
community.
And it's it's a conversationstarter.
And when non-Caribbean peopleget curious, they want to try
it, right?
Then they start asking where youbuy it, and then they start
seeking out Caribbeanrestaurants and grocery stores,
etc.
That's the cultural anchorworking.
It's creating a visibility, it'sbuilding bridges, it's teaching
(17:35):
people who we are throughtangible things that they can
taste and smell and experience.
So as we wrap up, here's what Iwant you to remember about
cultural anchors.
Number one, anchors aretangible, specific elements that
keep you connected to yourCaribbean culture.
They're not abstract, they'rethings you can taste, hear,
(17:58):
speak, and experience.
Number two, not all anchors areequally accessible in every
location.
Music, food, and language traveleasily.
Others require communityinfrastructure, and that's okay.
Work with the anchors that youhave access to.
Three, these anchors do work,they create sensory memory, they
(18:24):
transmit knowledge, they teachpeople, they build community,
and they let you express youridentity.
They're functional, they're notjust symbolic.
Because we participate in themoften, we don't realize how much
work they're actually doing.
So here's what I'd like you todo.
Uh I want you to think aboutyour strongest cultural anchor
right now.
(18:45):
Not the one that you thinkshould be the strongest, but the
one that actually is.
Is it food?
Is it music?
Is it language?
Is it the way that your familygathers?
And then how is that anchorfunctioning for you?
Is it creating a sensoryconnection when you need to feel
(19:06):
close to back home?
Is it creating a connection tosomeone who's no longer here?
Is it helping you connect withother people in your city?
Is it helping you teach the nextgeneration?
Once you recognize what youranchors are and how they work,
you can be more intentionalabout how you use them.
So do me a favor, share yourstrongest cultural anchor.
(19:30):
When we start to share thesestories, we continue to create a
map, a record of how Caribbeanpeople stay connected across
distance and time.
Not only are we documenting whatcultural anchors travel with us
when we leave home in theCaribbean, but we also document
how it evolves once it gets intothe diaspora.
(19:52):
So, in closing, cultural anchorskeep us rooted.
There are tangible elements,music, food.
Language, traditions,spirituality, family structures
that create that invisiblethread back to the Caribbean, no
matter where you are.
And my plastic container with acassette them, that's not
(20:14):
nostalgia, that's an anchor.
The music on those tapes, theyconnect me to moments, to
people, to a version of myselfand my culture that matters.
I have cultural knowledge.
When people are talking about90s, I have a little expertise
in the 90s and the dance, soI'll come up with all of the
(20:35):
things them.
Your cultural anchor might lookdifferent from mine.
And depending on where you live,you might have access to
different cultural anchors.
But we all have them, and we'reall doing work of keeping our
cultural anchors active andalive.
Thank you so much.
My name is Carrie Ann, andyou've been watching Carry On
(20:56):
Friends.
Connect with me on all platformsat Carry On Friends.
And as I love to say, at the endof every show, walk good.
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