Caribbean Festival to celebrate West Indies roots

Cultural dishes, street dance part of annual Whitney Pier event

Whitney Pier’s historical ties to the West Indies will be acknowledged and celebrated at this year’s Caribbean Festival.

The one-day event will take place Monday at St. Philip’s African Orthodox Church.

And, according to Rev. Mother Phyllis Marsh, one doesn’t have to trace their ancestry to the islands to enjoy the festivities.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to share our culture with others — we’re all from different places and that should be celebrated,” said Marsh, who in 2015 became the first Nova Scotia woman to be ordained in the African Orthodox Church.

“We’re having the festival because for those of us who were raised under the West Indian culture it’s a way to keep it up, keep it going, it kind of brings everything back home.”

Today, many Whitney Pier residents trace their roots back to the last wave of black settlers who arrived in Nova Scotia in the early 1900s to work in Sydney, where a state-of-the-art steel mill was attracting workers from around the world.

For Marsh, the Caribbean Festival serves as a platform for people of different races and backgrounds to come together, mingle and have fun.

“This world is so upside down now, but on festival day everybody comes together, and that’s really nice,” she said.

The festival, which serves as the church’s main fund raising event, kicks off at 12 p.m. with an afternoon of activities that includes West Indian food, games, music, fellowship and socializing. A street dance will follow from 7-10 p.m.