by Weldon Ryan
It was the night of June 10th in the city of Jacksonville on the outskirts of the Jaguars stadium not far from the usual site of the Jacksonville Caribbean Carnival. I thought I was in the wrong place for a moment as I drove up to the location. But comfirmation came from the sounds of Caribbean music. Soca music pumped out of a the doors of a building which appeared to be the headquarters of a small business.
Riaz Hamid, Carol Grant, Jennia White, Debbie Sutton, and Theo Jack, Jr.
Not having spoken with Theo about the launch party until a couple of days before I didn’t know what to expect. Having attended last years band launch I expected the same setup. This was certainly a different location. As I entered the entry way I was greeted by Riaz and then Theo. President and founder of COOJI, Theo Jack, Jr. is the Founder/Chairman of The Jacksonville Caribbean Carnival. The Jacksonville Caribbean Carnival is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness, understanding, open dialogue, and appreciation of Caribbean people and our culture on the First Coast.
I met these brothens a few year ago as Richlin and I were introduced to them by Guenet and Sam Roberts, the Organizers of the Orlando Carnival Downtown during OCD. Since then they have been great supporters of “The Art of Carnival" and the blog. Jacksonville Carnival,began in 2005. It is a smaller carnival than Orlando and although this is the case my feelings about COOJI is definitely great. Though it is smaller than the major Floridian carnival, it is a special family in the heart of Florida’s largest city. It’s popularity is rising as Mas Bands come from Atlanta, The Virgin Islands, Orlando and other places associate with the Caribbean community. Caribbeans are a small number of the immigration population in Jacksonville, the Caribbean community does what they do to keep Caribbean Culture going. It is taking off as the City of Jacksonville has also embraced the festival. COOJI sponsors many event throughout the year in order to have the Jacksonville Caribbean Carnival.
As the launch event kicked off the fun lovin Caribbeans danced and enjoyed the Soca spun by a scorcher of a groove jockey. The food on the grill was also making my mouth water. The site was eclectic and perfect for a shoot with an urban like fencing filled with grafitti art, party, string lights and other funky items that made for artsy backdrop for photos. But for whatever reason I was out of synch. I can’t remember ever having a dayor night that my flash would fall off my canon during a shoot. Great looking people to photograph leading up to the costume fashion show and I was fumbling with my camera. I was probably jinked with some obeah from someone that didn’t want a picture taken. But all in all I held it together. I did enjoy the costumes and the models.
All I can say is I wait with anticipation of seein these costumes on a hot Caribbean bod chippin down the Jacksonville avenue on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at 12 noon. Bring your folding chairs and a clean palette for the taste of caribbean food and music. And don’t forget the events leading up to the Carnival. If anyone is interested in joining a Mas Band or to “Play Mas” go to the Jacksonville Carnival website for further detail which is placed at the bottom of this blog.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jacksonville-caribbean-carnival-tickets-520398484877
for more information goto: https://jacksonvillecarnival.com/