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All Roads Lead to Brum for 2024 SKN Heritage Day

On Sunday, 18th August 2024, people from near and far descended on The Hub in Perry Barr , Birmingham, UK to experience the ASKaND St Kitts and Nevis Heritage Day. work out whether they could be distant relatives.

The day was a cultural explosion of food, music, dance, and games that celebrated the diverse heritage of St Kitts and Nevis.

The festivities kicked off at 1pm with attendees lining the streets to get in. On entering, the visitors were met with stalls filled with gorgeous handmade items. Local ‘Creatives’ were selling clothing made from sumptuous West African fabrics as well as hand-crafted jewellery and accessories. There was a plethora of food vendors selling delicious St Kitts and Nevis delicacies, along with Caribbean food from the other islands. Visitors indulged in black pudding, Johnny cakes and souse, alongside flavourful rotis and jerk chicken, which was then washed down with sorrel or “sexy” juice.

Children ran through the park and jumped on the bouncy castles with wild abandon. Their laughter filled the air as they made new friends. The young ones competed in the ASKaND ‘Olympicks’, playing simple games and races, and ate their own body weight in ice cream!

Esmie's Caribbean Kitchen Team feeding the attendees
Cris Collins Photography
"The Sweetest Band in the World" Small Axe Band rocking the stage!
Cris Collins Photography
Attendees at the event reppin' SKN!
Cris Collins Photography

At the Information Tent, visitors were enthusiastically searching for their families’ village or region, then proudly stuck their pin in the giant maps of St Kitts and Nevis to highlight exactly where their families were from. Once their pins were in, they would exchange surnames with others; trying to

The main stage area proved to be one of the highlights of the day providing entertainment from start to finish. Poets waxed lyrical about the beauty of the islands and the richness of our culture. The Zumba session had people jumping up and whining their waists to sweet Soca. The DJ pumping out reggae, Soca, dancehall, and afro beats between activities provided pure vibes throughout the day. The “piece de resistance” of the Heritage Day was the closing performance from Small Axe Band. They belted out their hits, old and new; and put a Soca spin on the classic anthem “Sweet Caroline” as a nod to the community’s British Caribbean identity. They captivated the crowd and held them in the palm of their hand as they sang while people waved their St Kitts & Nevis flags with pride. The people danced until the sun went down.

The crowd enjoying the vibe!
Cris Collins Photography

All in all, it was a fantastic end to an equally fantastic day.

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