Happenings in Our Community Dec 22, 2023

December 22, 2023

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THE CONSUL GENERAL’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE My cherished Jamaican community in the Diaspora, as well as our esteemed Friends of Jamaica, I, together with the dedicated staff at the Consulate General of Jamaica in New York, am delighted to extend to you and your families our warmest greetings as we celebrate the Christmas season of 2023.

Christmas is a time when we come together, surrounded by family and friends, to share in the joy and warmth that defines this special time of year. It’s a season of giving, a chance to spread cheer to those we love and to reach out with kindness to those who are less fortunate in our communities.

Our vibrant Jamaican Christmas traditions, from the delicious feasts and the rich, sweet Christmas cakes to our reggae-infused carols and the festive Grand Market, continue to bring a unique Jamaican spirit to our celebrations, both here in the United States and across the globe. Our ongoing commitment to charitable endeavors, including toy drives and fundraising events, plays a vital role in making a positive impact within our communities.

I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Jamaican Diaspora and Friends of Jamaica for your continued support and contribution towards our common vision for a flourishing and prosperous Jamaica. As we look forward to 2024, we are encouraged by the prospects of economic growth, with Jamaica poised for a bright future.

Reflecting on this past year, we have shared many significant moments together, further strengthening the bonds of our community and celebrating our rich cultural heritage.

As we gather during this festive season, may your homes be filled with love, peace, joy, and good health. Let this Christmas be a time to reinforce the bonds that unite us and inspire our nation towards greater heights.

In our joint efforts to build a more prosperous and peaceful Jamaica, let us embrace the spirit of unity and hope.

From my family to yours, we send you our best wishes for happiness, health, love, and peace during this holiday season.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Mrs. Alsion Wilson, O.D. Consul General of Jamaica, New York

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L’ACADCO - A UNITED CARIBBEAN DANCE FORCE RETURNS TO NEW YORK CITY

GALA PERFORMANCE ON JANUARY 11, 2024 NEW YORK, NY – December 22, 2023 – L’Acadco - A United Caribbean Dance Force, Jamaica’s leading contemporary dance company, makes its return to New York City after a 20-year absence, for a special gala performance at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College on Thursday, January 11, 2024. Consul General of Jamaica to New York, Mrs. Alsion Roach-Wilson, OD., serves as Patron of the event, which will honor Dr. Una S.T. Clarke, and being held under the theme: Building Bridges Through The Arts. Part proceeds will go towards the New-York based Jamaican charity, Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) Inc. Tickets available at www.touchstonelink.com/lacadco

The one-night performance will showcase the artistry, dynamism and technique of L’Acadco’s extraordinary dancers who are set to thrill returning fans as well as first time attendees. The evening will include contemporary works and pieces exploring popular and traditional Caribbean forms highlighting choreographers Jessica Shaw, Orville McFarlane and L’Antoinette Stines, Artistic Director.

Satta and Honfour, two of the company’s signature works choreographed by Dr. Stines, will be performed.

The night’s lineup will feature special guest performer Amma D. McKen, Yoruba Orisha Singer and Priestess of Yemonja. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, McKen has sung traditional sacred Yoruba music since she was 14. McKen holds several roles and titles in Yoruba, including the title of Akpon, a lead singer and officiator for the drumming and dancing celebrations. She became the first African American female Akpon to produce a musical recording of the traditional songs, titled Alaako Oso: Owner of the Songs is Eloquent.

This electrifying cultural exchange promises to leave patrons spellbound and enthralled.

L’Acadco had its genesis in 1978, when Dr. L’Antoinette Stines established the first black dance company in Miami. She returned to Jamaica in 1982, where she continued to grow with her company, becoming a compelling representative of Jamaican and Caribbean culture.

Dr. Stines is the creator of L’Antech, a contemporary Caribbean dance technique - the company’s movement language. Her expertise in Classical Ballet and popular and folkloric Jamaican and Caribbean moment vocabularies enabled her to create this method of training bodies while exploring choreographic work inspired by the virility of her island’s culture and ancestry, the sensuality of its people and the natural mystic in the air.

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JERKED CHICKEN

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https://walkerswood.com/recipes/jerk-chicken/

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Jamaican Christmas Fruit Cake The Jamaican fruit cake, also known as Jamaican black cake, has roots in British Christmas traditions. It evolved in Jamaica with the influence of African and Caribbean culinary elements. The cake typically contains fruits like prunes, raisins, and currants soaked in rum, along with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon.

The rich and dark color comes from the use of browning, a caramelized sugar sauce. Jamaican fruit cake is often enjoyed during special occasions and celebrations, reflecting the diverse cultural influences in Jamaican cuisine. Most Jamaican families have their own unique recipe which they consider the best. Some persons prefer their cake with a cake-like texture while others prefer a more pudding texture.

Ingredients • 1 cup butter or margarine • 1 cup brown sugar • 6 eggs • 4 cups mixed fruits, blended • 3 cups flour • ½ tsp baking soda • 3 tsp baking powder • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 1 tsp almond extract

port mixture into the batter (you may not need all the port/rum) Fold in the fruit.

• Prepare 1 (9-inch) cake pan with grease/wax paper. Fill the pan 3/4 of the way and bake until a skewer comes out of the center of the cake clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes (may vary based on your oven).

• Cool for 5 minutes.

• Pour the 2 cups wine over the warm cake. Allow to cool before removing from tin.

• 1 tsp rose water • 2 tsp lime juice • 1 tsp lime zest • ¼ cup bread crumbs

Tip: Place a pan with water on the bottom shelf of oven to prevent cake burning and keeping it moist.

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon • ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Fruit Soak

• 1 tsp mixed spice

1 pound black raisins

• 1 tsp salt • ¼ cup rum

1 pound golden raisins

• ½ cup Port wine (Red Label is best) 1 pound prunes, • 2 cups wine with ¼ cup rum for soaking Directions • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. • In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and incorporate well.

• Combine bread crumbs, flour, all the spices, baking powder, and salt. Combine rum and port. Add flour mixture alternately with rum/

8 oz mixed peel Jamaican white rum Brandy Port Put raisins, prunes, and mixed peel in a glass jar and cover with mixture of equal parts Jamaican white rum (Preferably wray and nephew white), Brandy and

Port. Cover with a tight fitting lid, label, and date the jar. Put in a cool, dry cupboard. From time to time, check the fruits to see if more liquor is needed, as the fruits will plump and soak up the liquid. Keep the fruit covered in liquor.

It is best to allow the fruit to marinate for at least 1 month for best flavor. https://thejamaicanfoodie.blogspot. com/2011/10/jamaican-fruit-cake.html

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CURRIED GOAT

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Ingredients

For 6 Person(s) Recipe • 3 pound(s) goat meat • 2 tablespoon(s) Grace White Vinegar • 2 tablespoon(s) curry powder • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 stalk(s) escallion, chopped • 4 clove(s) garlic, chopped • 1 teaspoon(s) ginger, chopped • 2 teaspoon(s) thyme, chopped • 1/2 whole scotch bonnet pepper, chopped • 1 teaspoon(s) black pepper • 1 teaspoon(s) salt • 1/4 cup(s) Grace Vegetable Oil • 4 cup(s) boiling water • 1 large Irish potato, diced • 1 medium carrot, sliced • 4 whole pimento berries, crushed Directions • Trim meat, cut into bite-size pieces and wash in a mixture of water and vinegar.

• Add 1 tablespoon curry powder, chopped onion, escallion, garlic, ginger, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, black pepper and salt; rub the seasonings into the meat, cover and put to marinate for two hours.

• Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat and add the remaining one tablespoon curry powder. Add the marinated meat and allow to sear. Turn the meat and add 4 cups boiling water. Cover and allow to simmer for about 1 hour 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.

• Add the diced potato and cook for 5 minutes. Fold in the sliced carrot and pimento berries and cook for five minutes.

Method Note: Sear - To brown meat quickly by subjecting it to very high heat either in a skillet, under a broiler or in a very hot oven. The object of searing is to seal in the meat’s juices.Irie Jam Radio has become an influential force in the Caribbean music industry. https://gracefoods.com/recipe-a-z/recipe/5200-curried-goat

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SORREL

In Jamaica, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without a sorrel drink and Christmas cake.

Both have rum in them … yes, we like our rum during the holidays! The sorrel flower is in full bloom at Christmastime in Jamaica so that’s one of the reasons it’s a traditional holiday favourite. It has a deep red colour and unique flavour enhanced with spices, lemon juice and rum. You can omit the rum, but I personally think it tastes better with it.

For this recipe you can use fresh or dried sorrel. I use dried sorrel, which is easier to find where I live. If you’re lucky enough to find fresh sorrel just double the amount you use for this recipe.

Ingredients • 2 ½ cups dried sorrel • 3 oz fresh ginger, grated • 5 pimento berries • 10 cups boiling water • 2 cups sugar • 2 Tbsp lemon juice • ¾ cup white rum Makes 10 cups

Method 1. Place sorrel, ginger and pimento berries in a large pot or mixing bowl 2. Pour boiling water over the ingredients; stir and place in fridge overnight to steep 3. Using a large strainer, pour the steeped liquid into another container; use a spoon to squeeze more liquid out of the sorrel 4. Add sugar, lemon juice and rum to sorrel and stir until sugar has dissolved https://cooklikeajamaican.com/festive-sorrel-drink-video/

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