Passing on the Tradition is a project design to help the children,
of the Chicagoland area, learn about the cultural heritage of the Caribbean. With the budget
for arts and music being reduced for the educational curriculum coupled with the absence of truly diverse arts & craft
in the educational system, Chicago Caribbean Carnival Association along with Chicago
CARIFETE, intends to fill that void with our Passing on the Tradition Program.
Many students, and children are not aware of the rich, diverse
cultures of the Caribbean.
Especially children of Caribbean
nationals here in the Midwest, they do not realize how their cultures have contributed to the great "Melting Pot" of America. As a
result of this observation, Chicago Carnival Association wanted to focus on these students/children and help them become aware
of their cultures.
The anthropologist's definition of culture is people's way of
being, knowing and doing. Culture is learned and shared, often unconsciously. Culture provides us with ways of acting, for
example, how we greet friends and new acquaintances, how we dress for different occasions, how we view time, how we treat
the earth and how we handle conflicts. The concept of culture allows people to orient and interpret their experiences and
give them value and meaning.
Before we can introduce the students/children to the study of
the indigenous peoples of the Americas,
it is important for them to know what is meant by culture. If asked, many students/children born in the Diaspora will say
that they do not have a culture that it is something that Native Americans or recent immigrants have, but not them. To begin
to understand people of different cultures, students/children must first know how all cultures are alike and different. There
are certain things that all cultures have, whether or not they are exactly the same. Called “cultural universals”
these might include such things as foods, holiday celebrations, religion, values, games, music, the role of the family and
the various members of the family.
Passing on the Traditions seek to provide students/children with
knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to appreciate their own cultures so that they may become sensitive to the culture
of others.
