Rotterdam 2009

24th - 25th July - DJ Zahra & DJ Drizzle

 

Along with neXt Level PoisonUK , a group promoting the Caribbean lifestyle in Europe, we went to Rotterdam for the annual Zomer Carnival. Even though Rotterdam’s roots are in Antillean and Aruban culture, it has become a celebration of the traditions of Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia and Cape Verde.

The Battle Of Drums was Friday’s highlight with four brass bands leaving from four locations and then meeting for final battle at the Bavaria Stage on the Coolsingel, the main street. Over 100 drummers and dancers all competed in this musical battle to be crowned Best Brass Band of Summer Carnival 2009.

The Parade

At the Street Parade on Saturday there were over one million visitors from Europe who got to soak up the vibrant atmosphere of Latin music and colourful costumes. We started the parade at the seafront and then wound around the streets before ending up back where we started. With Trini Connection (Poison’s Rotterdam crew), our place on the float gave us a wicked view to watch our own DJ Drizzle's set in front of a million people. There was loads of food form all over the world and the music continued into the night so we could party the proper Brazilian way.

Kwakoe Festival

Then we went to Amsterdam for the Kwakoe Festival, which is a celebration of Suriname origin. It started in 1975 as a football tournament for Suriname youth living in Bijlmer and it has become the biggest Dutch multi-cultural festival, taking on Chinese, West African and Indonesian traditions. The football competition is still one of the best things about the festival.

There were loads of live bands, DJs, comedy shows, poetry readings and dance workshops plus plenty of markets and parades which meant there was something for everyone. We tried lots of Surinamese, Antillean, Turkish and African foods around a dug out football pitch and saw a mixture of traditional costumes.

Food!

This festival was all about people-watching and eating. Roti, a Suriname potato, vegetable and meat wrap, and Bara, a spicy bread roll were favourites and Djogo, an alternative to Heineken, sold out fast too.