The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) is honored to present Our Road To Freedom: Jab, J’ouvert, Revelry and Resistance, our second annual Juneteenth celebration, grounded in our 50th Anniversary Year exhibition curated by Know Your Caribbean.

Inspired by the alignment of the sacred energies of Juneteenth, summer solstice and Elegua’s Feast Day, this year’s program focuses on Carnival as a ritual of liberation fuieling our journey to freedom and opening the path for healing.

1. We will open the day at the CCCADI Firehouse, where attendees will be treated to a special exhibition tour led by Know Your Caribbean, getting detailed insight into the context and stories behind the concept and artwork on view.

2. We will then walk together, as we always do, in procession from the CCCADI Firehouse, to the Harlem African Burial Grounds, and on to CCCADI Ilé Oyin.

3. Upon arrival at CCCADI Ilé Oyin, Kalinda Kollective will facilitate a workshop on kalinda, the ancient stickfighting warrior tradition from Trinidad & Tobago. Brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans from the Congo, Yoruba and Fon nations, kalinda encodes combat, resistance and music into one single art form. One of the ways in which kalinda is is preserved is through Carnival.

5. Movement will ease the way into dialogue, with Know Your Caribbean leading a Curators in Conversation panel featuring a number of the artists participating in “Jab, J’ouvert, Revelry & Resistance”.

6. Finally, we will close the day with a Carnival fête featuring a live DJ set and a steel pan drum band.

Join us as we continue our 50th Anniversary Year celebration by looking at Carnival’s legacy of resistance and joy!