Caribbean people in Minnesota gather at a past annual Guyana Day celebration. The events celebrate the communities that are part of the greater Caribbean region.
Courtesy of Trevor Samaroo
When Trevor Samaroo first started the nonprofit group Minnesota Guyana Day a few years ago, there weren’t many events that focused on Guyanese culture. As a child of one of the first waves of Caribbean immigrants to come to Minnesota, Samaroo grew up watching his father create spaces for Caribbean families to come together. He knew he wanted to do the same.
Guyana is a country located in South America that is associated with Caribbean culture through its traditions, music and food. According to the US Census, there are about 8,000 Caribbean people living in Minnesota, and Samaroo says the Guyanese community in Minnesota is growing.
While there were events celebrating communities part of the greater Caribbean region, which includes Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and the Bahamas, Samaroo said Minnesota Guyanese Day organizers wanted a space to celebrate their unique traditions.
“Let’s do something that everyone can come out and enjoy and celebrate the culture and represent what we have here in Minnesota,” Samaroo said. “A lot of people are learning now across the country, but people in the community know that in little pockets across the state there’s a very large population here.”
This year’s event, Guyana Night, will take place on Saturday at the Eritrean Community Center in St. It features three popular artists from Guyana and Trinidad; Poowah Vanita Willie, Fiona Singh and Mahendra Ramkellawan – artists Samaroo says community members have been excited to see.
“We’re just trying to focus on this kind of music that you really won’t hear anywhere else in Minnesota or the Midwest. You’re going to have to go with some of these larger populated areas like Toronto, New York, Orlando and Miami.” Samaroo said.
Samaroo says Guyana Night is also an opportunity for the Guyanese community to share their culture with others and make their presence known in Minnesota. The event will also feature traditional Guyanese and Caribbean foods.
“As a Guyanese person, if they ask you, ‘Where are you from? Where is your family from?’ It’s ‘Oh you’re from the Caribbean? You must be from Jamaica,’” Samaroo recalls. “The West Indies is a very diverse country and that’s why we try to educate people and represent our people to let them know we’re here.”
