The Caribbean Student Association celebrated its annual Carnival on Friday in the Mandela Room, themed “Fete of the Four Elements” to reflect nature, natural disasters and the historical resilience of Caribbean communities. Offering a modern tribute to Caribbean Carnival, the event featured dancers and models wearing vibrant costumes, promising a night of excitement and a celebrity performance.

Historically, Carnival’s roots come from a combination of Catholic European traditions and a celebration created by enslaved people as a means for resistance and freedom. At its core, Carnival is about resilience, cultural expression and the pride it takes to keep one’s heritage alive.

“CSA’s mission is to spread Caribbean culture across the Binghamton campus,” Inez Williams ’24, host and former president of CSA, said. “Our mission is ‘one love,’ so we really just try to have love and fun in everything we do. So events like Carnival really help to bring people together and also educate them about the culture of the Caribbean.”

The Mandela Room was adorned with decorations representing the four elements, like fire wall decals, lights that hung from storm clouds, a water-themed confetti backdrop and a plant-covered wall where students could take pictures. Alongside the aisles of chairs, flags of different Caribbean countries hung, showcasing the diversity of the organization.

Alyssa Soto, CSA’s president and a senior majoring in psychology, described the symbolism of Carnival and its themes.

“Carnival means a celebration of culture,” Soto wrote in an email. “It’s a chance for people to see what Caribbean culture is through music, dance, and food. The vision for this event is to immerse people into a one of a kind experience. Carnival is liberation and expression.”

Williams welcomed everyone to the event with a performance dancing across the stage with a Trinidadian flag on her hip. She wore a beautiful pink costume with crystals glittering from her forehead to her legs. After her performance, applause vibrated through the room, building anticipation as the lights centered on the stage. She introduced herself as the host and welcomed everyone to the event, ushering in excitement, fascination and a taste of Caribbean glamour.

As the host hyped up the crowd with her enthusiasm, a series of performances followed. Dancers shimmered under the lights, their movements playful, sensual and dusted with glitter. Models followed, crawling gracefully across the floor in an alluring display that drew a mix of laughter and admiration from the audience. Voice-overs also played between some of the performances.

Brandon Despaigne, an activities coordinator for CSA and a senior majoring in sociology, described the event as a celebration of Caribbean heritage and cultural blending.

“CSA brings together different parts of Caribbean culture by mixing traditions from carnivals across the islands,” Despaigne wrote. “You’ll see costumes and dances inspired by different countries’ Carnivals, the energy of Jamaica’s dancehall, and music like soca, reggae, and calypso from all over the region. We also include Caribbean food, decorations, and flag colors to represent each island.”

The costumes were vibrant, elegant and full of charm. Each model had a flag they donned to represent different Caribbean countries as they back flipped, did splits and danced gracefully.

The lineup of dancers was diverse and did not exclude anyone, gracing the stage with confidence and pride and bringing an aura of passion and style to the event. Sidney Owusu, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, was one of the featured dancers.

“I can’t say I was nervous, not even in the slightest,” Owusu said. “I felt like the executive board who hosted this event really affirmed me with the belief that I knew what I was doing and that I was very capable, and that wasn’t something I had coming in.”

After a brief intermission filled with music, food and mingling, the host returned, calling out to the audience to get on the stage and show their moves. A dance competition soon began between four participants, each showing their rhythm and flashy moves as the crowd cheered them on with excitement. Eventually, two winners were picked by the crowd and danced off with one another.

Throughout the night, other dancers graced the stage with confident model walks, including Tyla Adolphe, a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering. Adolphe described how Carnival breaks barriers and challenges misconceptions about Caribbean culture.

“It’s really just breaking the ice between the perspective of what people see Carnival as, because a lot of people might think it’s vulgar, like this or like that, because it’s not something that first-world countries are really used to,” Adolphe said. “But it’s really, in a sense, just like an art — there’s always a story behind it, and I feel like that’s what they’re trying to portray with the voiceovers and the themes and stuff. There really is more to our culture than just that, and they’re not trying to portray that through dance. So we’re really just introducing Binghamton and the greater area to what is out there, because a lot of people don’t really know about it.”

Jamaican dancehall and Afrobeat artist Govana performed this year, bringing high energy and authentic Caribbean flair to the event. Known for hits like “Four Storey” and “Convo,” the artist has become one of dancehall’s standout voices.

Throughout his performance, Govana’s stage presence and infectious rhythm electrified the crowd. His performance tied seamlessly into the event’s theme, representing the fiery energy and vibrant creativity at the heart of Caribbean culture.

“Govana brought great energy and crowd engagement to the event,” Soto wrote. “Everyone loved his performance and wanted to dance and sing along even if they didn’t know the words. He was an extremely understanding and accommodating artist. We usually try to add some sort of instrumental performances such as steel pan drummers as an additional performance. Though that couldn’t be done this year, I hope to see it next year.”

Toward the end of the show, models and dancers joined hands or clapped as they walked down the stage, closing the night with unity and celebration, their jewel-encrusted costumes glittering under the light as everyone cheered.