Aon sponsoring the West Indian Carnival in Leeds - hear from Network Chair Elisha St Hilaire!
iCAN is delighted to see that industry-leader Aon is sponsoring the Leeds West Indian Carnival’s Team Creative for the first time this year.
Through Aon’s sponsorship, Team Creative, a non-profit organisation founded by Tashi Brown in 2016, funded and created the sunset paradise-themed costumes for its 160-strong troupe, which will participate in the Leeds West Indian Carnival, which is happening on Monday 29th August.
Elisha St Hilaire, UK Early Careers Development Lead at Aon and Multicultural Network Chair, shared her thoughts:
“I am so proud to see Aon sponsoring Team Creative at the Leeds West Indian Carnival. Engaging with more diverse communities is key to addressing the underserved so that people and small businesses in this community can recover and thrive in a world of rapid social and economic change.
“Fantastic work to all involved, and I can’t wait for the costume reveal next week!”
Read the full blog of Aon from here: https://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Aon-Sponsors-Team-Creatives-Participation-In-The-Leeds-West-Indian-Carnival-2022
What is the Leeds West Indian Festival?
Leeds West Indian Carnival is one of the longest-running West Indian carnivals in Europe dating back to 1967. Every year nearly 150,000 people attend this fantastic lively carnival during the Bank Holiday weekend in August.
It starts with the Queen's show on Friday evening. Queens are the dancers with spectacular stand-out costumes partnered with musicians, local dancers, and a steel pan orchestra performance between their appearances. On Saturday, the Leeds West Indian Centre holds the Calypso Monarch Contest, a competition between budding Calypso music enthusiasts. On Sunday there are more music events including soul, R&B, and reggae. On Monday afternoon, the main parade leaves Potternewton Park at 2pm, which is seen off by the Lord Mayor of Leeds.
This carnival is the first carnival that incorporates all three essential elements of authentic West Indian carnival - costumes, music, and a masquerade procession. It is the perfect blend of jaw-dropping costumes, infectious tropical rhythms, mouth-watering food, Caribbean Culture, and entertainment for everyone. It is an absolute showcase for the best of Caribbean culture and a celebration for all.
However, this carnival is not only about costumes and food. But also, shows the journey of resilience, struggles, and triumphs that has universal appeals.
About the West Indies
Well, the name Indian has nothing to do with the Indian people we know as it refers to the collection of islands in the Caribbean. Christopher Columbus arrived on the island of Hispanola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and thought he was in West India. So, the West Indies is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean to the east and north.
Explore more via the below links:
https://www.mylearning.org/stories/leeds-west-indian-carnival/921
https://www.britannica.com/place/West-Indies-island-group-Atlantic-Ocean
Congratulations to Aon, Team Creative and all those involved - we wish you the best for a fantastic Carnival!