Caribbean Focus 86 was a celebration of Caribbean culture in Southampton. The compere for the day was Kerwin Rodgers and the event in Hogland Park Southampton featured local Reggae Sound Systems- Maka Foundation, The Nite Rider Posse, and Southampton Harbour Lights.  The text below is a report of the event published in the British Library

An unidentified woman makes a speech at the opening of the Caribbean Focus ’86 exhibition in Southampton. Paul Philp, who plays for the Solent Stars basketball team, talks about the team and the history of West Indian players in the [National?] League, and his teammates Dave Brown and Roy Lewis. Two pupils from the Deanery School in Southampton describe some of the Caribbean islands. Ron Belgrave talks about the history and experiences of people from the Caribbean and gives the background to the nationwide Caribbean Focus ’86 programme of events which has been initiated by the Commonwealth Institute and will run from April to November 1986. He describes its aims as educating the general population of Britain as to achievements of those from the Caribbean, giving confidence to those from the Caribbean in England through the initiative’s activities, and ‘improv[ing] race-relations in this country’. Sian Jones, who works at Southampton Museums, talks about the Caribbean Heritage oral history project conducted by the Southampton Oral History Unit.

CONTRIBUTOR:

DON JOHN. VIDEO FROM MC BRIGGY  & EDITED BY GUVNAH GREGAH