“The song "Girmitiya" in particular on this record is a tribute to the histories and cultures I've come in contact with while living in Flatbush. It is from the imagined spirit/perspective of a captive worker from South Asia shipped to the Pacific and Caribbean islands in the 19th century, who mocks the colonial power structure and warns against its hubris. I am from a South Asian background, and I really enjoy connecting with the Caribbean culture that surrounds me through food and chatting with neighbors, there's so much overlap in roots to appreciate. Even though I am not from this neighborhood nor *of* its predominant Caribbean population, I feel more at home here than anywhere I've lived, so I thought I'd try to share this stuff we do with our surrounding community."

What does community feel, sound, smell, taste, or look like?

“To me community means talking, sharing food, and enjoying music. These are my favorite things about living here. I was attracted to Flatbush many years ago for the amazing Caribbean food that reminds me of my own South Asian roots, and has inspired me to learn more about the deep histories of kinship and resistance that define Caribbean culture.”

— Shiva, songwriter & artist from the band Kaleidoscope