Borokeete USA Celebrates “Caribbean Uniqueness” for New York Carnival 2012
For New York Carnival 2012, Borokeete International USA presented “Caribbean Uniqueness,” a celebration of Caribbean identity built around the message:
“One Nation, One People, One Voice.”
The veteran Brooklyn mas band unveiled the presentation on Friday, June 8, 2012, at Tropical Paradise Ballroom, 1367 Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, introducing 12 costume sections ahead of Labor Day and the West Indian American Day Carnival on Eastern Parkway.
Julianspromos was there to document the launch, with Intrigue Lane leading the on-camera coverage and Julian C. Hackett shooting and editing the footage.
One Nation, One People, One Voice
Rather than focusing on a single island or tradition, Caribbean Uniqueness celebrated the wider Caribbean.
The concept gave Borokeete’s designers room to explore different colors, styles and cultural influences while connecting the individual sections through one regional message.
That idea — One Nation, One People, One Voice — reflected the shared Caribbean identity at the heart of New York Carnival, where communities from across the region come together each Labor Day in Brooklyn.
Twelve Sections Take the Stage
Borokeete introduced 12 individual sections during the June launch.
Among the presentations was Tropicalfete Volcanicity, with Paula Leake, Miss Caribbean United States, appearing among the models associated with the section.
The evening also featured music from Hyper Active Sounds, Close Connections and Freeze International.
Giselle “The Wassi One” and Supa Roy hosted the event, while Intrigue Lane brought viewers closer to the presentation through Julianspromos’ on-camera coverage. Julian C. Hackett filmed and edited the footage from the launch.
Borokeete International USA unveils its Caribbean Uniqueness presentation in Brooklyn on June 8, 2012, with Julianspromos coverage hosted by Intrigue Lane and shot and edited by Julian C. Hackett.
Photos From the Caribbean Uniqueness Band Launch
Photographs from Borokeete International USA’s Caribbean Uniqueness band launch on June 8, 2012 preserve more of the costumes, models and atmosphere surrounding the presentation ahead of New York Carnival.
The images offer another look at the individual sections that brought Borokeete’s “One Nation, One People, One Voice” theme to life in Brooklyn.
New Designers and Borokeete Tradition
Borokeete entered the 2012 season as an established name in Brooklyn Carnival while continuing to bring new creative talent into the organization.
Band president Anthony Pollydore spoke during the season about combining emerging designers with experienced Carnival creatives, helping younger talent develop within the band while maintaining Borokeete’s established traditions.
The organization’s 2012 mas camp was located at 368 East 98th Street in Brooklyn, where preparations continued throughout the summer ahead of Labor Day.
Borokeete and Brooklyn Carnival
By 2012, Borokeete had already built a long history within New York mas.
The organization had become a familiar presence in the West Indian American Day Carnival, bringing together designers, masqueraders and community members each year for the journey to Eastern Parkway.
Borokeete had also represented New York beyond Brooklyn. In 2010, the band participated in an international masquerade competition at Las Vegas Carnival with its presentation “Festival of Colors.”
That history made Caribbean Uniqueness another chapter in an already established New York Carnival tradition.
From the Launch to Eastern Parkway
By Labor Day, the costumes introduced at Tropical Paradise Ballroom had moved from the launch stage to the streets of Brooklyn.
Borokeete carried Caribbean Uniqueness into the 2012 West Indian American Day Carnival, bringing its 12-section presentation and wider message of Caribbean unity onto Eastern Parkway.
The theme also found success in competition.
Borokeete earned first place in Junior Medium Band of the Year with Caribbean Uniqueness.
The band also produced one of the year’s standout individual portrayals, with Kay Mason winning Adult Queen for “The Winged Jewel of the Caribbean.”
Intrigue Lane Covers the Launch
For Julianspromos, Intrigue Lane served as the on-camera host for the coverage of Borokeete’s 2012 band launch.
Her presence helped take viewers beyond the runway presentation, offering a closer look at the people, costumes and atmosphere surrounding the unveiling of Caribbean Uniqueness.
Behind the camera, Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the coverage, preserving the launch before the costumes made their way onto Eastern Parkway later that summer.
When Brooklyn Became One Caribbean
The central message of Caribbean Uniqueness remains one of the strongest elements of the 2012 presentation:
One Nation. One People. One Voice.
New York Carnival has long brought together communities with roots across Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the wider Caribbean.
Borokeete turned that shared identity into the theme itself.
What began with 12 sections on a Brooklyn stage in June ultimately became a full Carnival presentation on Eastern Parkway for Labor Day.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Borokeete International USA’s June 8, 2012 Caribbean Uniqueness band launch captures the beginning of a presentation that would continue through New York Carnival later that summer.
With Intrigue Lane hosting Julianspromos’ on-camera coverage and Julian C. Hackett shooting and editing the footage, the surviving video preserves Borokeete’s costumes and theme at the start of the season.
The presentation later earned Borokeete first place in Junior Medium Band of the Year, while Kay Mason’s “The Winged Jewel of the Caribbean” won Adult Queen.
More than a decade later, the footage remains a look back at Borokeete, Brooklyn mas and New York Carnival in 2012.
