The community of La Poterie, St Andrew, will once again host the traditional Salaka Festival. This year’s festival will be held on Friday, 28 February 2025.
Salaka is sometimes referred to as a “Feast of the Gods” or can be termed a “Festival of Food.” Salaka, as a cultural relic, was kept alive by the presence of the Baptist faith or what some people would call Shango practitioners. It is usually hosted in the northeastern part of the island, with the main ones hosted in La Poterie and River Sallee. Other areas hosting Salakas include Carrierre, Pearls, and now Paradise.
Previously, this practice was done in one of the villager’s big yard. In the olden times, other villagers contributed food items that were popular then. Most of the items contributed were yard fowls, pigs, sheep, green peas, yams and sweet potatoes, rum or cash. The villagers collected pots and firewood days before and then assembled in the early morning hours to help with preparation.
In more modern times, Salaka is no longer celebrated in a yard; it is celebrated throughout the village. Two of the villages that currently host Salakas, River Sallee and La Poterie, have moved to a level of centralisation of activities at their playing fields. This year’s festival will also feature the final taping of the documentary “De Drums of Grenada,” which will feature the Tivoli Drummers, Conception Dance Theatre, and the Spyceland Dancers.
As part of its mandate to preserve and promote the island’s rich cultural heritage, the Grenada Cultural Foundation has, over the years, given assistance to River Sallee, La Poterie and Carrierre in the execution of their Salakas.
GCF
