Rhythm, Flavor and Tradition
Lim?n has been the cradle of important personalities: poets, musicians, cooks, storytellers and painters. They have all, through their work, popularized the Lim?n culture and projected it beyond the limits of its province, both inside and outside of Costa Rica. Today, thanks to the influence of Alfred King - an Afro-Caribbean who 50 years ago began to share with the region's populace his people's beliefs and traditions - Black and White, young and old, city dwellers and Limonenses enjoy the celebration of this Caribbean party upon the arrival of October. This festival is something that the Afro-Costa Rican community offers to the Costa Rican culture.

"Bongo Drums"

People go to Lim?n each October captivated by the music, a clear expression of the thoughts and feelings of the Black community. These rhythms were born in various regions of Africa, whose people, upon immigrating, adapted them to the characteristics of American lands. From an early age, Afro-Caribbeans internalize their rhythms as part of a lifestyle in which their environment, their daily life and their artistic expressions are closely related. Two principal rhythms exist on the Caribbean: Calypso and Reggae.

Both inspire the youth and breathe life into dances and gatherings with friends and neighbors. The first and more traditional rhythm is: the Calypso, which has fairly old roots. Its interpreter, called ''CaIypsonian,'' and its foundation are based on the singing of the plantation slaves throughout the Caribbean, which transmitted, through the song, news and messages of the Black community without being heard or noticed by the masters. Quince Duncan and Carlos Mel?ndez, researchers investigating this theme, comment in one of their studies that "The Calypso is native to the Caribbean, the expression of excellence among the English-speaking Antillean community. Its contents are the true chapters of the history of Black people, of their daily lives."

"Black Spoon"
Afro-Caribbeans are known for their preparation of flavorful dishes, with rich condiments, spices and characteristic ingredients of African descent. The recipes have been handed from generation to generation, and even the younger generation knows the traditional and authentic taste of their foods. These recipes have traveled with them, from the lands of Africa to the present black people of Lim?n. Visiting Lim?n without tasting the delicious cooking of the Afro-Caribbean community is like staying home. To truly know Lim?n you must taste the "rond?n," "pat?" "rice n' beans," and drink "agua de sapo" (toad water), a refreshment prepared with lemon juice, molasses, ginger and "something more," as the Afro-Caribbean cooks tend to say when you ask them the secrets of their recipes. Quince Duncan stands out among the distinguished authors of Afro-Caribbean literature. He has written important essays on this social group, including "The Black in Costa Rica," with Carlos Melendez. Additionally, he has produced works of fiction such as 'Una Canci?n en Ia Madrugada" (A Song at Dawn), "Los Cuatro Espejos" (The Four Mirrors) and "El Vigra" (The Watchtower).

Joaqu?n Gutierrez, renowned novelist and storyteller, is another distinguished author who has brought Afro-Costa Rican themes to the forefront of national literature. Born in Lim?n in 1918, he became a journalist and novelist. Among his best works on the subject are "Puerto Lim?n," Limonenses Afro-Costa Rican culture is quite complex. Its expressions, often reduced to simplistic interpretation, flirt with our curiosity to know more about this world, presenting a temptation to open our hearts and our minds and let we succumb to the mystery, rhythm and flavor hidden amongst the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
Written by Mike E. Sojo Allen

Rhythm, Flavor and Tradition
Lim?n has been the cradle of important personalities: poets, musicians, cooks, storytellers and painters. They have all, through their work, popularized the Lim?n culture and projected it beyond the limits of its province, both inside and outside of Costa Rica. Today, thanks to the influence of Alfred King - an Afro-Caribbean who 50 years ago began to share with the region's populace his people's beliefs and traditions - Black and White, young and old, city dwellers and Limonenses enjoy the celebration of this Caribbean party upon the arrival of October. This festival is something that the Afro-Costa Rican community offers to the Costa Rican culture.

"Bongo Drums"

People go to Lim?n each October captivated by the music, a clear expression of the thoughts and feelings of the Black community. These rhythms were born in various regions of Africa, whose people, upon immigrating, adapted them to the characteristics of American lands. From an early age, Afro-Caribbeans internalize their rhythms as part of a lifestyle in which their environment, their daily life and their artistic expressions are closely related. Two principal rhythms exist on the Caribbean: Calypso and Reggae.

Both inspire the youth and breathe life into dances and gatherings with friends and neighbors. The first and more traditional rhythm is: the Calypso, which has fairly old roots. Its interpreter, called ''CaIypsonian,'' and its foundation are based on the singing of the plantation slaves throughout the Caribbean, which transmitted, through the song, news and messages of the Black community without being heard or noticed by the masters. Quince Duncan and Carlos Mel?ndez, researchers investigating this theme, comment in one of their studies that "The Calypso is native to the Caribbean, the expression of excellence among the English-speaking Antillean community. Its contents are the true chapters of the history of Black people, of their daily lives."

"Black Spoon"
Afro-Caribbeans are known for their preparation of flavorful dishes, with rich condiments, spices and characteristic ingredients of African descent. The recipes have been handed from generation to generation, and even the younger generation knows the traditional and authentic taste of their foods. These recipes have traveled with them, from the lands of Africa to the present black people of Lim?n. Visiting Lim?n without tasting the delicious cooking of the Afro-Caribbean community is like staying home. To truly know Lim?n you must taste the "rond?n," "pat?" "rice n' beans," and drink "agua de sapo" (toad water), a refreshment prepared with lemon juice, molasses, ginger and "something more," as the Afro-Caribbean cooks tend to say when you ask them the secrets of their recipes. Quince Duncan stands out among the distinguished authors of Afro-Caribbean literature. He has written important essays on this social group, including "The Black in Costa Rica," with Carlos Melendez. Additionally, he has produced works of fiction such as 'Una Canci?n en Ia Madrugada" (A Song at Dawn), "Los Cuatro Espejos" (The Four Mirrors) and "El Vigra" (The Watchtower).

Joaqu?n Gutierrez, renowned novelist and storyteller, is another distinguished author who has brought Afro-Costa Rican themes to the forefront of national literature. Born in Lim?n in 1918, he became a journalist and novelist. Among his best works on the subject are "Puerto Lim?n," Limonenses Afro-Costa Rican culture is quite complex. Its expressions, often reduced to simplistic interpretation, flirt with our curiosity to know more about this world, presenting a temptation to open our hearts and our minds and let we succumb to the mystery, rhythm and flavor hidden amongst the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
Written by Mike E. Sojo Allen