00:00Medway's African and Caribbean Association marked the start of the festive season with
00:05the Christmas market at the Corn Exchange in Rochester. Vendors were flogging all sorts
00:11at stores, ranging from traditional food to stocking filler.
00:15I think it's important for us to have our products out because they represent us. It's
00:21a good opportunity for people to buy something a little bit different.
00:24The market showcased vibrant Afro-Caribbean culture and encouraged locals from BME origin
00:29and beyond to see what was on offer.
00:32I grew up in a very, very diverse area and so when I moved here I didn't see many people
00:38that looked like me and looked like my children as well. There wasn't many things that they
00:44could get that represented who they were in terms of books or food or anything like that.
00:50So we wanted people, not just African and Caribbean people, but anybody to experience
00:56African and Caribbean culture.
00:59It's only 1.30 and I've been here for about an hour or so and I've already seen about
01:0350 people walk through the door. It's clear that this is a great space for Medway's diverse
01:07community to showcase their talents.
01:10But it wasn't just locals who got stuck into the festive spirit. Appearances were made
01:16by the mayor of Medway, his deputy and the leader of the council.
01:21All stalls here are represented by local businesses. They all work very hard to get
01:28noticed. So this is an incredible event for them. People come and see something different.
01:34Something that you won't be able to see at the Christmas market outside.
01:38Medway does diversity absolutely better than most places in Kent. Just look at the surroundings
01:45that we have. We're at the Corn Exchange. We're engaging different parts of the community,
01:50different voices, different stories are being shared and all around sharing their love for produce.
01:56I didn't know you could come to a market stall to sell a book. So it's really great that
02:00I've had this opportunity. And, you know, it's a great way to be able to, you don't
02:04have to always go into London, to be able to get great things that you can get locally.
02:09You know, there's small businesses here and as a council, we want to help those small
02:13businesses and it's great to be, you know, here supporting Macca doing their part of
02:17that economic growth as well as frankly having fun on a Sunday. That's a good thing too.
02:22Xenia Nakvi for CAME TV in Rochester.
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