The event was set up several years ago by Dr Carole Stewart, with fashion stalls, food and even local politicians coming out to show their support.
Zeenia Naqvee reports.
Zeenia Naqvee reports.
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NewsTranscript
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.