Naomi westwater

Meet Naomi Westwater, an indie singer-songwriter, producer, and current grad fellow at berklee college of music! naomi opens up to us about her bajan and scottish roots and what she is most proud of about her culture.

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1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers/Womxn

Hobbies: Going to the beach, knitting, watching movies with my husband, witchcraft

Passions: film photography, poetry, social justice, and Earth justice

Occupation: Singer-songwriter/Graduate Fellow

3. What aspect of your culture are you most proud of and why? Can you share a specific moment or an example?

Both my mother and father are from island cultures via their Scottish and Bajan ancestors and growing up on Cape Cod. So seafood has always been a big part of my culture and heritage. I can remember visiting green Scotland when I was a little kid and eating so much smoked fish. When I go to Barbados to visit my family there, I usually gain 5 pounds! My uncle owns a local fish fry on the beach that all the locals go to for dinner on the weekends and to play dominoes. Barbados has many Indian influences in their food, since the British brought over Indians when they brought in West African enslaved people. Barbados also has wonderful yellow curries and delicious rotis. My great aunt Sheila will always make me breadfruit and fish in a brown gravy sauce when I visit, served with a sweet banana soda.

Also, belonging to island cultures (both islands coincidentally oppressed by England at some point in their history), I have a strong relationship to the ocean. The ocean gives life through food and jobs, but it's also very dangerous and mysterious.