Jamaica Takes Part in Cultural Festival in Canada

Jamaica will be the only English-speaking Caribbean country represented at an inaugural cultural festival to be held in Toronto, Canada.
WorldFest 2007 will take place at Ontario Place from August 17-19 and will feature at least 30 countries showcasing their culture, history, music, foods and customs. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are the other Caribbean countries to be featured.
The three-day Festival will also shine the spotlight on Reggae, featuring reggae artiste Leroy Brown, a 2000 Juno winner (Canadian music awards), and the music of Strangejah Cole, Leroy Gibbon and John Forbes in a SongFest competition.
The 30 year-old Jamaican folk group, ‘Heritage Singers’ will also perform on Saturday, August 17, on Centre Stage.
Chairman of WorldFest, Fred Lamberti, said the event, which has been in the making for about two years, is expected to bring together the mosaic of peoples that make Canada a great place to live and the envy of the world.
“WorldFest will bring together annually a multitude of cultures under one umbrella, the best that each has to offer to celebrate and experience,” he said.
One interesting feature of the Festival will be the creation of the world’s largest fruit bowl with fresh Ontario and exotic fruits, by popular Canadian chef, Marty Galin. Everyone attending the Festival on Saturday between 2 and 4 p.m. will receive free fruit salad.
Patrons will also be able to fill out ballots for trips to several countries, including Jamaica.Some of the countries which will feature displays include Canada, China, Ethiopia, Egypt, Italy, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland and Venezuela.