by Ruth Aman
Saturday 12 August 2023
The annual JamDay Festival, hosted by the Jamaican Ottawa Community Association this past Saturday, August 12th, featured the sounds of reggae tunes and a delightful atmosphere of uplifting vibes. People of different generations, both young and old, convened at Vincent Massey Park, donning either their timeless green and yellow ensembles or shirts displaying slogans celebrating Jamaican pride.
The vibrant Jamaican Ottawa Community Association has a big presence within Ottawa’s history and current community. From hosting events about Jamaican independence to gatherings focused on cultural remembrance and celebration, the association has brought Jamaican values and stories to the forefront. This year’s JamDay event celebrated Jamaica’s 61st year of independence. After a harsh history of brutality and colonialism, Jamaicans around Ottawa and beyond represented their pride, bravery, and beauty in this celebration. They also hosted a Flag Raising Ceremony and Service of Thanksgiving the prior week, raising the anticipation for the coming Jam Day festival.
Hosted by President Claudine Mitchell and other notable members of the community such as President Ralph of the Ottawa Carribean Jamaican Community, this event highlighted the diverse traditions and convictions of Jamaicans throughout the world. From speeches by distinguished guests to community games and musical performances, this event had something to keep all ages engaged. Children were entertained by a bouncy house and craft section located within the Children’s Village. Shawna, the organizer of the Children’s Village, mentioned that kids ranging from two to twelve years old enthusiastically participated in the numerous available activities.
Food lovers had a wide assortment of Jamaican specialties to choose from. Local home pop-up shops served steaming platters of Jerk Chicken and rice and peas with plantain on top while other vendors such as Mr.BOOM!’s sold their famous original Jamaican Jerk dressing. Made With Sankofa was also present as they presented their moringa infused smoothies to those in need of a bright and sunny kick on rainy day. Bursting flavours such as Caribbean Sunshine, a Mango-Pineapple based drink and Tropical Storm, a Guava and Dragonfruit blend, brought refreshment to each guest in the park.
This year the association was presented a proclamation by the City of Ottawa with Mayor Sutcliffe speaking wonderful remarks of how Ottawa’s Jamaican community has contributed much to the history of Ottawa. Many remarkable individuals such as Ewart Walters were part of the Jamaican community and brought great strides to the plight of Black people in Canada. Therefore, this proclamation was one that signified the resilience and pioneering spirit of Ottawa’s Jamaicans. Representing the High Commissioner of Jamaica to Ottawa, Sharon Miller was Daniel Beals, who also spoke a few words sharing the commissioner’s apologies for not being able to make it in person assuring that she is there in spirit.
As usual, what would a big community gathering look like without the games? Classics included tug-of-war and a youth football game. Jamaicans fled to the centre field during this portion of the event as the host announced that there would be a Maypole dance. Maypole originates from Jamaica’s early history as it was a tradition done in old England. It was considered an outdoor festivity in which individuals would take a ribbon that is attached to a pole located in the center and dance around the pole, weaving the ribbons together. This was a beautiful portrayal of the lives and histories of each Jamaican person being woven together to create a magnificent masterpiece of the beauty of the culture.
Performances ranged from musical talents who played instruments to full on ensembles. The show opened up with a performance from Alton Willis who performed a beautiful tribute to all the mothers in the crowd. Following him was singer Claudia Joseph who sang a slow ballad about love with her sultry tones.
There to bring energy to the crowd in the midst of downpour of rain was Zantelly, a Montreal native, who brought his own spice to the reggae genre with unique melodies and lyrics. The crowd loved his performance.
Amongst other groups and singers was musician Ben Joseph. An Ottawa local, Joseph is highly skilled with his clean presentation of current and classic song renditions on his Saxophone. Closing off the live performances was Soundproof, a popular Jazz band in the Ottawa area. With a wide variety of abilities and instruments from the bass to drums, Soundproof typically plays music from all genres. For Jamday, this ensemble consisting of individuals Caleel Hall (drums), Kevin Pryce (bass) and Leighton Rodney (piano) played classic reggae tunes such as Alton Ellis, The Supersonics, and Tommy McCook’s Breaking Up (Is Hard to Do).
In spite of the relentless rain disrupting the attendees’ engagements, over 100 of Ottawa’s Jamaicans and park visitors made their way to this remarkable gathering. Lisa Gaye-Price, a close friend to many in the crowd and a proud Jamaican, wonderfully said that this gathering was close to home for her. She was glad that the community is bonded by strength and love and encourages others to come out to the festival next year, August 6, 2024.
More information can be found on their Facebook page: Jamaican Ottawa Community Association Inc.
