There will be no jumping up for me today at Toronto’s 40th annual Caribana Festival. I spent most of my day cleaning up my apartment. :( Right now my little sister is using my place as her own personal hair salon.
The party is probably still going on, and it’s a great day weather-wise for it, but Caribana just isn’t like it’s used to be in my opinion. Even though the wonderful Carribean music, delicious food and multicultural crowds are still there, Caribana has been marred in recent years with negative stereotypes. Caribanshouldn’t be viewed as some type of Mardi Gras festival with men filming women degradingly, or a place to be wary of possible gunfire.
Caribana has to be more than just a parade. More history and culture needs to be reflected on, especially by the youth. More than likely, I’ll probably end up going next year. I may even reach Caribana Village tomorrow (the event that normally took place on Olympic Island) at Ontario Place.
Aside from the actual parade going on today, Harbourfront is also hosting their Island Soul Festival this weekend (until Monday) as part of their World Routes event. There’ll be a reggae & dancehall dance showcase, tons of ethic food, and several concerts including Jamaica’s dubbed #1 reggae singer, Barrington Levy, performing with his band on Sunday night. Visit the Harbourfront website for more info.
