Ity & Fancy Cat and Reggae artistes added to the excitement
Contact STAFF
Thousands of patrons passed the second annual Jamaica National Group Exposition, which was held at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton, ON, Canada on April 28, to access services provided by The Jamaica National Group and its 40 exhibitors, comprised of Government of Jamaica agencies, housing developers and real estate agents.
On April 30, the Expo moved to Montreal, where hundreds passed through the Ruby Foo Hotel where it was held.
For exhibitors, PICA and RGD, the JN Expo was a success. Their representatives were overwhelmed by the high number of requests for applications for: passports, citizenship and unconditional landing status; and, in the case of the RGD, applications for birth certificates.
This year, entertainment was a cornerstone of the two-day, two-city event.
And Jamaican comedy duo, Ity & Fancy Cat, were on hand to provide ‘event-goers’ with a “bellyful of laugher” as they commanded the stage both in Toronto and Montreal, Canada.
In Toronto the comedians were joined by a line-up of leading Canadian artistes, including: the multi-award winning Mark Steele together with T.O’s Tanya Mullings, Jimmy Reid, Kafinal and Crawford Adventist Academy, as well as Mysta, an Ottawa-based reggae artiste.
Ity and Fancy Cat opened their act engaging the crowd about their favorite Jamaican dish. They turned up the tempo when they asked members of the audience about their favorite dishes, and which Jamaican ingredients they would use to cook a tasty meal.
The expo patrons laughed uncontrollably when the comedians staged “a cook off between two volunteers” who was asked to list the food, which they would use to cook a tasty Jamaican soup.
The volunteers reeled off several Jamaican produce, such as: yam, banana, pumpkin, scallion and thyme, which they would use for the soup. One topped the other, when he verbally made a tastier soup and was declared the winner by the audience.
The comedy duo took the Jamaicans down memory lane with a “take away lesson on thrift.”
In Montreal, Mysta who performed his hit songs, “Just Believe” and “Empress Divine,” which were welcomed by patrons, serenaded the crowd.
Canadian-born Gina Mai Simmons-Coley said the entertainment segment was enjoyable. “I really enjoyed it. It was amusing although I’m not Jamaican. But, I related to the subject about how things were in the past,” she said.
Monique Broughton, project coordinator, at the JN Canadian Representative Office, underscored the importance of the entertainment segment at the Expo.
“We wanted authentic music and entertainment, which reflected Jamaican culture. We are happy our patrons enjoyed the artistes, and left with positive messages about Jamaica and our culture, which make us stand out worldwide.”
The JN Group Expo was mounted by the Lynx Canada Foundation, in association with the JN Representative Office in Canada. And the event was staged under the theme “Connect, Learn, Grow.”
