NEW YORK — Celebrate Caribbean Emancipation™ kicks off at 6:00 p.m., Sunday, August 3, The Harvest Room, 90-40 160th Street, Jamaica, NY 11432, one of Queen’s well-kept venue secrets off Jamaica Avenue in the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. Styled the Out Of Many One People Celebration TM, it plans to be a fabulously exciting and interactive cultural fun event for Jamaicans and Caribbean nationals alike.
“First of August” or Emancipation Day was celebrated as one of the most important holidays in the English-speaking Caribbean countries. Notably, too, is the Haitian revolt, which took place on August 22, 1791. Haiti is the first Black republic in the world. Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago both gained Independence in 1962 on August 6 and August 31; respectively. Caribbean independence and emancipation, however, began with the quest for freedom by the Maroons of Jamaica. The Maroons symbolize the inalienable human right to freedom and maintained their sovereignty from as early as 1739 to this day.
Additionally, a tribute will also be paid to the coming of the Chinese to the Caribbean. The upcoming Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, will be highlighted and the participation of Caribbean athletes. According to event organizer, Cathy Kleinhans of jamroppo Productions, Inc., “Each year, the challenge of providing the audience with something ‘new and different’ is of utmost importance. This year’s décor and cuisine will reflect our Chinese heritage. A full Chinese theme has not been attempted before in the New York tri-state area of Caribbean special events and is a welcome change to the cultural fare offered during the August celebrations.
The guest speaker is notable businessman of Jamaican-Chinese heritage, Vincent “Vinnie” HoSang, OD, CEO and President of Royal Caribbean Bakery, Caribbean Food Delights and JerkQ’zine. The Gate Prize is 2 tickets to the reception of the Opening Night Gala 2008: Paint It Pink of Art Off The Main. This trend setting art fair showcases the combined works from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America – three regions that share many historical, ethnic and political experiences resulting in cultural expressions with common elements. Sponsors for the “Out Of Many One People” Celebration TM includes Western Union, The Eye Collection, The Pink Locket, Caribbean Cultural Theatre and jamroppo Productions, Inc.
Tickets are all-inclusive for $65.00 and provides an open bar, mouth-watering Jamaican/Chinese cuisine, fashion show, theatre performances by Caribbean Cultural Theatre and music provided by the popular NY-based band, Ruff Stuff. The talented and funny M.C. is Robert Bailey and the evening will finish off with everyone on their feet dancing to the rhythms of reggae, calypso and soca.
Children are welcomed to Pickney Time™ and will be entertained in a Caribbean family atmosphere of conviviality and fun in which they learn about their Caribbean heritage via games, drawings and treasure hunt questions based on the theme of CELEBRATE CARIBBEAN EMANCIPATION.
jamroppo’s signature event – a Caribbean Inter-Activity, “Out Of Many One People” Celebration TM is an annual event. Cathy Kleinhans, jamroppo’s CEO, is a veteran in communications, television production and management, event planning and public relations. The mission of the company is to teach anyone who wants to learn about Caribbean culture, especially the children of Caribbean immigrants in the Diaspora. www.jamroppo.com
Caribbean culture is a wealth of life lessons in both the tangibles and intangibles. In the past, at the Out Of Many One People Celebration TM themes celebrated were Jamaica’s and Trinidad’s August Independence, the bi-centennial of the ending of the slave trade and the African ancestry of Caribbean nationals.
