A Cultural Break From Saturday Morning Cartoons

Fort Lauderdale, Fl – June 3, 2007 - The "Out Of Many One People" Celebration TM, a Caribbean Interactive play date held at Kara's Jamaican & Chinese Restaurant proved to be a great Jamaican cultural feast for Pembroke Pines families this past Saturday. On arrival, some kids looked as if they would have preferred Saturday morning cartoons. However, by the time the fun-filled play date finished they left with their tummies filled with Jamaican breakfast including ackee and salt fish courtesy of Kara's and, more important, sensitized with a cultural feast delivered by the Jamaica Folk Revue, led by Ms. Norma Darby and Jamaican author, Geoffrey Philp reading from "Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories". Many parents agreed it was a Saturday morning well spent with their children and friends in a great cultural interactive ambience. What a welcome break from Saturday morning cartoons!

During the two hours, beginning at 10:45 a.m., families and friends ate, interacted with their children, and discussed Jamaican culture with Philp and Ms. Darby. The first performer was Brittany Murphy with her own penned poem, "I Am Jamaican,” and excellent delivery by the young lady. She has a future on the stage. The activities designed for children included those such as the "Memba Yuh Kulture" activity sheet by Jamaicans.com and a colouring book titled, "I Love You …Grandpa!" in each child's gift bag along with crayons and toys.

Pleasantly surprised, adults too were catered for and given the opportunity to take part in a free raffle in which they won books by Jamaican authors; such as, Colin Channer, Anthony Winkler and Kwame Dawes.

The morning's cultural feast was sponsored by Kara's Jamaican & Chinese Restaurant and the out of many one people online website for all things Jamaican, www.Jamaicans.com and was in celebration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month which was officially passed by Congress for the month of June.

jamroppo Production's signature event – a Caribbean Inter-Activity, the "Out Of Many One People" Celebration TM was a huge success and a big hit with families of South Florida. Cathy Kleinhans, jamroppo's CEO, a twenty-plus year veteran in communications and a trained New York City elementary teacher, remarked that quality over quantity where children are concerned is always a good thing. The morning scored high on rich cultural quality. 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. A Jamaican, Cathy explains that Jamaican culture is a wealth of life lessons in both the tangibles and the intangibles. "It's not only about our music – reggae or soca, our rhythmic dances and descriptive literature etc., it's also the way we socialize, our folklore – what we hand down from one generation to the other orally; the way we do business and most decidedly, our wonderful work ethics well known 'inna fareen’ with a smile", she adds, with her own playful Ms. Jamaica Best Smile.

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For Educators, Librarians & Community Leaders

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Jamaican novelist and poet Kei Miller gave at reading at the Reader's Bookshop in St. James, Trinidad, on July 4 2007. The event was co-sponsored by the Reader's Bookshop and the Caribbean Review of Books.

Click here for photos of the event, courtesy of Georgia Popplewell & Caribbean Free Radio:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiap/sets/72157600654447387/

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Author Marie-Elena John discusses her acclaimed novel Unburnable, recently nominated for the prestigious Hurston-Wright Legacy Award in the Debut Fiction category. She was named a "major new voice in fiction" by Essence, and in Best Debut Fiction of 2006 by Black Issues Book Review, Unburnable, is hailed as a page-turner. Unburnable is a suspenseful, intelligent murder mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.

Click here to watch the video: Unburnable