Left: (from left) Dr. Winsome Downie, Sonia Barton and Joyce El-Ali at The Second Jamaican Diaspora Conference Dinner and Dance. Right: Representing the York Street Past Students Association (from left) Elaine Chen, Linford Gordon, Elaine Coleman and Winston Gordon.
THERE WAS plenty to talk about at the second Diaspora conference last week and delegates from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom returned to the rock for a few days of discussions.
But Friday night was all about hanging out together at the dinner and dance at the Hilton Kingston hotel. The microphones and lecterns of the Jamaica Conference Centre were now behind them. Now it was time to mingle, enjoy some of the good old rum and catch up on the old days with old and new-found friends.
Special guest was Lord Bill Morris of Handsworth, a proud son of the Diaspora himself, and though this was the time of merriment, he reminded everyone that "the Diaspora must be more than a collection of middle-class Jamaicans who travel to Jamaica once every two years to drink the rum, eat the curry goat and dance the reggae." He acknowledged the negative perceptions, bragged about the positives and looked ahead.
"Our challenge is to ensure that the potential of the next generation of Jamaicans in the Diaspora is not only unleashed and fully realised, but is consolidated as a lasting legacy," he said.
The only thing left was for Fab 5 to get the guests out of their seats to boogie to some good Jamaican music.
Left: State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Delano Franklyn (left) chats with Governor-General Professor the Most Honorable Kenneth Hall, while Mrs. Hall shares a few words with Hugh Morris at The Second Jamaican Diaspora Conference Dinner and Dance. Right: Visiting from the United Kingdom at The Second Jamaican Diaspora Conference Dinner and Dance are (from left) Polly Falconer, Rita Hutchinson, Angella Mighty and Nezrine Hudson.
