Red Deer singer Chura Montgomery will be among the entertainers performing at the first local Afro-Caribbean cultural celebration, Friday, Nov. 18.
The African Caribbean Centre of Central Alberta will be hosting the event from 6 to 10 p.m. at Festival Hall, next to Red Deer’s Memorial Centre.
There will be live entertainment — including a performance by Montgomery, a native Colombian who performs a blend of pop and traditional South American tunes sung in Spanish. Her 2015 album, Dejen Vivir Mi Vida (Let Me Live My Life) is made up of songs inspired by the stories Montgomery hears and her own life experiences.
Other performers on the program are” Veritas” with Crux Phiri & Enoch, Martha Elena Cortes Polo, Dean Ray, and the Cameroon Dancers. The show’s MCs are African Caribbean DJ and Rechelle Ignacio.
Red Deer’s Afro-Caribbean celebration will also have ethnic food and henna tattoos available, as well as a silent auction and 50/50 prizes, and more celebration of culture.
The keynote speaker is Dr. Love Nwigwe, a local wellness consultant and filmmaker who recently screened her anti-racism documentary I Can’t Breathe. It will air next year on the Telus Optik channel.
The African Caribbean Centre of Central Alberta (ACCOCA), was formed as a non-profit society last summer to enhance the quality of life for all Albertans, and to support African and Caribbean Central Albertans and their needs.
The group states on its website it wants to be a catalyst for positive change, and aims to provide peer support, cultural education, youth and women’s outreach and other programs by working collaboratively with refugee and immigrant services.
For more information or early-bird tickets to the social celebration, please visit eventbrite.ca or call 403-550-4067 or visit www.accoca.ca.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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