Harmonies of Hope: A celebration of the spirit of Jamaica

Friends, members of Canada’s travel industry and the Jamaican diaspora were on hand for the Harmonies of Hope benefit concert at the Meridian Performing Arts Centre in North York last night.

It was a sell-out crowd of close to 600 who came to show, not only their support for Jamaica as it works to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, but also to celebrate Jamaica’s strength, unity and resilience.

And what better way to celebrate that, then through the music of Bob Marley performed by artists who included Jully Black, Sean Jones, Quisha Wint, Renee Rowe, Steele, The Hardcore Band, SPEXDABOSS and DJ BLACKCATT.

“We come together tonight as a family to celebrate the spirit of Jamaica, the land we love,” Michael Anthony Cuffe told the crowd.

And there was certainly a lot of love in the room – at the concert that was hosted by Kardinal Offishall and Brandon Gonez — as the crowd danced and sang along with the performers, including some powerful moments during Steele’s performance of Get Up, Stand Up and Jully Black’s passionate and energized rendition of No Woman, No Cry.

The Harmonies of Hope concert was supported by WeShall Investments Inc. and held under the distinguished patronage of Dr. Wes Hall and Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang.

Dr. Wes Hall told the audience that: “Tonight is more than just a concert. It’s an act of remembrance. An act of unity. And an act of hope.”

And Hall continued: “Music is healing and a reminder of who we are and our resilience. Melissa didn’t take our spirit, determination or love.

Baxter Media was a proud sponsored of Harmonies for Hope, which in just 10 days, has raised $2.3 million to help Jamaica’s recovery.

Dr. Hall told the audience that those funds will be used for clean water, food, to help rebuild schools and build homes for people who has lost their homes during the historic storm.

“Hope is a sound,” Dr. Hall said, “And we’re making it tonight in beautiful music.”

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett told the audience that the donations that they have made will be “a powerful contribution to the lives of people in Jamaica,” thanking them for their response and support.

Minister Bartlett also updated the crowd on Jamaica’s recovery so far, telling them that both water supply and electricity are recovered to the 80% level, while “71% of the tourism assets of Jamaica are back and ready and waiting for you.”

In praising the support that Jamaica is receiving from its diaspora and from the Canadian travel trade, Minister Bartlett asked them to do one more thing.

“As we recover stronger and better, we rely on you to do one thing – support Jamaica by visiting.”

The concert was supported by the Tourism Authority of Jamaica under the Jamaica Tourist Board, the Jamaica High Commission in Canada and the Consulate General of Jamaica at Toronto.

Harmonies of Hope is supported by WeShall Investments Inc. and held under the distinguished patronage of Dr. Wes Hall and Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang.