9th Annual Afro Festival

It started out as a dull, cloudy, rainy day with participants crowded under the shelter and tents at Waterloo Park. The joyous singing, dancing, drumming and the many friendly smiles at the 9th Annual Afro Festival seemed to part the clouds and brought out the warm sunshine.

After bringing greetings from the city of Waterloo, I spoke about my visit to Lesotho and South Africa. In August 2009, I used my vacation time to travel to Africa where I worked as a volunteer in an AIDS clinic, was a guest speaker at a conference against the social stigma surrounding AIDS and also visited the workshop where they make the bracelets that are sold as part of the Bracelet of Hope (http://www.braceletofhope.ca) fund-raising campaign. It was a life-changing experience that still reminds me every day of the endless blessings that we enjoy as citizens of Waterloo.

Many thanks to the African Women's Alliance (http://www.afrowomen.org/) for organizing a wonderful festival for the whole community. The entertainment, games, food and information displays, but most of all the people involved, were as welcoming and friendly as the sunshine.