Esplanade group holds successful fundraiser despite rainy evening

Laura Dittmann –

The turnout for Jamii’s latest benefit on May 23 proved that the community wasn’t going to let a little rain stop them from supporting a great local cause.

That night, the community group gave tribute to its home turf with The Esplanadians, a fundraiser to support arts-based community engagement projects in the neighbourhood, in the Berkeley Castle Courtyard.

Jamii (named for the Swahili word for “community”) was founded in 2011 by Isorine Marc, with the goal of enhancing the community and bringing people together through free, arts-based events. Residents of The Esplanade neighbourhood are invited to take part in outdoor movie nights, youth dances, sports tournaments, theatre performances and workshops for a variety of age groups.

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The Esplanadians was organized to raise the funds necessary for Jamii to continue their community-building and organize more exciting projects in the future.

Attendees of The Esplanadians were greeted by a group of local youth, who introduced their photography project for the CONTACT Festival titled Reflections of The Esplanade. The photos were on display and the budding photographers were proudly giving tours and discussing their work.

After the guests had a chance to mingle, have a glass of wine and explore the photo display, they were gathered for a performance by CORPUS, a dance and theatre group, titled Camping Royale. The delightfully whimsical piece was enjoyed by audience members of all ages, many sharing an umbrella with their neighbour.

Unfortunately due to the weather, the CORPUS performance of Nuit Blanche, and a conversation with former Mayors David Crombie and John Sewell and architect Alan Littlewood called The Making of The Esplanade were rescheduled.

For information, visit www.jamiiesplanade.org.