Tue, July 10, 2007
Thirteen years later, Londoners embrace this international musical extravaganza.
By JENNIFER O'BRIEN, SUN MEDIA
It won't work in London.
We aren't "ethnic" enough.
Nobody will come. 
Alfredo Caxaj smiled yesterday, recalling the wall of doom he faced 13 years ago before his first international Sunfest.
"It gets bigger every year, but this year was absolutely the biggest -- we think there were about 250,000 people," Caxaj, the event's co-founder, said yesterday of the turnout for the four-day event that ended this past weekend. 
The crowds that flocked to Victoria Park were just what Caxaj imagined in 1994, when he and a partner tried but failed to get enough funding or sponsors for the first Sunfest.
In 1995, they did it, despite criticism London was "too white" for an international music event, Caxaj, now the event's artistic director, said.
About 10,000 people, not close to the latest turnout, showed up for the debut Sunfest, also in the park," he said.
The transformation has been remarkable, he said.
"You . . . look out and see waves of people coming toward the park. Not a family, not 10 people, but hundreds."
"And they are bringing lawnchairs. It's incredible."
While there's no official headcount for Sunfest, and no admission, Caxaj counts on donations and anecdotes from vendors to determine crowds.
"This was definitely the best," said Bill Geris of the London Beefeaters football team, who has volunteered at the beer tent for several years.
"We sold 425 cases of beer."
Caxaj believes the crowds keep coming and keep growing because almost all the acts at Sunfest are new.
But he also credits London's changing demographics.
"Thirteen years back, the city was a different place," said Caxaj, who came to Canada from Guatemala more than 20 years ago.
"The city is changing, and this festival is about inclusiveness and reflecting society.
"You can see it. You come here and see Africans enjoying Latin American music and Latin Americans enjoying African music.
"I've seen Jews and Palestinians dancing together and Latin Americans from different political persuasions dancing."
Caxaj said it's become easier to get sponsors, who realize an international festival might be a good place to advertise.
"I think the people at Bell (Canada) know that people with family outside Canada are going to make lots of long-distance phone calls," he said, as an example.
With about 80,000 immigrants believed to be living in London, one in five city residents was foreign-born. 
The city also reportedly has Canada's highest per-capita ratio of immigrant refugees.
But despite major promises from city hall about embracing cultural diversity, Caxaj said Sunfest has had a "pathetic" lack of support from the municipality.
"We received more funding from the province of Quebec (than the city)," he said, referring to a grant of about $10,000 from Quebec for promoting French Canadian talent.
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