All across the world Jamaicans and Jamaicaphiles continue to celebrate the recent success of the Jamaican Olympic team.

In Toronto, which has a strong Jamaican population, people are wondering if Paul Smith is  the most patriotic Jamaican living in Canada?   He has decorated his vehicle, a Mitsubishi SUV, with four large flags on the roof, a large one on the bonnet and another large one on the side. In addition, he has placed copies of newspaper articles highlighting Jamaica’s success on the back, front, and side windows. 

Smith says he is very proud of the athletes, noting that they have done well for Jamaica and adding that this is his way of showing his pride.  Dressed in his Jamaican jacket, hat, and shoes, he quipped, “You don’t want to see my house.” He is just one of many persons, who were celebrating Jamaica’s success on Eglinton Avenue West recently.

There were impromptu celebrations on the strip, which is known as ‘Little Jamaica’ because of the number of Jamaican business establishments in the area. Organized by business person, and actress, Letna Allen-Rowe, approximately 600 Jamaicans passed through the area during the eight-hour period of the celebrations, waving flags, blowing whistles, and beating dutch pot covers.  Shouts of “Usain!, Jamaica!, Veronica! Asafa! Melaine! Shelly-Ann!” punctuated the air. 

Jamaican music blared from two large speakers, and every 30 minutes the Jamaican national anthem was played, which everyone sang lustily.  The evening ended with the group marching for about a mile singing Jamaican songs. 

Mrs. Allen-Rowe thanked all the persons who came out, including Consul at the Jamaican Consulate General, Nigel Smith; President of the Jamaican Diaspora Canada Foundation, Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, and President of the Alliance of Jamaican Alumni Associations, Alene Miller-Chen.