Mayor of St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, Michael Belnavis, recently traveled to Wilmington for a weekend-long visit at the invitation of Mayor John Carney. The visit was facilitated by Sister Cities Wilmington as part of a larger effort to build meaningful and sustainable connections between Wilmington and St. Ann’s Bay.
The sister-cities visit was led by Lexi Whilby, founder and president of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of the Northeast, and founder of the Caribbean International Film & Fashion Festival, which will take place this October in Wilmington.
“The weekend demonstrated what this partnership can become,” Whilby says. “Not simply ceremonial, but an active bridge between the two communities that can generate cultural exchange, tourism, business opportunities, creative industry partnerships, and greater visibility for Delaware’s Caribbean community.”
The Sister Cities Visit
The weekend included several important moments for the potential sister cities relationship between Wilmington and St. Ann. One of the major moments for arts and culture was a special dinner and exclusive screening of “Threads of Us,” a film by Jamaican filmmaker Donisha Prendergast. The film will also be featured at Wilmington’s Caribbean International Film & Fashion Festival later this year…