'Forget about divisions and enjoy life together': Sunfest is shining a light on London's diversity

People told him it would never work.

When Guatemalan musician Alfredo Caxaj first stepped foot in Toronto, he was stunned to encounter a wealth of ethnicities and cultures thriving within the same city. He immediately set out to highlight Canada's diversity by founding a festival dedicated exclusively to world music in his new home of London, Ont. It was a long shot 22 years ago in the predominantly-white municipality — but today it has grown into one of the largest festivals of its kind worldwide.

People travel from far and wide to attend TD Sunfest, a four-day music and arts festival held annually in downtown London's Victoria Park. Although it was conceived out of a passion for music, the gathering has become just as famous for the art, craft and food vendors who come to set up shop, transforming the grounds into a global village all in one location.

Caxaj, who has overseen the festival since its 1995 debut, is proud to confirm that there's nothing else out there quite like Sunfest. Occasionally outdoor concerts will use world music to complement their programming, but are ultimately aiming to draw on a certain demographic. The appeal of Sunfest is that it has no target demographic. Every nation under the sun is invited to participate — and nearly every nation has. The live music also remains free of charge, which makes sure Sunfest is accessible to everyone.

The London Committee for Cross Cultural Arts, otherwise dubbed the Sunfest Committee, is invested in promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding through the arts — and Caxaj believes it is as integral as ever for people to be exposed to those who are different from them, especially in light of recent terrorism and issues of political division.

"Technology has caused us to realize how small the world is," he says. "We don't need hate and we don't need war, but we need real-world vehicles like this type of festival." Over the years he's seen people from all walks of life commingling and celebrating their own and each other's heritage. "At Sunfest, who cares where you come from? You just came to have a good time."

We don't need hate and we don't need war, but we need real-world vehicles like this type of festival.- Alfredo Cajax, Sunfest founder

Over 35 musical acts are visiting from out of town this weekend, hailing from places as near as Quebec and as distant as Morocco and South Korea. Several of these appearances are a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness artists who rarely play in North America, and each year Caxaj ensures the lineup is 90% new artists. The priority is for London audiences to be able to discover musicians they wouldn't have otherwise, over and above gaining exposure for the performers. In many of their home countries, these acts are already stars.

A similar bounty of homegrown talent is set to take the stage, aided by two new programs funded by the Ontario government for the Canada 150 celebrations: "Suntario150" and "Sun Nation Under a Groove." The latter has secured musicians from every province and territory to be showcased at Sunfest, so that a light is shone on the work of artists from typically underrepresented regions.

A notable component of this ode to Canada's diversity is the New Canadian Global Music Orchestra, a hybrid ensemble assembled by The Royal Conservatory. Save for fiddler Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk, who is Métis, the rest of the troupe were born outside of Canada and now call it home, where they work cohesively "to create music that is, arguably, only possible in Toronto." They'll mount the stage twice this Sunday, reflecting the complex and multifaceted narrative of what it means to be Canadian today.

If Caxaj's mission has proven anything, it's that cohabitation and celebration should be possible anywhere. He recalls an evening in 1997 when a Middle Eastern group from Detroit was performing, and a group of Palestinians and Jews began dancing with one another in the crowd. "That's a tremendous accomplishment in a city like London," beams Caxaj. "That they can forget about their divisions and enjoy life together."

Sunfest 2017. July 6-9. Victoria Park. London, Ont. www.sunfest.on.ca