In 1975 when Pauline Petinaud returned to Jamaica (having lived in Los Angeles for 14 years), she was surprised at just how 'Americanised' Jamaica was becoming.

Growing sick and tired of city life and wanting to be self-sufficient, she moved to Content in Portland.

"I moved to rural Jamaica and saw how rooted they (the residents) were. They retained the traditions that we Kingstonians abandoned. I've been to Ghana about 10 times and realised how little we knew of Africa."

When Petinaud had her daughter, the closest school was three miles from her home. "I started home schooling her, then I felt bad for the other children who had to walk to school, so I started the Content Model School. I had it set up very Afrocentric," she said.

That was the birth of the annual Fi-Wi-Sinting festival. The festival began as a fund-raising activity for the school. It was a fun day devoted to celebrating African culture. In February of this year, the 19th staging of the annual festival took place. It has grown over the years. "This is my way of giving back to Jamaica," notes 'Sista P,' as she is affectionately called. "It keeps us together as a people. It's a family fun day. To see the people dressed in their regal African dress, the costumes; Mutabaruka is there, Amina Blackwood-Meeks, the variety of food."

She notes that as Jamaicans we demonstrate little respect for Africa. "We look at Africa like a backward place."

Petinaud notes that the loss of our appreciation for African heritage is due to the culture of disconnect that exists in Jamaica.

"Africa is not what they think it is. We have to respect that heritage. At the end of each festival we put a bamboo raft in the Caribbean Sea as our way of paying homage to our ancestors who came through the middle passage. We would not be here today if they didn't survive."