Friday May 30th is a day double celebration in St. James.

"The city that never sleeps" will join with the rest of the country in celebration of Indian arrival Day and that day also marks the start of WeBeat St. James Live 2003 continuing until June 07th at the St. James Amphitheatre, Western Main Road.

Produced and presented by the St. James Community Improvement Committee (CIC), WeBeat St. James Live celebrated the rich diversity of cultures under the theme "The Merging of Cultures" and at the same time commemorates the incorporation of the St. James into the City of Port of Spain.

Under the distinguished patronage of the Mayor of Port of Spain His Worship Councillor Murchison Brown, "WeBeat St. James Live" features some of the best talents of the country in its various genres over the nine-day period.

True to its focus since its inception and in keeping with the tradition of the program, Mrs. Julia Edwards-Pelletier has been selected as this year' honouree. Julia Edwards, dance elder, Grande Dame of Limbo, is a prominent member of the St. James community has made an invaluable contribution to the development of dance in Trinidad & Tobago.

While the success of WeBeat could easily be determine by star-studded signature events such as "The Merging of Cultures", "We Jazz", "Pan Explosion" and "The Street Parade", the economic viability of the festival is dependent on sponsorship and contribution from the community and corporate support.

For the third "We Beat", an Amateur Talent Show on Tuesday June 3rd has been added to schedule. According to President St, James CIC, Earl Crosby, "We hope to use this occasion to discover young talent and expose them to producers with the view of recording them.

A "new" events at this year's WeBeat is "We Praise for Peace", carded for Sunday June 1st incorporation the diverse gospel talents and similar

Other popular events on the calendar are "WeTalk - the sidewalk historian show", a panel discussion on issues relevant to St. James. This year topic is "The Changing Face of St. James - The Renaissance District Project". The Health Day, in collaboration with Port of Spain North Lions. The Craft Market, in conjunction with Trinidad & Tobago Arts & Craft Producers Association. We Treat - the school children's day, Humorous Kaiso Show and We Fete with Pal Joey Lewis, Allan Diaz, and Crosby Sounds.

On going efforts to define and develop WeBeat St. James Live as a premier tourism event remains one of the organization's challenges. However, in the interim, The St. James Community Improvement Committee continues to "create a living showcase of the community's historical, educational, and cultural heritage through WeBeat.

Angela A. Fox - Media Liaison Officer