WIIKWEMKOONG—Debajehmujig Theatre Group is excited to announce its partnership with Wiikwemkoong Tourism and the Wikwemikong Heritage Organization in presenting the 6th annual Wiikwemkoong Arts and Music Festival (WAMF), featuring headliners Jully Black, Crystal Shawanda and Don Burnstick.
The addition of WAMF to the Wiikwemkoong Annual Cultural Festival kicks off four days of cultural and artistic offerings, with an evening of top-notch entertainment. Indigenous icon Don Burnstick, will bless the stage with his unique brand of comedy and Wiikwemkoong’s own Juno award winner, Crystal Shawanda, will ignite the crowd with her rhythmic blues grooves. This year’s highlight is a headline performance by Canada’s ‘Queen of R&B Soul,’ the amazing Jully Black.
As a platinum-selling recording artist, her music career has yielded multiple singles reaching the Top 10 pop, R&B and dance music charts. She has taken home Juno and Gemini awards, earned innumerable industry accolades, was hand-selected to sing for the Queen of England and inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2021.
WAMF 2023 takes place at Thunderbird Park, 18 Kaboni Rd, Wiikwemikoong on Friday, August 4. General admission is $25. Advanced tickets available soon at wikytours.com.
The Wiikwemkoong Annual Cultural Festival is a signature event on Manitoulin Island, drawing the finest dancers and drummers from across Turtle Island to compete for up to $48,000 in prizes. The festival welcomes over 10,000 visitors from across the globe, to engage in a weekend of cultural activities, including competition powwow, culinary and art vendors, workshops and entertainment.
For more information on the Wiikwemkoong Annual Cultural Festival, visit our website our socials @wikytours. For general inquires, call 705-859-3477, or email jason@wikytours.com.
Debajehmujig Theatre Group, also known as Debajehmujig Storytellers, is a multi-arts organization based on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and has presented the WAMF since 2018. Inquiries can be forwarded to Veronica Johnny at wamf@debaj.ca.
Wikwemikong Tourism offers an array of Indigenous tourism experiences in the Manitoulin Island and Killarney regions. Their year-round services specialize in cultural tours and land-based learning experiences earning them an Exceptional Leadership Award from the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada in 2023, and an Indigenous Tourism Award from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario in 2018.
The Wikwemikong Heritage Organization is the host of the Wiikwemkoong Annual Cultural Festival, which is proudly celebrating its 61st event. The Wikwemikong Heritage Organization is a non-profit organization committed to the preservation and enhancement of Anishinaabe culture through education and participatory cultural opportunities for all.
WAMF acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Arts Presentation Fund). This project is also funded, in part, by the Government of Canada, through the Ontario Creates AcceleratiON program.
