Sunfest founder Alfredo Caxaj receives his Order of Canada today

When Alfredo Caxaj came to Canada in 1985 as a Guatemalan refugee, he did not like his new city, London ON. Now, 40 years later, London is not only still the home of Alfredo, his family and his music festival, Sunfest, but also the future home of his Order of Canada insignia.

Alfredo was selected in 2023 for the recognition. He, along with 68 other Order of Canada recipients, will receive the recognition from the Governor General in Ottawa today.

The Order of Canada is, “Presented by the governor general, it recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation,” according to the Governor General’s official website.

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A Guatemalan refugee, Alfredo arrived in Canada hoping to one day return home, he told Roots Music Canada in a 2023 interview.

He did not expect to make an impact in the traditionally conservative city.

His family struggled in their first year in London with racism and poverty being a consistent struggle.

Eventually, Alfredo found a job at the Post Office, which he hated, and embraced music as a source of therapy, having previously performed professionally as a percussionist in Guatemala.

After a few years, the family had to accept that Guatemala was not going to be safe any time soon and London would have to be their new home.

Alfredo quit his job after acquiring a better role at a non-governmental organization that supported and provided settlement to refugees and immigrants.

Through that job, he formed connections with different arts councils and the Department of Canadian Heritage. He received funding for a series of literature readings, and success with that series earned Alfredo support from the government that led to the launch of Sunfest in 1995, 10 years after Alfredo’s arrival in Canada.

Alfredo and his band, a group of fellow musicians from Latin America, performed Latin American folk music at the first Sunfest. The event drew a crowd of between 5,000 to 7,000 people.

Today, Sunfest has an attendance of up to 225,000 people annually. London’s population is just under 500,000.

The Governor General’s office cited Alfredo’s focus on diversity, his promotion of the importance of music in society and the role he played in securing London as Canada’s first and only UNESCO City of Music as reasons for awarding him the Order of Canada.

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