MASANI PRODUCTIONS - 45 Years Promoting Jamaican Culture in Toronto
Masani Montague is synonymous with producing and promoting Jamaican and Rastafari cultural projects in Toronto, Canada. In 1974, a young, enthusiastic, and energetic Masani Montague migrated from her homeland of Jamaica to Toronto. Like so many immigrants to Canada, Masani took the opportunity to educate herself by securing a diploma in Journalism from Humber College, a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing, and a masters degree in Environmental Studies from York University, where she will also be completing her masters in Education.
This year, 2025 marks 45 years since Masani started her journey as an arts and culture practitioner, operating through her company Masani Productions, Inc. located in the Toronto community of Little Jamaica. In 2024 she produced and released her first CD project, a compilation entitled “Little Jamaica Then and Now”, funded by the Ontario Arts Council and the Canadian Reggae Music Association and distributed by VPAL. The annual Rastafest music and arts festival staged in the City of Toronto for the past 31 years, is one of Masani’s most noteworthy accomplishments. This event has for many years secured the support and endorsement of several government and corporate entities in Canada.
According to Masani “The Canadian Government has been very supportive of our work in the creative industries. In 2024, events and projects such as Rastafest, SistaFest, the Canadian Reggae Music Conference, Little Jamaica Then and Now CD Compilation, Rastafest Showcase, and the Reggae Pages Directory were sponsored by the City of Toronto, Canadian Heritage, Ontario Creates, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, TD Bank, Factor, and Daniels Spectrum.”
From its headquarters in Little Jamaica in the City of Toronto, Masani Productions Inc. has produced, promoted, and distributed books, films, music, and theatre. Its subsidiary entities include Studio M, Masani Press, Reggae Pages, Masani Booking Agency, and Studio M Mini Theatre. Masani’s other company, Rastafest Inc. produces the annual Rastafest Music Festival, the Rastafest Showcase, and the Rastafest Talent Competition.
In commemoration of Masani Productions’ 45th anniversary, a series of activities are planned for both Toronto and Jamaica, including the 7th annual Rastafest Showcase at the Rastafari Indigenous Village in Montego Bay from April 14th to April 22nd, 2025. Factor has been the lead sponsor for the past 6 years of the Rastafest Showcase in Jamaica and Buffalo, New York.
The annual Rastafest Music and Arts Festival will be presented again in Toronto this year from August 15th to August 16th, 2025, in the Green P parking lot in the heart of Little Jamaica.
As a part of the 45th anniversary celebrations, Masani will be revisiting the First International Rastafari Conference held in Toronto in 1982, the Second International Rastafari Conference (AKA RITA), held in Jamaica in 1983, and the Voice of Thunder: Dialogue with Nyah Binghi Elders held in Toronto in 1984. Rastafest Inc. will be analyzing these three events at the Rastafari International Conference at York University from August 13th to August 15th, 2025.
Plans for Masani include the expansion of her team to facilitate the provision of arts and culture business consulting services in Toronto in collaboration with well-known Jamaican entertainment attorney and international music business consultant Lloyd Stanbury. Masani Productions Inc. will also seek to explore opportunities for collaboration in arts and culture with the recently established Canada-Caribbean Institute of which her alma mater York University is a member.