Members of Christ Our Hope Church, Lithonia, carry the parish banner as the parade of countries makes its way through the church parking lot for the Aug. 9 International Festival. (Photos by Michael Alexander)

Amparo Pearson, left, of Cuba provides Cookie Deshommes of Costa Rica with some Cuban cuisine that included picadillo, black beans and rice and yucca.

Come Nahabakomeye, coordinator of the Burundi Drummers and Dancers of Atlanta, plays the wooden drum with the cow skin drumhead during their dance presentation.

Father Guyma Noel, a native of Haiti, officially announces the opening of the parish International Festival. The festival committee, chaired by Mireya Cadogan, 11 supporting committees and numerous volunteers helped pull together this year’s festival.

Aklia Durand, foreground, joins fellow dancers from Groupe Notre Dame D’Haiti as they perform at the Christ Our Hope International Festival.

Grace Okoyomoh, left center, of Nigeria, and Verna Kenton, right center, of Jamaica, join hundreds of others as they celebrate cultural diversity during the Christ Our Hope Church International Festival.

Emeka Anene, front row, center, leads a group of dancers known as the Igbo Atiologwu Dance of Nigeria during a display of cultural dance.