"…To Di Werrrrrl"

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

In the Sunday Observer of February 10, 2008, I wrote in my commentary entitled Reggae Month Reprise, "On January 13, 2008, I lauded the new Ministry of Culture's instrumental and innovative move to institute the official celebration of February as Reggae Month. This comes after years of vacillation on the part of any Jamaican government to wholeheartedly recognise and commemorate the achievements and contribution of Reggae music and its practitioners, to Jamaica and the world at large."

Further in the article by way of critique, I added, "recognising the obviously short planning and organisational timeframe leading up to the announcement, I still must express my hope that from next year and going forward the events commemorating the month will be more multidimensional than the current activities. Whereas Bob Marley is undoubtedly the king of Reggae and deserves all the accolades being bestowed on him, to the average onlooker it would seem that the focus is almost exclusively on Bob."

Today, after a catharsis of sorts, it is with no small amount of pleasure (and gratitude) that I can now write with some certainty that the programme being planned for Reggae Month 2009 has gone some ways in deepening the focus, with the involvement of a broad cross-section of Reggae industry stakeholders and other allied private sector interests.

The theme for the month will be "…To Di Werrrrrl" and special recognition will be given to industry icons who have figured prominently in the amazing penetration of Jamaican music culture across the world. Since the programme is to be formally announced next week, I am constrained from disclosing or discussing additional details at this time.

More importantly, however, I am heartened to observe the spirit of unity and patriotism that so far has been displayed by this assembly of the Reggae music academy. It gives one renewed hope for the repositioning of the Reggae industry in the country's social, cultural and economic development. Individuals and agencies with disparate interests and agendas have deliberated together with the common objective of establishing a self-perpetuating Reggae Music Awards, which will be run eventually by an independent assembly of the music industry, as the highlight of Reggae Month Each year. To quote Minister Grange, "the project provides a barometer for gauging the development of the music and the practitioners' annual achievements."

This is a long overdue development and can only generate increased respect for and within the sector. The Reggae music industry in Jamaica will never really be taken as a serious player, until it steps up to the plate and claims paternity of the sector. As Marcus Garvey said, "none but ourselves can free our minds".

I think that Reggae music must hold the record (pun intended) for having the most awards internationally per unit sold. None of these awards have ever gained universal acceptance, especially within the industry. Most are seen as just another way of exploiting the artistes and the Reggae brand for private profit. In my view, this collective venture would quickly supersede them all, in terms of independence and authenticity, on the basis of coming from the birthplace of Reggae and from experts and practitioners steeped in the industry.

I am quite confident that they will pull it off. I also sincerely hope that this spurs a process, which will ultimately lead to the formation of an umbrella organisation which incorporates all the entities and sub-sector groupings within the still budding industry.

Still, as my Mama always tells me, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", so we shall have to be vigilant, lest the project be hijacked, yet again.

Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival begins on Thursday of this week. The public announcement of the volume of sponsorship by the Jamaica Tourist Board has provoked some heated discussions within the Reggae and Jazz fraternities, as well as in the society at large. There is a distinction that needs to be made though. Within the music industry, the dominant view is not that this festival does not deserve this kind of public support. The main concern regards the fact that, to date, no other local festival or annual concert seems to have been able to qualify for anything even close to this kind of endorsement by the JTB in particular. Since it is a public agency, this gives rise to the question of measurable qualification requirements. To quell the rumblings and assuming it does it exist, maybe the JTB should publish some formal, objective criteria which details how other private events may qualify to similarly benefit.

On the TVJ 7pm news on Friday night, however, the feedback question asked was- "how do you feel about the government spending $40 million of your money on the private Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival?" Even the very tone of the question reveals where public perception and sentiment are trending on this issue, because it has been so poorly handled by the JTB.

Another revealing issue which has come up for discussion at these recent sector meetings is the dismal failure of the music cluster to access and fully exploit funds available under the Private Sector Development Programme currently being managed by Jamaica Trade and Invest (formerly Jampro). Their website states "the Private Sector Development Programme (is) a five year technical assistance programme funded jointly by the European Union, under the 9th European Development Fund, and the Government of Jamaica. Its aim to make funds available to "business operators within Jamaica's productive and services sector, as well as to their intermediary private sector organisations and support institutions to grow their businesses and improve their competitiveness" in the global marketplace.

On the other hand, it is no coincidence that the fashion cluster has done much better at making maximum use of their dedicated funds from this source. Over the years, they have progressed much further in the establishment and development of their sector. This is due largely to a more collaborative and cohesive approach in their mutual affairs and a union of purpose. We should take a leaf or two out of their manual and emulate their best business practices.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com