JAMPRO TO SPONSOR 2015 FILM FESTIVAL—12/20/14
The premier Jamaica Film Festival sponsored by JAMPRO will be held in July 2015 in Kingston. Carole Beckford, film commissioner of JAMPRO, said that 54 scripts or treatments for documentaries and short films were received by the agency since it announced the event several months ago. Beckford expects only five or six of the submissions will actually be screened at the festival, depending on its funding.
DAVIES RANKS TOP SONGS OF THE PAST FIVE DECADES—12/21/14
Dr. Omar Davies, Jamaican Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, is ranking the nation’s top 100 songs of the past five decades. Davies, who admits to being a musicologist, believes that popular music in Jamaica has made the island nation a “super power” in spite of its small size and relatively poor economy. He notes that Jamaican music has achieved fame around the world and is especially popular in Europe, Japan, and North America, and the social commentary of the lyrics in many songs have resonated with countries that identify with oppressive social conditions.
SINCLAIR HONORS JAMAICA’S NATIONAL HEROES—12/23/14
In a patriotic move, Junior “Shindig” Sinclair has acted on his concern that young people in Jamaica are unaware of the great achievements of the country’s national heroes. Therefore, he has recorded and released a CD called “National Heroes,” on which there are seven songs that focus on the achievements of seven national heroes. These include Marcus Garvey, Paul Bolge, Sam Sharpe, Nanny of the Maroons, Norman Manley, George William Gordon, and Sir Alexander Bustamante.
BLACK RIVER TRANSFORMED BY REGGAE—12/24/14
The 15th staging of the GT Taylor Christmas Reggae Extravaganza will be offered in promoter GT Taylor’s home parish of Black River. The first show was held in 2000, and the event has grown every year since then. According to Taylor, the most positive element of the event is that it has contributed to the growth of Black River, allowing a number of businesses to be started and filling hotels in the area during the winter.
