Kingston, 14 July 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that the sport sector will benefit directly from vaccines now in the island and from more which will come in tomorrow.

The Sport Minister said:

“Six Hundred doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine have come as donation through the efforts of the former coach of the Reggae Girls, Mr Hugh Menzies, and 300 more doses will arrive in the island tomorrow through the efforts of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith and the Chairman of the National Health Fund, Mr Howard Mitchell.

These vaccines are specifically for the use of the sport sector and I really want to thank Mr Menzies for securing the 600 doses primarily for the Jamaica Premier League.

I am happy to report that the majority of athletes going to the Tokyo Olympics have been vaccinated with only a small number who has not been. Now with the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, all can be fully vaccinated before going off to Japan. Athletes who are not vaccinated will be treated differently in Tokyo from those who are and this could negatively affect their activities.

Those who are not yet vaccinated know themselves and I know them too and so I am reaching out and making a special appeal to them to get their jab.”

Meantime, Mr Mitchell said he was pleased that the NHF was able to contribute to the vaccines being available by facilitating customs clearance.

Arrangements are in place for vaccinations to start at the Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre, University of the West Indies, tomorrow, July 15, at 1:30 p.m.

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Kingston, 8 July 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced major changes to the gospel song component of the annual Jamaica Festival.

“Whereas in the past it was the Jamaica Gospel Song competition, this year it is the Jamaica Gospel Star competition,” said Minister Grange.

She said the format of the competition has changed.

Unlike its predecessor, which focused on finalists performing and building momentum for their original song, the Jamaica Gospel Star Competition will see contestants performing cover songs in two weekly televised performance shows.

“Through those performances, vocals, and how they’re able to capture their audience — that is how we will choose the star of gospel for 2021. “We’re looking for that star.”

The 10 finalists for the Jamaica Gospel Star competition include Daynea Deacon Jones who won the Gospel Song Competition in 2018, Mirriam Hibbert who was the runner-up in 2012, Kaydene Smith who was runner-up in 2010 and 2020 as part of the groups ‘Servants’ and ‘Euphoria’ respectively, and Daron Mitchell who was finished 3rd in 2019.

Former National Children’s Gospel winners Kevin Melbourne and Erica Lumsden are also among the Jamaica Gospel Star finalists which are completed by Raheim Betty, Latanya Elliot, Carlington Watson and Malika James.

Minister Grange said “the finalists will be promoted through 4 shows on CVM television. The public will be able to vote for each contestant and through the number of votes polled the Jamaica Gospel Star will be selected.”

The Acting Executive Director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, Marjorie Leyden-Kirton said “We’re very excited about our first Jamaica Gospel Star Competition. We have high expectations of these experienced and talented finalists who were selected from more than 100 entries. They will bless the nation with their performances.”

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Kingston, 7 July 2021 – The songs vying to become the Jamaica Festival Song for 2021 are now available for download and streaming on the major music streaming services including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Pandora and Spotify.

The album — Jamaica Festival 2021 Song Competition — with the 12 finalists went live on the weekend.

It’s the second year that the finalists in the Jamaica Festival Song Competition are being exposed on global streaming platforms as part of plans by the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, to revitalise the annual Jamaica Festival.

Last year’s Jamaica Festival Song finalists were streamed on 30 digital platforms across the world and Minister Grange says there are plans to add other platforms this year.

The 12 finalists are:

Minister Grange said:

“These 12 songs will get maximum exposure on the digital platforms and then the public will be able to vote to determine the winning song.  They’re gonna vote across service providers and also on the Reggae Jamaica app where, particularly members of the Diaspora will be able to poll their votes.”

The Reggae Jamaica app is available for iOs and Android devices.

The voting options are now open.

The finalists will perform in two televised shows to be aired on TVJ and social media on July 15 and 22.

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Kingston, 29 June 2021 – The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission has completed the process of selecting the finalists for the Jamaica Festival Song Competition for 2021.

The selection panel, led by Chief Judge Donovan Germain, has selected 12 finalists, instead of the customary 10, for the professional competition which is celebrating its 55th anniversary this year.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, said "the 12 finalists represent a wide cross-section of genres that will appeal to a wide audience. We want the winning song to be on the lips of every man, woman and child this Independence and beyond.”

The 12 finalists for the 2021 Jamaica Festival Song Competition are:

Minister Grange said she was “very pleased that so many outstanding performers, writers and producers have entered the Jamaica Festival Song Competition this year; and that three women were among the finalists.” She said the growing interest in the competition was the result of “a deliberate and strategic initiative to revitalise the annual Jamaica Festival”.

The chairman of the Jamaica Festival Song committee of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, Orville Hill, said “this group of finalists represents a great mix of emerging and experienced talent that will be on display for the Jamaican people.”

The Jamaica Festival Song Competition is the only professional competition staged as part of Jamaica Festival.

The top 12 songs in this year’s competition will be available for purchase and streaming on 30 digital platforms across the world.

The winning song will receive a prize of three million dollars to be shared among the producer, the writer and the singer. Other prizes will be announced.

Again, the public will be asked to select the winning song through telephone voting. Each finalist has been assigned a voting line on the Digicel network, however Flow customers will be able to vote as well. Voting will begin on July 5.

In the absence of island-wide road shows, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has engaged national radio and television stations as well as social media to bring the finalists and their entries to the public. TVJ will broadcast two virtual shows with the finalists on July 15 and 22.

The Jamaica Festival Song Competition is sponsored by the CHASE Fund, Digicel and the Jamaica Biscuit Company.

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Kingston 10, June 2021 (JIS) - The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission is now 95 per cent digitised in its processes.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, gave this update during her 2021/2022 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives, on June 8.

“Our efforts at modernising the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission are bearing fruit. For the first time this year, the Commission will accept entries for its various competitions leading up to Jamaica Festival in a completely digital form,” Minister Grange said.

“Additionally, we are investing in an e-commerce platform for the JCDC’s website where it will be able to sell products to support its operations,” she added. 

The Minister noted that the Government has invested heavily in the Commission’s live-stream capability to the point where it is now beginning to earn revenue from streams of various activities of the JCDC and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

“We have [also] put the necessary processes in place to enable the JCDC, for the first time, to have the entries in its Festival Song Competition available for purchase and streaming on 30 digital platforms across the world. The JCDC is now earning royalties, and the competitors are now earning royalties and we are now compliant, as we should be, with the music industry,” she said.

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Kingston, 20 May 2021 - The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that she is deeply saddened that, “we are once again mourning the passing of one of Jamaica's truly great sportsmen.”


Minister Grange's comment follows the death of Olympian, Neville Myton, who passed this week, a few days short of the 75th anniversary of his birthday which would have been on May 28.


Minister Grange said:
"Middle distance runner, Neville Myton, who hailed from Old Harbour Bay in St Catharine, was regarded by many as the greatest school boy athlete produced by Jamaica, representing the country at the 1964 Olympics while still attending Excelsior High School.


"Neville was famous for the records he created from very early in his career. As he set records at several meets, he became the first Jamaican Junior Record Holder in 1964 when he ran 880 yards in 47.2 seconds, a record that still stands. He was also the first high school athlete to win an open event at the Penn Relays.

"He represented his country at two Olympics, at the Commonwealth Games and at the Pan American Games. He was a double gold medallist at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games.


"We must note that Neville's stellar contribution to sports continued long after his days on the track. He went on to coach and mentor several of Jamaica's top athletes including Veronica Campbell Brown, Simone Facey and Shereefa Lloyd.


"But his depth and versatility also saw Neville successfully coaching schoolboy cricket and football in addition to track and field. Vere Technical High School, Tivoli Gardens High School and Old Harbour High School benefitted from his vast knowledge and direction as a coach. Managing the Jamalco Sports Club also formed part of his formidable contribution to sports.


"It is not surprising that Jamaica honoured him with the award of the Order of Distinction in 2006 and that in 2016, he was inducted into Hall of Fame of San Jose State University, which he attended and where he never lost a half-mile event.


“As Minister of Sport, I wish to extend to Neville's wife Paulette and the rest of his family, my sincerest condolences. To the track and field fraternity in particular and sports people in general, I also express my sympathy.


“With the passing of Neville Myton, a track and field icon is gone from us but there is already much evidence that his legacy will live on.


“Rest in peace, Neville.”

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Kingston, 23 April 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that sadly the race of life is finished for Dennis Johnson and the nation must say goodbye to its first world record holder in the short sprint.

Dennis Johnson, passed away on Thursday night, April 22, 2021, at the age of 81.

Minister Grange said:

“He never set a world record. But, in a six-week period in 1961 he equaled the 100-yards world record on all of three occasions. This was but one measure of the man Dennis Johnson, who was honoured with the Order of Distinction in 2001.

“The passing of Dennis has closed the chapter on one who made an iconic contribution to the development of track and field in Jamaica not only as a sprinter himself but also through his efforts to develop other sprinters to world class standards right here at home. It was the genesis that changed us from the thinking that our athletes had to go abroad to become the best that they could.

“It is with irony, that we recall that it was the then Principal of the College of Arts, Science, and Technology, Dr Rae Davis, who himself died a few days ago, who invited Dennis to establish a collegiate sports programme at the institution.

 “The records show Dennis as serving as the first director of sports at CAST which later became the University of Technology, Chairman of the Sports Advisory Council, adjunct associate professor of sport science and head of the special projects for intercollegiate sports.

“His work at UTech as an administrator and coach has come to be regarded as a fundamental contributing factor to Jamaica’s consistent top performances in world sprinting.

"As I express my condolences to Dennis’ sons Peter and Johnny and his daughter Dawn, his friends and associates as well as the track and field community, I must also say how disappointed I feel that Dennis did not live to see the documentary on his life that has been commissioned by my Ministry to be produced by Clyde McKenzie, media and entertainment specialist.

“Dennis was a jovial, sharp witted person, who thought the only thing that he could do better than sprinting was to play dominoes. He was well liked and will be missed not just in sport circles but by the many who knew him or learnt of his exploits.

“Your record on the track has its own very special place in the history of track and field in Jamaica, Dennis Johnson. Rest in peace.”

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Kingston, 6 May 2021 (JIS) - The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says no National Labour Day project will be held this year.

She said that Jamaicans are being encouraged to labour at home, adding that the theme for Workers’ Week and National Labour Day is promoting a clean and healthy environment.

Delivering a statement in the House of Representatives on May 5, she said the theme for National Labour Day 2021 is ‘Stay home, stay safe this Labour Day, clean up your space’.

She said the theme and activities have been developed in keeping with covid-19 restrictions under the Disaster Risk Management Act.

“As a Government that sets the example for our citizens by practising what we preach, the Cabinet has decided that in keeping with the restrictions, there will be no National Labour Day project this year. The National Labour Day project is normally led by the Prime Minister and includes the participation of the Leader of the Opposition,” she noted.

She said the Prime Minister has already announced that the curfew, which commences at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 23, will continue until Tuesday, May 25, as there will be an all-day lockdown on Labour Day, Monday, May 24.

“This means that in keeping with the theme, the public will be asked to stay home and clean up your space,” Ms. Grange noted.
She said Jamaicans should use the day to rid their homes of mosquito breeding sites, commence or restart their backyard gardens and plant trees.

“This Labour Day, particular emphasis will be placed on ridding homes and their surroundings of conditions or elements which will encourage the breeding of mosquitoes. This is guided by the recent announcements that the Ministry of Health and Wellness is on high alert for a possible increase in cases of dengue fever, especially with the forecast of rainfall in the ensuing months,” she said

Ms. Grange appealed to Members of Parliaments to encourage their constituents to start a backyard garden at home, “if they do not have one”.
She said she has reached out to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change to provide support for citizens for their Labour Day projects and to raise public awareness about their initiatives.

“The National Labour Day Secretariat will be collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Rural Agricultural Development Authority to see how interested householders can be assisted with seedlings to establish their backyard gardens,” she said.

She noted, too, that the Labour Day Secretariat will also seek to intensify the efforts of reforestation and tree-planting by encouraging interested members of the public to collect ornamental and timber seedlings at the Forestry Department Nursery and to plant the trees in their yards on Labour Day.

The Secretariat will also be encouraging members of the public to participate in the two programmes and to work on their backyard gardens and plant trees.

Providing the proposed list of activities for Workers Week and National Labour Day 2021, Ms. Grange said on Sunday, May 16, there will be a supplement in the print media with messages related to workers week, while on May 18, there will be a ceremonial wreath-laying at the Aggie Bernard monument in downtown Kingston, led by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

On Wednesday, May 19, there will be an industrial relations webinar hosted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

For Sunday, May 23, there will be a virtual Labour Day/Workers Week Church Service hosted by the Mandeville Church of God. There will also be national observances in churches virtually islandwide.

On Monday, May 24, there will be a floral tribute where, symbolically, two wreaths will be laid at the monument of the Right Excellent Sam Sharpe at National Heroes Park and Sam Sharpe Square.

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Kingston, 21 April 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has joined the celebration of Groundation Day which commemorates the 1966 visit to Jamaica of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia.

In her message, Minister Grange said:
“That April 21 was an unforgettable day in Jamaican history when 100,000 Rastafari from all over Jamaica descended on Palisadoes Airport in Kingston playing drums, smoking chalices and chanting Nyabinghi songs as they waited for His Imperial Majesty.

It has been 55 years, yet it has not faded from the memory or importance to the Rastafari community, at home and abroad. The Emperor's visit was a significant moment in the development of the Rastafari religion. Having been treated as outcasts by Jamaican society, the respect and attention the Emperor gave them caused Rastafari to gain a measure of respectability for the first time. Building on that, the Rastafari's Reggae music gained more interest and became commercially viable, leading in turn to the further global spread of the Rastafari movement.

I am happy to see that Jamaica has finally come to accept the positive presence of Rastafari citizens in our nation and their contribution to the development of our country. Our relationships continue to improve, hard barriers have softened and broken fences been repaired. My Government continues to play its part in all this, most recently with our work to repair the wrong done in the Coral Gardens Incident 50 years ago.

It is my pleasure to join the celebration of Groundation Day. I especially welcome this new album of Sacred Rastafari music, adding yet another important milestone for this unique Jamaican community.”

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