Kingston, 25 November 2022 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that there is no tension between the Government and the Rastafari or Maroon communities in Jamaica.

Minister Grange made the statement as she appeared before the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Minister’s appearance before the Committee via video link over the last two days (Thursday and Friday) is part of the regular reporting mechanism on the measures implemented by Jamaica in keeping with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Responding to questions regarding the Government’s relationship with Rastafari and the Maroon communities in light of reports of the cutting of the hair of a Rastafari elder at a hospital, as well as reports of tensions in the Accompong Town community, Minister Grange said that “while there may be individual issues, we continue to enjoy excellent relations with these groups. Certainly as the Minister of Culture responsible for those groups, we engage constantly and have had wonderful outcomes. And we recognise their indigenous culture and we recognise them as Jamaicans.”

Minister Grange made a distinction between ‘indigenous culture’ and ‘indigenous people’.

The Minister also referenced financial and other support given by the Government to Maroon communities including Moore Town, Charles Town, Scott’s Hall and Accompong Town to assist with their festivals and development initiatives.

She also spoke of reparations to members of the Rastafari community who were victims of the Coral Gardens Incident of 1963.

Minister Grange said:

“Jamaica, despite its size and limited resources, has made significant strides in implementing the Convention and in rooting out any hint of racial discrimination within the society. We have sought to address past wrongs and to strengthen our legal and institutional frameworks. We will continue to bolster existing mechanisms for the protection and advancement of the rights of every citizen, at all levels of the Jamaican society, no matter race, colour, creed or class.”

The Minister said Jamaica would continue to monitor the human rights situation in the country and make adjustments where necessary.

“We acknowledge that there is room for improvement, and we are resolved to engage and ensure the full respect of the rights of all Jamaicans. Our beloved Jamaica will remain welcoming to all peoples regardless of skin colour. We strive to foster unity. Out of Many One People is who we are and will continue to be.”

Jamaica’s delegation to the Geneva-based meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination faced broad questions touching on the protection of human rights in a range of areas. The meeting reviewed the multi sectoral 2019 Country Report submitted by the Government of Jamaica.

The delegation included Her Excellency Ambassador Cheryl Spencer, the Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations and her team; Miss Sherise Gayle, Senior Assistant Attorney General; Captain Natalie James, Human Rights Specialist in the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs; and
Mrs Laleta Davis Mattis, Chair of the National Council on Reparation.

They were supported via video link by several government Ministries, Departments and Agencies including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Education and Youth, the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

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Kingston, 20 April 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has joined the celebration of Groundation Day on April 21.

It commemorates the 1966 visit to Jamaica of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, when hundreds of Rastafari from all over Jamaica descended on Palisadoes Airport in Kingston to await the arrival of His Imperial Majesty.

Minister’s Statement

“Although it happened 56 years ago, the memory and importance of the Emperor’s visit remains an anchor to the Rastafari community of their beliefs and their constant ties to Africa. The Emperor's visit gave Rastafari a new measure of respectability that was welcome, following the negative image that had led to the over-reaction of the State to the Coral Gardens Incident 3 years earlier. As a result of the new relationship between the Rastafari community and the wider public, Reggae music gained more interest and acceptance, leading to further global spread of the Rastafari movement.

Today, Jamaica is proud of the contribution of Rastafari to the national cultural image at home and abroad, and as relationships continue to improve, my Government continues to play its part in all this.

We have taken steps to repair the damage done by the Coral Gardens Incident. The Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, apologised in 2017 as the first part of the process of providing reparations for this injustice. Since then, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has established and contributed One Hundred and Two Million Dollars to the Rastafari Coral Gardens Trust Fund as reparations. Additionally, we have provided special housing support for survivors of the incident at an Elders Care Facility, working closely with the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society.

More is still to come.

As Jamaica celebrates 60 years of Independence, the nation will continue adding more historic moments and contributions from the unique Rastafari community.

Happy Groundation Day.”

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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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Kingston, 2 April 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that she is pleased that the Rastafari Coral Gardens Elders Home, established at Norwood in St James with funds provided by her Ministry, is now operational.

Minister Grange spoke at the official opening on April 1, 2021, of the Rastafari Coral Gardens Elders Home which is a facility set up to care for the medical and social needs of the survivors of the 1963 Coral Gardens incident. It is managed by the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society.

“It is pleasing and quite an accomplishment to have the Home now up and running and I must say job well done to the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society which spent the funds prudently to make the Home fully functional.

“I know that it is much appreciated by the elders resident here, the Rastafari community and by their Member of Parliament, the Honourable Dr Horace Chang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security,” the Culture Minister said.

She also spoke of what had been done since the apology in Parliament in April 2017 by the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister, to the Rastafari community when he also announced the setting up of a Trust Fund to be administered by the Administrator General as compensation to the survivors.

Minister Grange said the Fund was now far in excess of the initial amount of Thirteen Million Dollars which was placed in it in 2018. Survivors have been receiving regular disbursements since then.

She gave credit to those who assisted in establishing the Home such as Dr Chang; Food for the Poor through Mr. Craig Moss Solomon, Cultural Liaison Barbara Blake Hannah, the Team from the Ministry and private donors.

Dr. Chang, who cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony, spoke of the respect he and the Government had for the contributions of the Rastafari citizens, and his own pledge to continuing to work with the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society to ensure that commitments for further development will be implemented.

These, he said, included the promise of a permanent structure to house the elders, an office for the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society and 50 acres of land to develop a community and farm.

Other speakers included Sister Pamela Williams, Secretary of the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society; attorney and broadcaster, Miguel Lorne; ganja activist, Ras Iyah V; and Sister Kathy Howell.

The opening ceremony, which was in the form of a mixture of face to face and virtual setting, ended with the beating of drums and the singing of Rastafari chants.

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Kingston, 1 August 2020:

“I have seen the media reports regarding the decision of the Supreme Court in a matter to do with the denial of access of a young child to education at a primary school because of her hairstyle.  

Like many of you, I’m extremely concerned about the reports on the decision as reported and I have asked to see the written ruling when it becomes available.  I have also requested that a team involving the Legal Officer in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport reviews the ruling and advise on the next steps.

The Jamaican Constitution, and I was in the House when we passed the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, does not permit discrimination on the basis of religious or cultural practices or race.  So I’m very interested to see on what grounds did the court make the ruling that is being reported.

I made the point in the Sectoral Debate just two weeks ago that “the wider society must also examine its approach to members of the Rastafarian community and pledge to end discrimination that is manifested in our actions, including the denial of school admission to children with locks.”

Two years ago, we passed a new law to bring closure to a painful chapter in history by recognising our heroes and freedom fighters for who they really were; restoring their dignity in the records; and contributing to the healing of their traumatised and wounded descendants.  In that same spirit, I commit to undertake, with the support of my colleagues, the necessary review and action to remove discriminatory policies and laws that still exist. 

Work is already ongoing with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that new guidance issued on grooming and appropriate appearance for work or school does not target specific hair textures and hair styles, race or religion.  We must accelerate the finalisation of this new policy.

My Ministry has been charged by Cabinet to establish a Dress Code Commission which is advanced in its work.

A Dress Code Policy will be promulgated very soon to reflect the principles and values of independent Jamaica, promoting respect for our cultural identity and expression; inclusivity and diversity; and will also take into account our other realities, ranging from the economic to the climatic factors. The Policy will set the tone for other needed areas of reform, including changes in our legislation.”

The Honourable Olivia Grange, CD, MP
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport

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Kingston, 13 May 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has written to the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Honourable Christopher Tufton, requesting an investigation into allegations that the beard of a Rastafarian Elder was cut at a public hospital.

Minister’s Statement
“It has come to my attention, that the beard of Ras Irie Lion, a Nyabinghi Elder, was cut without his consent while he was a patient at the Linstead Public Hospital. This allegation is deeply troubling and I’ve asked Minister Tufton to ascertain the circumstances surrounding this incident as it is not the policy of the Government to cut the hair of members of the Rastafari faith who seek medical attention at public facilities.

I also extend best wishes to Ras Irie Lion for a speedy recovery. I assure him that I am doing everything I can to expeditiously determine what occurred, and to assist in bringing the matter to resolution.

My Government has acknowledged the historic discrimination and injustice that Rastafarians have suffered in our country and has taken unprecedented action towards reconciling and resetting the relationship with our Rastafari brothers and sisters. This allegation goes against the new relationship that we are building.

While I await the report of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, I have directed that the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport continues to provide support to Ras Irie Lion through the Cultural Liaison for Rastafari Affairs.”

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Kingston, 8 April 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says her Ministry has contributed a further Seventy-eight Million dollars into the Trust Fund for victims of the 1963 Coral Gardens incident.

It means that the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has now contributed more than Ninety Million dollars into the Rastafari Coral Gardens Trust, which was officially established in December 2019.

The Trust is managed by the Administrator General of Jamaica.

Minister Grange said this represents the government’s irrevocable commitment to a programme of reconciliation with the Rastafari community.

Minister Grange said:
“There is no doubt that the events of Coral Gardens in 1963 have left physical, psychological and emotional scars on the Rastafari community and in particular on those who survived the incident. It has been decades of pain and anger, but my government is committed to taking the steps to make things right. Prime Minister Andrew Holnesss has apologised in Parliament to the victims. We have established the Trust Fund for the survivors; the Public Defender recommend a Fund of no less than 10 million dollars, today we have contributed 90 million dollars into the Fund. And we’re taking other steps, working with the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society, and other members of the community, to right this great wrong.”

In addition to the contributions to the Trust Fund, Minister Grange said the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport is also giving special housing support for four survivors of the Coral Gardens incident.

Minister Grange said:
“We have provided funding in the amount of Six Million dollars to the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society to run an interim care home for four of the survivors who need special care. We are moving to finalise an arrangement with the Benevolent Society for the management of the care home over the next five years, with the aim of establishing a permanent facility for aged survivors.

I continue to thank the Benevolent Society, Food for the Poor, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and our Cultural Liaison on Rastafari Affairs, Mrs Barbara Blake Hannah for all that they continue to do for the survivors.”

Mrs Blake Hannah, a known expert in Rastafari heritage and matters relating to the welfare of the community, was appointed a Cultural Liaison on Rastafari Affairs as part of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport’s thrust to ensure that matters concerning Rastafari are appropriately addressed.

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, through the National Council for Reparation, will sponsor the annual commemoration of the Coral Gardens 1963 incident dubbed ‘Bad Friday’ on April 10. The commemoration will take place online because of the restrictions introduced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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Kingston, 21 December 2019 – The Trust Fund for victims of the 1963 Coral Gardens incident has now been established.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, signed the document on Thursday to officially establish the Rastafari Coral Gardens Trust which will be managed by the Administrator General of Jamaica.

The establishment of the Rastafari Coral Gardens Trust was a commitment given by Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, who in April 2017 offered an Official Apology to victims of the 1963 incident.

Addressing the signing ceremony at her Ministry’s Headquarters, Minister Grange said:

“I come humbly, as representative of this Administration, to take steps to right a wrong.

We acknowledge that for 56 years, you — our Rastafari brothers and sisters — have lived with the physical, psychological and emotional scars of that incident at Coral Gardens and the atrocities you experienced over the years.

We also know that you feel that successive governments have let you down by not sufficiently acknowledging what you have been through.

We are taking steps to change that.”

Minister Grange, who has responsibility for Reparations, said she hoped that the establishment of the Trust would advance the process of making amends for what happened in 1963 and assist in repairing the relationship between Rastafarians in Jamaica and their government.

Keeping to the commitment given by Prime Minister Holness, and in keeping with the recommendation of the Public Defender, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport transferred Twelve Million, Seven Hundred and Eighteen Thousand Dollars to the Administrator General in 2018 for the purpose of setting up the Trust Fund. The Public Defender had proposed a Trust Fund of no less than J$10 million.

On Thursday, Minister Grange formalised the process in the presence of survivors of the Coral Gardens incident, including Brother Edward Fray.

Brother Fray, who’s been a Rastafarian for more than 60 years, said he was happy that the survivors of the Coral Gardens incident were finally getting justice. He prayed that “Jah, Ras Tafari, would bless us all and keep us together as one people; and unite our hearts in truth and in righteousness, in love and in purity.”

Secretary of the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society, Sister Pamela Williams, hailed Thursday’s signing ceremony as the culmination of decades of activism by Rastafarian groups for redress.

“We’re very grateful for this moment where we’re signing the document to establish the Trust Fund from which the compensation will be paid to the survivors; it’s a big moment,” said Sister Williams.

Rodje Malcolm, Director of Jamaicans for Justice, which represented the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society in the discussions with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport regarding the establishment of the Trust, described the signing ceremony as “a historic moment of acceptance on the part of the State by the present government that what happened in 1963 and afterwards was a gross violation of human rights that should never have occurred… it took 54 years for a government to say that we accept that we did something wrong.”

Minister Grange said the government was committed to a programme of reconciliation with the Rastafari community. In this regard, she said “the government alongside the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society has identified land that will ultimately be used to house a permanent Elder Care Home for the victims. Additionally, my Ministry is pursuing other provisions for the welfare of the survivors and the Rastafari community in general, in consultation with the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society and Jamaicans for Justice.”

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Kingston, 19 September 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has given the following statement on the compensation of victims of the Coral Gardens Incident of 1963.

Minister’s Statement:

As representatives, we have two main obligations: to do what is right and to do it in the right way. I returned to government in 2016 on a mission to do the right things for culture, gender, entertainment and sport.

It was in this spirit that we started and completed the process of clearing the records of our National Heroes and other freedom fighters. It was the right thing to do. It was in that same spirit that we began a process of reconciliation with our Rastafari brothers and sisters.

There is no doubt that what happened in Easter, 1963 at Coral Gardens to members of the Rastafari community is a stain on Jamaica’s development. For 54 years, our Rastafari brothers and sisters lived with the physical, psychological and emotional scars of that incident and the feeling that successive governments had let them down by not sufficiently acknowledging what they had been through.

That changed in April, 2017 when Prime Minister Andrew Holness decided to do the right thing by taking responsibility and apologising for what happened in Coral Gardens in 1963 — before he was even born.

Doing the right thing is not always simple, popular or expedient; reconciling with our Rastafari brother and sisters is none of those things. It is, however, the right thing to do and we must do it in the right way.

Included in the Prime Minister’s apology in 2017 was a commitment to establish a Trust Fund in the amount of J$10M to the victims of the Coral Gardens incident. The amount was recommended by the Office of the Public Defender, which had started an investigation into the Coral Gardens incident in May, 2011. The Public Defender proposed a Trust Fund of no less than J$10M subject to review if further analysis suggests the need for a greater sum. By the end of the 2017/18 financial year — in keeping with the Prime Minister’s commitment — my Ministry forwarded, not only the promised J$10M, but an additional J$2M to the Administrator General’s Department as Trustee to establish the Fund.

We needed a fair mechanism to determine how and to whom compensation should be paid and turned again to the Office of the Public Defender to continue its work at locating survivors and getting information on their current socio-economic and living conditions. In its earlier report in 2015, the Office of the Public Defender said it was “unable to find a yardstick by which to recommend individual monetary compensation.” However, at our request to continue its work, the Office of the Public Defender underwent a careful, detailed and lengthy search and compilation of data (since 2017) and finally submitted a report to the Prime Minister in April, 2019.

While the Office of the Public Defender was conducting its comprehensive survey of socio-economic and living conditions of the survivors, my Ministry had been working with the Administrator General’s Department and Jamaicans for Justice, which represents the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society, on establishing the terms which will govern the Trust Fund. We anticipated the report of the Office of the Public Defender to finalise the Trust and move to begin making payments.

However, in its 2019 report the Office of the Public Defender concluded: “Even after our survey of socio-economic and living conditions of the survivors, the material gathered still fell below that which was sufficient to allow us to make any reasonable estimate of damages.”

Therefore, the issue of a fair mechanism to determine compensation continues to occupy our attention in light of the conclusion of the Public Defender. I recognise that the survivors of the Coral Gardens incident have waited a very long time for acknowledgment, an apology and compensation from their government and I am determined to work day and night to expedite the process so that they will not have to wait much longer.

The official apology and the establishment of the Trust Fund are part of a broader programme of reconciliation with the Rastafari community.

The Government alongside the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society has identified land that will ultimately be used to house a permanent Elder Care Home for the victims. In the interim, we are taking steps to make ready temporary facilities to serve as the Coral Gardens Elder Care Home. Through the efforts of my Ministry, wheelchairs, furniture and furnishings have been provided to survivors by Food for the Poor, the Ministry of Labour & Social Security, and private donors.

Additionally, my Ministry has pursued making other provisions for the welfare of the survivors and the Rastafari community in general, in consultation with the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society and Jamaicans for Justice from time to time. At our last meeting at the end of August, 2019 we agreed that we would work towards actioning additional initiatives in October, 2019.

I have also appointed a Cultural Liaison with responsibility for Rastafari Affairs. The Liaison is Mrs. Barbara Blake Hannah a known expert in Rastafari heritage and matters relating to the welfare of the community.

I want a new, improved relationship with I and I Rasta brethren and sistren and with the team, including the directors of the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society, I am working hard to achieve this new I-nity.

We will see this reconciliation process, including compensation for the Coral Gardens incident, through to conclusion. It is the right thing to do.

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Kingston, 18 September 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, is underscoring government policy, in keeping with the Jamaican Constitution, which does not permit discrimination on the basis of religious or cultural practices or race.

Accordingly, Minister Grange said, it is not acceptable for any person in Jamaica to be discriminated against, or denied services on the basis of how he/she wears his/her hair.

Minister Grange said her Ministry would work with government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that guidance issued on grooming and appropriate appearance for work or school does not target specific hair textures and hair styles, race or religion.

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