Government of Jamaica
Kingston, 4 January 2022 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has paid tribute to the Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica, James Moss-Solomon.
Minister’s Statement
“We are deeply saddened at the passing of James Moss-Solomon, the Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica.
He was one of our great business leaders, and we recently appointed him to Chair the Council. Quickly, Jimmy started a process to make the IOJ more nimble and responsive to the people of Jamaica. The IOJ and the Ministry will miss his leadership, but we will continue the necessary transformational work that he started.
Jimmy was also a creative with extraordinary talent. He was an excellent bass guitarist and keyboard player and once led a band that included Dr. Aggrey Irons.
I join with all those who mourn the passing of this outstanding Jamaican today.
Let us keep his family in our thoughts and prayers at this time.”
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Kingston, 10 November 2021 - The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says she is “in full support of Jamaica hosting the 2022 Carifta Games as a part of the country’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.”
The Games would take place at the National Stadium between April 16 and 18, 2022.
Minister Grange’s Statement
“When news came that the selected host for 2022 - Guyana, was unable to fulfill the obligation, it was felt that the only country which could step up to the plate at such short notice would be Jamaica. Not just because of the ongoing dominance of our athletes, but because of our experience in staging similar events in spite of the covid-19 pandemic. We are very proud of the successful staging of the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships earlier this year. We have no doubt that we are equal to the task of staging the Carifta Games next year.
I have indicated to the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association and the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association that I would do my best to assist in making it possible. Carifta is the premier event for junior athletes across the Caricom region with athletes competing in two age-categories: under-17 and under-20.
I must say, however, that although Jamaica is interested in hosting the event, it is subject to several approvals and sign offs as well as the requisite funding.
The Ministry is therefore working very closely with the JAAA and NACAC to satisfy all the requirements in order for me to make an official announcement.
It is in our best interest to do everything to have the Games held here. Among all the other good reasons, our tourism — hotels in Kingston in particular, will definitely benefit.”
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Kingston, 1 November 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, said today that the Government is now in a position to re-admit spectators — albeit in a limited way — beginning with the World Cup Qualifier between Jamaica and the United States at the National Stadium on November 16.
Five thousand vaccinated spectators will be allowed to watch the game inside the National Stadium but will have to buy their tickets online. This they can do from Wednesday, November 3, 2021, via an Events Authorisation System app which is being introduced to facilitate the online purchase of tickets.
People wishing to purchase tickets will have to produce their vaccination cards and valid means of identification.
Minister Grange’s comments came at a news conference involving the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, the Honourable Desmond McKenzie; and the Minister of Health and Wellness, the Honourable Dr Christopher Tufton, to announce plans for the World Cup Qualifier.
She said: “We are using this event to signal a significant change in how we will manage sporting events going forward.
“Last year June, we developed a road map, outlining the requirements and the process for resuming training and competition. Using that roadmap, we were able to safely host ISSA Boys and Girls Championships; development track and field meets; the National Senior and Junior Trials; the National Premier League; as well as the National Championships for table tennis, golf, tennis, chess, equestrian, squash, triathlon; swim meets at the National Aquatic Centre; the West Indies versus Pakistan cricket series; the Sunshine Netball Series; and two FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“This required a whole of government approach, working with our various sport stakeholders.
“Working together, we have been able to host many sporting activities safely — without putting our athletes, our communities or our country at risk. I am proud that we are now in a position to take the next steps in our management of sports events during this era of covid 19.
“It will not only be a test for the Reggae Boyz, but for the entire nation as we move into the next phase in the management of covid 19.
“We want to ensure that all our sportspeople can return to competition; and we also want to ensure the fans can return to the match venues. But fans cannot return until we achieve a high level of vaccination across the country. Therefore, I use this opportunity to appeal to everyone — who has not yet done so — to get vaccinated.”
Minister McKenzie said all necessary measures will be in place at the National Stadium in accordance with the covid-19 protocols.
For his part, Health and Wellness Minister Tufton said, “we must show our appreciation to those who have got themselves vaccinated and let it be shown that those who are not vaccinated are at a disadvantage.”
He said: “The move to allow spectators into the National Stadium represents a giant step forward in normalising operations whilst covid-19 is still with us.”
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Kingston, 13 October 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has expressed both relief and gratitude after the House of Representatives gave its final approval to the Sexual Harassment legislation at its sitting on Tuesday (yesterday).
“I just want to commend everyone on both sides of the House and those in Civil Society for us being able to say we now have a Bill,” said Minister Grange.
The House had previously approved the Bill in July, sending it to the Senate for review. Following debate in the Senate on October 1, the Bill was sent back to the House of Representatives with 23 amendments.
Minister Grange asked the House of Representatives to accept all 23 amendments, saying that they had “strengthened the Bill”.
Among the amendments are changes to clause 4 which imposes a duty on every employer and head of institution to issue a policy statement detailing the protection of workers and students from sexual harassment.
Minister Grange explained that “there was concern with this requirement being complied with by micro employers and those individuals engaged in work in domestic spaces. To cure the concern, it was agreed that the clause be amended by giving the Minister power to acknowledge those employment circumstances where use of the policy framework document would not be appropriate.”
Clauses 5 and 6 were amended to allow for the giving of notice ‘whether by electronic means or otherwise’.
Clause 8 was amended to allow for the findings of a sexual harassment claim, including cases of exoneration, to be included in the confidential register that must be maintained at places of employment and institutions.
Another substantial amendment had to do with the role of Authorised Officers.
Minister Grange said:
“The previous Bill vested the investigative and adjudicating functions in the Tribunal. The amendment was to cure the mischief of the Tribunal being judge in its own cause. Thus, clause 12 was re-formulated by vesting the powers of investigation in the Authorised Officers who will be the field officers appointed to the Bureau of Gender Affairs. These officers will be specially trained to carry out their investigative duty under the Act.”
Other amendments dealt with the power of the Tribunal to be created under the legislation.
“The amendment was considered necessary to ensure that the Tribunal was not being given broad powers that originally belonged to the Court. As a result, clause 36 no longer allows the Tribunal to order reinstatement of a complaint as such an order would squarely fall within the labour remit of the IDT and not this Tribunal set up to hear sexual harassment matters. The Tribunal is not left at large to consider any other such awards as it so determines, and its compensation limit has now been capped at $900,000. The compensation of $900,000 can be recovered summarily in Court as a civil debt.”
There were also amendments for dealing with false complaints.
According the Minister Grange:
“Clause 41 seeks to regulate the filing of false complaints; however, this only speaks to false complaints being made before the Tribunal. There is no recognition in the clause of instances where false complaints are made in the institution or within an organisation. Clause 41(1) has been deleted and replaced with this formulation: ‘(1) A person who knowingly makes a false sexual harassment claim or a false complaint commits an offence.’
Both terms — complaint and sexual harassment claim — are defined and the amendment now makes it clear that a false complaint or false sexual harassment claim are both wrong and actionable in the Parish Court to a fine not exceeding $1,000,000.”
Arrangements will now be made for the implementation of the Sexual Harassment Act, including the establishment of the Tribunal to hear matters, the recruiting and training of Authorised Officers, as well as the intensification of a public education campaign.
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Kingston, 1 October 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that construction work at Women’s Centre outreach centres in the parishes of St Elizabeth and Manchester is now complete.
Minister Grange who toured the facilities on Thursday (yesterday) said she was satisfied with the work.
The Minister was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Denzil Thorpe; and the Chair of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Board, Debbie Salmon.
The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation is operated by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
The Ministry had been leading the construction of a new facility in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth which will operate as a training and day care centre to enable adolescent mothers to continue their education until they are able to rejoin the formal school system.
The centre in Santa Cruz, which was constructed at a cost of J$36 million, joins the centre in Junction as the Women’s Centre facilities in the parish of St Elizabeth.
“This [Santa Cruz] facility is more central and that is why it was so important for us to build this out and to make it available to the parish. The facility in Junction, we need to do some repairs there, but what we will do once we’ve done all the repairs is to have that facility operate just as a nursery.”
Minister Grange said the new Santa Cruz centre will enable the Women’s Centre to improve its service to adolescent mothers in the parish.
“Young girls who found themselves pregnant — some have been abused, some were just experimenting — and so they’re not able to be in traditional school.
The Women’s Centre provides the support that they will need to carry them through their pregnancy. They get counselling, classes are conducted and they’re taken through that period where they have their babies.”
Minister Grange was joined on the tour in Santa Cruz by the Member of Parliament for Northeast St Elizabeth, Delroy Slowley, who pledged his support to the operation of the centre.
“I will have to be making sure that whatever I can bring to the table to assist [because] some of the amenities are not there. We need a washing machine, we need desks and chairs for the students and for the teachers and we will have to see how, from our CDF, we can bring some assistance,” said Mr Slowley.
In Manchester, Minister Grange opened the new nursery at the Mandeville Centre.
The Minister said: “Adolescent mothers who attend the centre would take their babies here and while they are attending classes, the babies would be attended to in the nursery, which is a standalone facility so that when they’re in class they won’t hear the babies crying and so they’ll be able to concentrate on their lessons.”
Minister Grange was joined on the tour by the Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, Rhoda Moy Crawford; as well as Dasmine Kennedy, who donated a grant — awarded by the Rockefeller Foundation — towards the construction.
Minister Grange praised the partnership for the construction of the nursery and said she looked forward to working with other stakeholders to get the facility up and running.
Miss Crawford pledged her support going forward. “I’m very happy to be on the tour today because what I’ve been able to see is, first hand, the needs. There’s a need for tablets for the girls, there’s need for building material, among other things; and I’m going to see what sort of assistance I can give through my office while at the same time appeal to the members of the business community to give us whatever support they can.”
The MP also praised Minister Grange for her work to improve the Programme for Adolescent Mothers in Manchester.
“I’m very heartened by the development here today. Access to education and training is one of my priority issues, so I want to express a big thank you to the Honourable Minister Grange for her seriousness and this investment,” said Miss Crawford.
The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation operates 18 facilities for adolescent mothers across the island.
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Kingston, 19 September 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that the Government intends to restore the boyhood home of the Reggae pioneer, Bunny Wailer, which was damaged by fire yesterday (Saturday).
The house, located on Second Street in Trench Town, St Andrew, had been declared a Protected Site by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust in 2018.
Bunny Wailer lived at the property with his father, sister, and step-mother, Cedella Booker (Bob Marley’s mother).
It was in Trench Town where Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer met Peter Tosh and became the Wailing Wailers.
Minister Grange said the two-storey house on Second Street “represents the space in which the creative genius of three Jamaican artistes put to music their sorrows, struggles, determination and messages of love, underpinned by Rastafari philosophy and the Reggae beat.”
Minister Grange said the Jamaica National Heritage Trust would soon commence an assessment of the damage to the structure towards restoration.
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Kingston, 11 September 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has issued the following statement at the passing of Jamaican singer, Karen Smith.
Minister’s Statement
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Karen Smith. A voice that reverberated among the cultural and entertainment icons is now muted and the silence echoes with her amazing personality, grace and love for her people.
Karen was one of the queens of stage performance. Whether she was performing at national or international events or in little country churches, she was always engaging, entertaining and charming.
In her performances and in her leadership role, Karen has left an indelible imprint on the culture, arts and entertainment landscape of Jamaica. She was an active contributor to the cause of industry development.
We will always remember Karen’s legendary voice, engaging personality, enduring warmth and her advocacy.
I offer sincerest condolences to her husband Jackie Jackson, daughter Courtni, mother Barbara, and other relatives and friends.
Jamaica’s quintessential songbird now sings in the choirs of New Jerusalem.
Walk good Karen into God’s eternal peace”.
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Kingston, 8 September 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced plans for a new monument in tribute to the cultural icon, the Honourable Louise Bennett Coverley.
The new monument will be part of a ‘Miss Lou Corner’ to be established at Emancipation Park in St Andrew.
Minister Grange said:
“Miss Lou Corner will feature a life size statue of our mother of culture, but it will be a statue with a difference. It will depict the love and care Miss Lou had for children. She will be in a sitting position with children having the opportunity to literally sit in her lap, while listening to her reciting poems and telling stories.”
‘Miss Lou Corner’, to be established by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in partnership with the National Housing Trust and Fontana Pharmacy, will be a Jamaica 60 Legacy Project.
Minister Grange made the announcement as she marked the 102nd anniversary of the birth of Miss Lou on Tuesday.
In her tribute, Minister Grange said that Miss Lou "really sensitised successive generations of Jamaicans to the beauty and richness of their mother tongue, music, dance, folklore and heritage; and helped to remove the stigma associated with celebrating Jamaican cultural forms.”
Minister Grange said the Government was working to “ensure that current and future generations are aware of and develop an appreciation for Miss Lou’s significant contribution to Jamaica and our culture.”
In keeping with that commitment, the Government in 2018 established Miss Lou Square in Gordon Town, St Andrew, featuring a life-sized bronze statue of the author, poet, playwright, comedienne, performer, folklorist, social commentator, and children’s champion. It also established the Miss Lou Archive at the National Library of Jamaica in 2019 with information on her life and work. And recently, a mural in her honour was completed at the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica complex in Half Way Tree, St Andrew where Miss Lou hosted her pioneering children’s television programme ‘Ring Ding’ between 1970 and 1982.
The mural is part of a series being done across Jamaica to mark the Diamond Jubilee.
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Kingston, 5 August 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has congratulated Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment on winning the Olympic 110 metre hurdles title in Tokyo.
Parchment ran his season’s best 13.04 seconds in the final to upset the favourite, Grant Holloway of the United States who clocked 13.09.
The other Jamaican in the race, Ronald Levy, clocked 13.10 for the bronze medal.
Minister Grange said:
“I believe this is one of the sweetest victories that we will ever see by an athlete who has had to overcome so much on his way to becoming an Olympic champion. Hansle Parchment’s story is one of resilience. He’s had to work so hard; he’s shown such dedication and commitment as he overcame injury after injury. So, I’m really happy to see him achieve his goal of becoming the Olympic sprint hurdles champion — and in such a thrilling fashion.
And I’m overjoyed that Ronald Levy also won a medal. I congratulate him on taking the bronze and representing Jamaica so well. They’ve done very well and deserve our full support.”
Minister Grange also sent congratulations to Christopher Taylor who ran his personal best time of 44.79 while finishing 6th in the men’s 400 metres final.
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Kingston, 31 July 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has praised Jamaican women sprinters, led by Elaine Thompson-Herah, for sweeping the medals in the 100 metres at the Tokyo Olympic games in Japan on Saturday (today).
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah defended her Olympic title by setting a new championship and Jamaican record time of 10.61 seconds in the final to become the second fastest woman on the all-time list.
Thompson-Herah won ahead of compatriots Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.74) and Shericka Jackson (10.76) who ran her personal best time.
Minister Grange said it was one of the greatest achievements in Jamaica’s sports history.
The Minister said:
“My tears flow for a grateful nation. Jamaica leads the world in female sprint. I want to congratulate Elaine Thompson-Herah on successfully defending her Olympic title.
She has made our small nation extremely proud once again, winning gold in a new Olympic Record of 10.61 and becoming the second fastest woman of all time. I am overwhelmed.
I want to also congratulate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on her silver medal. She worked very hard and she’s deserving of being on the podium.
I also congratulate Shericka Jackson on winning the bronze. Again, I have to commend her. She has really shone and she has really made us proud.
So, for the second time in Olympic history, Jamaica has swept the podium places. What a great nation!
I’m so happy as the Minister of Sport and I’m sure all of Jamaica shares my joy. At home the pans and the pots would have sounded.
Clean sweep Team Jamaica."
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