Kingston, 24 May 2024 – The government has entered an agreement with Carib Cement for the upgrading and re-opening of the Rockfort Mineral Bath in Kingston.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange announced today (Friday) that her Ministry, through the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, had given a 25-year lease to Carib Cement to operate the site.

Speaking at the signing of the lease agreement at her Ministry headquarters in New Kingston today, Minister Grange said the facilities at the Rockfort Mineral Bath “will undergo major upgrades over the next five years at a cost of 57 million dollars”.

Outlining a schedule for the works to be done in phases, Minister Grange said “some renovations will be completed within three to six months — which would make the facility available to the public shortly.”

The Managing Director of Carib Cement, Jorge Martinez, said the development would focus on “enhancement of the baths, installation of accessories and the establishment of a robust security presence to ensure health and safety of visitors”.

Rockfort Mineral Bath is a national monument, renowned for having healing properties. It has attracted Jamaicans and visitors to the country to take a dip in its healing stream.

Minister Grange said the planned development works would not only see the re-opening, but a “re-position[ing] of the important Rockfort Mineral Bath among the list of culture, heritage, health and tourism attractions of Greater Kingston and Port Royal.”

She said the development would not only bring immense benefit to Rockfort and neighbouring communities, but to Jamaica as a whole.

Endorsing the Minister’s vision, the Chairman of Carib Cement, Parris Lyew-Ayee, said his company hoped to “restore and renew this iconic site, enabling large numbers of local and international visitors to experience the world famous therapeutic benefit of its sparkling mineral waters.”

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Kingston, 21 October 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said an assessment meeting held today as Jamaica continues its pursuit of World Heritage inscription for the Sunken City of Port Royal was of immense cultural importance.

Minister Grange said: “The sunken city of Port Royal is one of only three such sites in the world.” [The other two sites are located in Alexandria, Greece and in Bahia, Italy.]

“This is a big deal! It will have a tremendous impact on our heritage tourism product for destination Jamaica as we prepare our nomination for UNESCO designation of ‘the Sunken City of Port Royal’ as a World Heritage Site”, she said of the project which is a historic collaboration between Jamaica, Mexico and Japan.

Minister Grange highlighted that it was, “a game changing meeting with underwater experts, Dr. Roberto Junco from Mexico and Professor Kotaro Yamafune, from Japan who led the team in the introduction of Photogrammetry photography of the Sunken City of Port Royal which has never been done before. This new technology will have far reaching implications for our cultural heritage and for Port Royal itself.”

The Heritage Impact Assessment will take place in three phases. The first phase includes the photogrammetry, which is the taking of detailed photographs of the underwater city.

This new technology will be used for monitoring of the site, developing 3-D models and for data analysis which can be used for research and tourism activities, among other things.

Phase two will involve a larger team of underwater archeologists from Japan, Canada, Mexico and the Netherlands. They will elaborate on the analysis provided by the photogrammetry and also carry out further training of the JNHT team.

Phase three will see the preparation of the final report, expected to be presented in April 2022.

Present at today’s meeting were Ambassador of Mexico, Juan José González Mijares; the Ambassador of Japan, Masaya Fujiwara; as well as officers of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.

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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, 24 July 2021 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has released the following statement at the passing of Hugh Nash, the former Chairman and Executive Director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission.

Minister’s Statement

“I am deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Mr. Hugh Nash, former Executive Director and Chairman of the JCDC. Nicknamed ‘Mr. Festival’ for his work in positioning the Jamaica Festival movement and cultural development at the centre of national development, Nash was a true Jamaican patriot whose energy and commitment to nation-building knew no bounds as he gave tireless service to this the land of his birth.

Mr. Nash was invited by then Minister of Planning and Development, the late former Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Edward Seaga, to develop a document to ensure that culture would play an integral role in the upliftment of the lives of the Jamaican working class. Out of this emerged the Jamaica Festival Commission. When the name was changed to the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, he again led the charge to develop the organisation.

He was one of those humble souls who knew only to give his all to care for the working people of Jamaica.

Mr. Nash was instrumental in the organisation of Things Jamaica through which Jamaican craftsmen, women and artisans received support for development, trade and export.

He also helped to establish the Jamaica National Heritage Trust when its name was changed from National Trust Commission.

The achievements of Hugh Nash in national cultural development were anchored in deep knowledge and appreciation for the working class people of Jamaica whom he saw as creators and guardians of our history and culture. He learnt it all by traversing the villages in his parish Manchester, talking and interacting with the people, while cultivating the management and administrative acumen that reflected his leadership of national cultural development.

With Hugh Nash’s passing, Jamaica has lost a great son, cultural icon and tradition bearer, management and leadership expert.

Mr. Nash never said no to any call to serve his beloved Jamaica. He will be sorely missed.

I say to his family: you have given to Jamaica a cultural powerhouse to whom our nation is grateful. May you take comfort in his service to our country.”

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Kingston, 28 August 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced the commencement of development work at the Seville Heritage Park in St Ann.

Minister Grange said the work, which started last week and is scheduled to be completed by January 2021, is part of the government’s heritage preservation programme.

“This is a continuation of the work we started several years ago to restore the Great House and to develop the grounds into an interpretive park that highlights and memorialises important periods of Jamaica’s history,” said Minister Grange.

The scope of the project, which is being funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund in the sum of J$10.3M, includes extensive repairs to the roof of the Great House, electrical upgrades, fencing of the park, lighting of the park, installation of air conditioning units in the museum and gift centre, termite treatment, installation of signs and storyboards, landscaping, among other upgrades.

Minister Grange said:
“Seville Heritage Park is one of the most important heritage sites in Jamaica as it was the site of encounter of the Taínos, Spanish, British and the Africans and we must ensure that it is preserved for future generations. The development work at Seville is not only focused on heritage preservation, but also on transforming the site into a world-class heritage tourism attraction in Jamaica.”

Seville Heritage Park is managed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

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Kingston, 2 October 2018 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has welcomed the designation by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust of the Blue Lagoon in Portland as a National Monument.

The Jamaica National Heritage Trust — an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport — completed the process of declaration in August 2018 following what Minister Grange says has been “six decades of effort to protect the Blue Lagoon.”

Minister Grange said:

“We have long recognised the importance of this national treasure and efforts to protect it began as early as 1958.  I am happy to be the Minister who has taken the process to this stage where the site is now declared a national monument.  This designation is critical to the process of preserving and protecting the Blue Lagoon for future generations and guaranteeing access to all Jamaicans to this natural lagoon with an aesthetic and historic value that can stand above similar sites in the hemisphere.”

The Blue Lagoon was declared a National Monument on the basis of its aesthetic and scientific values.

The declaration comes following the expiration of a Preservation Notice — giving temporary legal protection to the property — which was issued under the signature of Minister Grange in October 2017 and renewed in April 2018.  The declaration also follows consultation with stakeholders on the boundaries, purpose and effect of the declaration.

The Blue Lagoon National Monument declared area includes all those bodies of water up to the high water mark during high and low tide known as Unity Bay, Lime Kiln Bay and the inlet called the Blue Lagoon which together constitutes the Controlled Area.  The boundary also includes the parochial access road known as the Blue Hole Road.  It does not include the cay called Pellew Island.

Minister Grange has urged the JNHT to move to conclude consultations towards confirming the Preservation Scheme and Management Plan for the declared area as well as to move swiftly to conclude discussions with key government agencies regarding the sustainable management of activities at the national monument.

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Minister of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, announced that the Government is committed to the declaration and development of six lots on the Pinnacle lands in Sligoville, St. Catherine as a heritage site for the Rastafarian community.

The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) are ramping up efforts, to promote and protect Jamaica’s artefacts. 

Culture and Entertainment Minister, Honourable Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, says the Government of Jamaica, through her Ministry, will be recommencing the maintenance programme for all sites belonging to the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) starting with the Seville Great House, to be positioned at the centre of cultural activities in St Ann.