Kingston, 4 February 2020 – The Jamaica Jamaica! exhibition — which tells the story of the island’s music; and has been seen by thousands of people in France and Brazil — is finally on show in the birthplace of Reggae music.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, officially opened the exhibition at the National Gallery of Jamaica in Kingston on Sunday.

Minister Grange said it was timely to welcome to Jamaica, the exhibition which “celebrates the musical innovations born on the island, especially during Reggae Month”.

The exhibition titled 'Jamaica Jamaica: How Jamaican Music Conquered the World’ is part of the official Reggae Month programme, but Minister Grange explains that the exhibition will run until 28 June 2020.

Jamaica Jamaica! aims to tell the story behind the musical genres of kumina, revival, mento, ska, rocksteady, Reggae, dub and dancehall. It also highlights the impact of the local sound system culture, street culture, and visual arts on popular culture.

The exhibition is being mounted at the National Gallery of Jamaica through a collaboration with La Philharmonie de Paris, which first launched the exhibition in 2017.

According to the Minister, the exhibition “brings together rare memorabilia, photographs, visual art, audio recordings and footage unearthed from Jamaica's best museums and most elusive collectors and studios, while collaborating with legendary local visual artists to convey the essence of a true Jamaican music experience.”

Minister Grange also announced that a statue of the ‘King of Reggae, Bob Marley’ that was done by Christopher Gonzales would be included in the exhibition, which she has described as “a must see”.

The opening hours for the National Gallery of Jamaica are: Tuesday to Thursday 10am-4:30pm; Friday 10am-4pm; Saturday 10am-3pm; and every last Sunday of the month from 11am to 4pm.

While Jamaica Jamaica! is mounted at the National Gallery of Jamaica, there will be a full range of programming, including film screenings, and artist and curator talks; special language group tours in German, French, Japanese by appointment; and children’s musical programming on Saturdays.

The exhibition is curated by Sebastien Carayol, Herbie Miller and O’Neil Lawrence.

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Kingston, 3 February 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has welcomed home the Jamaican Grammy-winning artiste, Koffee.

Minister Grange met the artiste at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Monday (today). It was the singer’s first time returning to Jamaica since winning the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in Los Angeles, California on 26 January 2020.

Minister Grange said:
“I’m really very happy to welcome Koffee home after she made history as the first female solo Reggae artiste to win the Grammy. I’m as excited as when I was Shabba Ranks’ manager and we won the Grammy. I feel so good about Koffee’s success.”

The Minister described it as a blessing to be celebrating Koffee’s success during Reggae Month.

Minister Grange said she was delighted that her Ministry provided a platform to showcase Koffee’s talent. In December 2017, Minister Grange selected Koffee — who was 17 at the time — to perform at the unveiling ceremony for the statue of the Jamaican track legend, Usain Bolt, at the National Stadium.

“She performed for Usain Bolt and, for the first time, had major exposure at the national level [and] the rest is history. She has just moved from success to success and what is so beautiful about her — she’s young, she’s bright, and she’s humble,” said Minister Grange.

Koffee also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, at Jamaica House.

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Kingston, 26 January 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has congratulated the Jamaican singer, Koffee, on winning the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album this evening in Los Angeles, California.

Minister Grange said:

“Koffee is an outstanding Ambassador of the Reggae music of Jamaica, despite her young age, and is thoroughly deserving of the Reggae Grammy for her well produced album, Rapture.

Koffee’s achievement is inspiration for us all, especially emerging artistes and women artistes who continue to beat against the glass ceiling as they build lasting careers.

On behalf of the entire Jamaica, I send our warmest congratulations to Koffee — an outstanding, gifted, talented daughter of the soil, and proud product of Central St Catherine.”

Minister Grange has also congratulated Julian Marley, Sly & Robbie & Roots Radics, Steel Pulse and Third World who were nominated for the Reggae Grammy.

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Kingston, 17 January 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has expressed sadness at the passing of the dancer and choreographer, Barry Moncrieffe.

Minister Grange said he was “one of the finest male dancers we’ll ever see.”

In a tribute this evening, Minister Grange said:

“I am very sad to receive news of Barry Moncrieffe’s passing, only a few weeks after we celebrated his 78th birthday at the end of December.

Uncle Barry, as many of us called him, was one of the foremost figures in dance in Jamaica. He gave 55 years of unbroken service to the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica through various roles as dancer, choreographer and artistic director. He was a central figure in establishing and developing the artistic style and sustainability of the company.

Barry Moncrieffe also served as an outstanding dance teacher at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts; and has been a role model for and an inspiration to several of Jamaica’s outstanding dancers.

He was also involved in the fashion industry and was famous for mixing black, white and red to create stunning pieces.

Barry Moncrieffe served well and we will miss him. I offer sincerest condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues.”

Barry Moncrieffe has been honoured with the Musgrave Silver award by the Institute of Jamaica and was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander.

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Kingston, 16 January 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has received the all clear from the Jamaican Olympian Asafa Powell to move forward with plans to erect a monument in his honour at Independence Park at the National Stadium.

The sprinter and his wife, Alyshia, signed off on the maquette during a recent call on Minister Grange.

The Powells remarked that the sculptor got the details “just right.”

Minister Grange said the “sign-off by Asafa is an extremely important part of the process” which has included months of discussions and review of models between the sculptor, Basil Watson, and the athlete.

Having received the all clear, Minister Grange says she will now move ahead with the unveiling of the statue at the National Stadium on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 4:00pm.

The bronze statue — to the scale of one and quarter life size — is the last of four monuments in tribute to outstanding Jamaican sports stars that have been commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport under the Jamaica 55 Legacy Programme.

The statues of Usain Bolt, Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and Veronica Campbell Brown have been completed and installed.

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Kingston, 13 January 2020 - The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, is calling on Jamaicans to intervene to end gender based violence.

Minister Grange made the plea as she condemned acts of domestic violence during which Suzanne Easy of Portmore, St Catherine, and Nevia Sinclair of Nain, St. Elizabeth, were reportedly killed by their partners.

“We are all outraged by these acts which continue to bedevil our society; but we can stop them by getting involved to end the gender violence that we know is taking place next door. It’s time for us to stop labelling gender-based violence as man and woman affair. It is a horrific crime that we all have a role in bringing to an end. By our intervention, we will save lives. “

Minister Grange expressed condolences to the family and friends of Miss Easy and Miss Sinclair.

A suspect in the Sinclair killing is in police custody.

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Kingston, 10 January 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has described the new Reggae Month App as a “game changer as the government intensifies efforts to promote Jamaica’s music to the peoples of the world.”

The App, commissioned by the Reggae Month Secretariat, is now available for download on Android and iOs devices. It provides a comprehensive list of activities being held in celebration of Reggae Month 2020 in Jamaica and its Diaspora, among other features.

Minister Grange said:
“The Reggae Month Jamaica App provides a great platform for everyone to get and share information about Reggae Month 2020, which is going to be the best staging yet. The App is very interactive and allows promoters to add their events to the list of Reggae Month activities alongside those events that are being organised by the Government of Jamaica or endorsed by the Reggae Month Secretariat.

As such, I invite all companies, artists and producers to share with us your Reggae Month plans so that they can be included, or to upload the info using the App.

I also invite every hotelier, including small properties, to position Reggae Month activities as a must-see for all our visitors during February 2020.”

To download the App, search the words ‘Reggae Month Jamaica’ in the Google Play or App Store.

Reggae Month celebrations are being led jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with several stakeholders.

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Morant Bay, St Thomas 22 December 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced that a new nursery, to be constructed at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation location in Morant Bay, will be named in honour of Miss World, Toni-Ann Singh.

Minister Grange made the announcement during a tour of St Thomas by the new Miss World on Sunday (today).

Minister Grange said:
“It is my pleasure to announce this afternoon that this facility will have a new nursery. We will build out a new nursery and it will be the Toni-Ann Singh nursery. We will make a more detailed announcement, but I just want to say to you that it will be done. And it will be done soonest!”

The tour of her home parish is one of the activities to celebrate Toni-Ann being crowned Miss World 2019.

Toni-Ann Singh had chosen the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation location in St Thomas for her ‘Beauty With A Purpose’ project upon entering the Miss World competition and has been working with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to improve the facilities. She is aiming to raise J$12million to develop the facilities and help adolescent mothers to complete their education.

The Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation helps adolescent mothers to continue their education while providing them with the tools to become good parents.

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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, 18 December 2019 – “We will see her soon!” That was the assurance of the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, as she announced that the government had reached an agreement with the Miss World Organisation for the new title holder, Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh, to return home within a week of her victory.

Addressing the Post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday (today), Minister Grange said:

“I’ve been in discussion with Julia Morley, the Head of the Miss World Organisation and with Miss World herself. And I have been impressing upon them how eager we all are to see Toni-Ann and celebrate with her as she begins her reign. The initial response from Mrs Morley was that Miss World had a very tight schedule and it would be unlikely for us to see her before some time in January.

But after discussions, many late night discussions, we all agreed that Miss World should return home for a brief visit, organised by the Government of Jamaica this weekend.”

Miss World, Toni-Ann Singh, will arrive in the island on Friday afternoon at Norman Manley International Airport accompanied by Mrs Morley and other members of the Miss World Organisation. They will be received by Minister Grange; the Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Edmund Bartlett; His Worship the Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams; His Worship the Mayor of Morant Bay Michael Hue; members of the Miss Jamaica World Organisation including Weston Haughton and Dahlia Harris, among other officials.

“It’s a miracle that we’ve been able to get such swift action, but Toni-Ann’s crowning as Miss World has been a story in itself, it’s been a Cinderella story, and it has been a miraculous story,” said Minister Grange.

Miss World’s visit will include courtesy calls on the Governor-General, Sir Patrick Allen; Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness (who will also host a reception in her honour); and the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Peter Phillips.

Minister Grange said the visit would also “include a series of public activities during which the people of Jamaica will be able to show her and surround her with love.” In this regard, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport is hosting a cultural event at Emancipation Park on Saturday, 21 December beginning at 7pm at which “Toni-Ann will be able to perform.”

The Ministry is also organising a tour of Toni-Ann’s home parish of St Thomas on Sunday, 22 December beginning at 9am. The tour will begin in Yallahs with stops in Morant Bay, Arcadia and Bath, where the main celebratory activity will take place.

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