Kingston, 10 February 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says the sprinter, Asafa Powell, became “one of Jamaica’s greatest athletes” because of “a critical eye, care and support” of his coach, family and community.

Minister Grange was speaking at the unveiling of the statue in tribute to Powell on Sunday at the National Stadium.

The Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, unveiled the statue during a special ceremony.

Minister Grange said Asafa Powell’s outstanding career showed “how consistent, determined and strategic support can trigger success of immeasurable proportions.”

The Minister praised Powell’s parents — William and Cislyn — as well as coach Stephen Francis who discovered Asafa after he finished seventh in his final race at Boys and Girls Champs.

“Incredibly, with his coming seventh, Stephen Francis… saw his talent and began to work with him. This inauspicious intervention has led to the creation of one of Jamaica’s greatest athletes,” said Minister Grange.

Asafa Powell is the first Jamaican to break the world record in the 100 metres and has completed the 100 metres in under ten seconds more times than anyone. His world record currently stands at 97 sub-10 seconds finishes. Minister Grange prays that he will be able to make it to a hundred in the near future.

The Minister said the unveiling of the statue of Asafa Powell represented the “fulfilment of a promise we made a few years ago on the back of our unparalleled successes in the field of athletics – that we would create statues in recognition of four of our greatest athletes.”

The statue of Asafa Powell is the final of the four to be mounted in Statue Park at the National Stadium following sculptures of Usain Bolt, Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce and Veronica Campbell Brown.

The renowned Jamaican sculptor, Basil Watson, was commissioned to produce all four sculptures under the Jamaica 55 Legacy Programme.

Minister Grange praised Watson, whom she described as a “national treasure” for his “great work on all four statues, which has assisted us in achieving our objectives.”

According to Minister Grange, “the statues not only highlight Jamaican athletic success but will serve as inspiration for all of us about what is possible when we try.”

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Kingston, 7 February 2020 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says all is set for the unveiling of the statue of Jamaican Olympian Asafa Powell on Sunday, 9 February 2020.

The Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, will unveil the statue in a special ceremony at Statue Park in the National Stadium, beginning at 5:00pm.

Minister Grange has invited the public to attend the ceremony and witness the unveiling of the statue.

Minister Grange said:

“This is the final of four statues that we commissioned as part of the Jamaica 55 Legacy programme to celebrate the achievements of our outstanding athletes. The statues not only highlight Jamaican athletic success but will serve as inspiration for all of us about what is possible when we try. So I invite as many people as possible to join us on Sunday and celebrate with Asafa.”

The renowned Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson was engaged by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to design statues in honour of Usain Bolt, Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, Veronica Campbell Brown and Asafa Powell.

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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, 23 October 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says that the statue in honour of Veronica Campbell Brown at the National Stadium is a fitting tribute to an outstanding athlete.

The Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, unveiled the statue of the Olympic and World Champion sprinter on Sunday.

The statue was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport as a Jamaica 55 Legacy Project to celebrate the country’s glorious heritage in track and field.

In her tribute to Veronica Campbell Brown at the unveiling of the statue, Minister Grange said that “VCB will always be remembered as a young woman of no mean order, one who was always able to draw on her inner strength and come through with literally flying colours when her country and fellow athletes demanded it.”

Since 1997, VCB has won 49 medals, including 27 gold, representing Jamaica in international competitions. During her glittering career, she became the first Jamaican to win a global 100 metres title, the first woman to win the sprint double at the IAAF World Junior Championships, the youngest Jamaican woman to win an Olympic medal, the first Caribbean woman to win an Olympic sprint title, among other achievements.

Minister Grange said:

“Not many of our athletes can speak to the longevity and consistency of VCB. From her earliest days as a teenager blazing on the tracks of the regional championships and then at the National Stadium, representing her school, Vere Technical, in Girls’ Champs, to even this point in her life, she has had a long and distinguished career for which she must be justly proud. Some of us have been able to watch her grow through junior, youth and professional athletics.
In every sphere of competition, VCB stood out. She stamped her class in every arena of local, national and global sport.”

The statue in tribute to Campbell Brown — to the scale of one and quarter life size — has been mounted at Statue Park in the National Stadium beside the statue of her role model, Merlene Ottey.

The VCB statue is the third of four designed by Basil Watson for the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

The first two statues of Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce were unveiled in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The statue of Asafa Powell, the last in the series, will be unveiled in 2020.

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Kingston, 12 September 2019 – All is now set for the installation of the statue of the Jamaican Olympic and World Champion sprinter, Veronica Campbell Brown.

On Thursday (today), the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, received the all clear from Campbell Brown.

Minister Grange said:
“We’ve been in discussion with Veronica and the sculptor, Basil Watson, about the design, but today when Veronica saw the maquette she said, ‘Yes, this is it!’. She loves it!"

The statue in tribute to Campbell Brown — to the scale of one and quarter life size — will be mounted at Statue Park in the National Stadium and unveiled during a special ceremony on Sunday, 20 October 2019.

The Campbell Brown statue is the third of four statues in tribute to outstanding Jamaican athletes that are being designed by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport as part of its Jamaica 55 Legacy programme.

The first two statues of Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce were unveiled in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The statue of Asafa Powell, the last in the series, is being finalised.

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Kingston, 11 September 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, said today the statue of Veronica Campbell Brown, one of Jamaica’s most celebrated track athletes, will be unveiled at Statue Park at the National Stadium on October 20, 2019.

The Minister made the announcement as she addressed the press conference called by the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Administration to announce Jamaica’s team to the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar between September 27 and October 6,

“Veronica’s statue will join those of Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce with the customary the Unveiling Ceremony at Statue Park.”

Minister Grange added that the athlete is now visiting Jamaica as guest of UNESCO and the Jamaica National Commission on UNESCO, of which the Minister is the Chairman.

“You will recall that Veronica Campbell Brown was the first UNESCO designated Champion of Sport in the Americas, that designation having been conferred on her in 2009.
“VCB’s focus has been on women and girls in sports, advocating for equal treatment for them and for clean sports,” Miss Grange said.

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Kingston 31 December 2018 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange says she is happy to receive word that the Jamaican sculptor, Basil Watson, has been selected to create a monument in honour of the American civil rights icon, Martin Luther King Jr.

Watson who has created sculptures of Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Frasier Pryce under contract with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, was given the nod to design the tribute to Martin Luther King which will be erected in Atlanta, Georgia.

Minister Grange said:

“I am very proud that Basil Watson, an outstanding Jamaican artist, has been selected to develop a monument celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Basil has been one of our leading sculptors and this is a recognition of the great work that he does and an endorsement of Jamaican talent. I look forward to his design, which I know will be awesome and inspiring.”

Watson’s Martin Luther King monument is due to be completed by the end of 2019.

Watson is currently designing monuments in honour of Jamaican athletes Veronica Campbell Brown and Asafa Powell.

Paris, 9 October 2018 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced that the statue of Jamaican Olympian Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce will be unveiled on Sunday, 14 October 2018.

The unveiling will take place at a special ceremony at Statue Park in the National Stadium, where the statue will be mounted.

Minister Grange said the unveiling of the statue "was timed to coincide with the commemoration of Heritage Week.” 

According to Minister Grange:

“Shelly-Ann is one of our modern day heroes whose accomplishments are an inspiration for the entire nation.  It is quite fitting that we should unveil Shelly Ann’s statue at this time when we celebrate and highlight Jamaica’s rich heritage in all areas, including sport.”

Minister Grange has invited the public to attend the ceremony and witness the unveiling of Shelly Ann’s statue.  “The statue is here in Jamaica; it has been installed and we’re all set for the unveiling on Sunday at the National Stadium. I look forward to welcoming members of the public as we celebrate this happy occasion with the outstanding pocket rocket,” said the Minister.

The Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, will unveil the statue in the ceremony which will begin at 4:00 pm.

The bronze statue — to the scale of one and quarter life size — was designed by renowned sculptor Basil Watson.

Watson has been engaged by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to design statues of four of Jamaica’s outstanding sports stars under the Jamaica 55 Legacy Programme.  The statue in honour of Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce is the second to be completed under the Programme.  The first statue (of Usain Bolt) was completed and installed last December.  The remaining statues — of Veronica Campbell Brown and Asafa Powell — are now in the design stage. 

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Kingston, September 12 – The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, today signed agreements with Sculptor, Basil Watson to commence work on the statues of Veronica Campbell-Brown and Asafa Powell. 

The renowned Jamaican sculptor was commissioned to design and create statues of four of Jamaica’s outstanding sports stars, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Veronica Campbell Brown and Asafa Powell as part of the Jamaica 55 Legacy programme. 

“We have delivered on Usain Bolt, we are about to unveil Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s statue next month on October 14 and today I am proud to say we have signed the agreement with Sculptor Basil Watson who was commissioned to do all four statues. We have signed the agreements for the commencement of the work on Veronica Campbell-Brown’s statue and Asafa Powell’s. 

The maquettes for those statues will be ready later this year so we can have a special unveiling of the maquettes to the media and then early next year those statues will be mounted and unveiled in Statue Park” Minister Grange said. 

The Minister said also that it is important to recognise Jamaicans for their tremendous work and also essential to establish monuments to honour them for the benefit of generations to come. 

The Usain Bolt Statue was erected in December 2017.

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Kingston, September 10 – The Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, has said that the statue of Louise Bennett-Coverley will serve as an inspiration to many Jamaicans. Minister Grange was speaking at the Unveiling Ceremony in Gordon Town last Friday. 

“It is a great joy for me to see this woman whom so many Jamaicans see as mother, being elevated both physically and psychologically in the minds of Jamaicans. Miss Lou now has a statue to celebrate her and those who pass by will look up to her for inspiration and encouragement as we continue the efforts to achieve sustainable prosperity for our people,”

the Minister said.

Miss Grange said that Miss Lou can be credited for her role in developing the Jamaican culture and for bringing humour to all through her poetry and other works.

“It was Miss Lou who reminded us that “rain a fall but dutty tough”, that even in good times there are hardships. It was Miss Lou who cast worthy amusement on those who would return from abroad with “no likkle twang”, depicting the many Jamaicans we know who only have to spend “few days a farrin” for them to sound more foreign than the foreigner.  It was Miss Lou who brought us closer to that worthy hero of our folk tradition, the indomitable Anancy, emigrating with the rest of us from his homeland in Africa, to use cunning and craft, wit and humour, to overcome the struggles of life caused by a system that sought to devalue and undermine our creative integrity,” The Minister said. 

The installation of the statue is part of the Government’s plan to establish Miss Lou Square in Gordon Town, as a fitting and lasting tribute to the mother of Jamaican culture.

Minister Grange thanked all the stakeholders who contributed to the project, including the residents of Gordon Town, the Member of Parliament, Mrs Juliet Holness, Mayor Delroy Williams and other Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation personnel, Miss Lou’s estate and Jamaicans in the Diaspora, particularly those in Canada and sculptor, Basil Watson.

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