KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaican culture will highlight the inaugural Abi-Reggae International Music Festival & Conference,  April 9-12, 2015 in Abidjan, the economic capital of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.

The four day festival, the first of its kind on the continent of Africa, will include discussions on reggae music, its origin and the impact on the African continent and the rest of the world, and Caribbean-African linkages.

The music festival will be headlined by internationally renowned reggae artistes, Third World, Morgan Heritage, Kymani Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, as well as Ivorian reggae star, Alpha Blondy, supported by reggae acts drawn from across the African continent.

 The conference will be held simultaneously with the festival. Participants will include Dr Julius Garvey, son of Marcus Garvey, Jamaica’s first National Hero and renowned Pan Africanist, as well as Matabaruka, Rastafari dub poet, musician, actor, TV/ radio host and University of the West Indies (UWI) Lecturer, Jalani Niaah.

 The Jamaican contingent, numbering approximately 60 participants, will leave Jamaica tomorrow (Sunday).

An array of stalls will highlight Jamaican and African artifacts and culinary offerings, among other items of historical and cultural significance.

Abi-Reggae was conceptualised by the Moussa Dosso, a senior member of the Ivorian Government, who visited Jamaica in 2013 and initiated discussions on the project with former minister of culture, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, who will be a member of the Jamaican party.

Balford Henry