FORMER prime minister Edward Seaga will deliver a special presentation at the International Reggae Conference to be held February 17 – 20, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

Under the theme “Current and Future Trends in Popular Music”, the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Reggae Studies Unit in association with the Office of the Principal at UWI, will host the conference.

On the penultimate day of the conference, Seaga, a record producer during the early days of the music, will make his one-hour long presentation in the Multifunctional Room of the Main Library from 1:30 — 2:30 pm.

The conference, which was first held in February 2008, will provide an opportunity for artistes, musicians, scholars, cultural practitioners, entrepreneurs and music lovers from around the world to share their perspectives on the ways in which reggae and dancehall have been appropriated and adapted in a variety of cultural contexts.

Throughout the conference there will be a variety of speakers from the music industry as well as from academia locally, regionally and internationally.

The aim is to consolidate and disseminate knowledge on the current and future trends of Jamaican music culture as it continues its international movement across different geographical and cultural sites.

In celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Jamaica’s premier cultural ambassador, Robert Nesta Marley, the conference will host the annual Bob Marley Lecture, in affiliation with the Bob Marley Foundation on Thursday, February 18, 7:00 pm at the Undercroft. Ras Tekla Mekfet will deliver the lecture.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange will address the opening ceremony of the conference at the Ruins, Mona Visitors’ Lodge, beginning at 6:30 on February 17. Professor Carolyn Cooper will deliver a special presentation on February 18 in the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre.

David Katz, author, researcher, journalist and DJ, whose work with Jamaican music spans over 25 years, will deliver the closing presentation on Saturday.

The conference will, on February 19, host a special Music in the Community event in the neighbouring August Town community, in collaboration with the Peace Management Initiative, community leaders and specially invited artistes.

Entertainment includes a fashion showcase and reggae concert which will feature a mix of local and international reggae artistes, including performers from Brazil and Italy.

There will also be a reggae village showcasing a variety of products for sale.