Dear Editor,

Jamaica’s great cultural export, reggae music, has a huge fan base here in Europe and many reggae fans seek a deeper understanding of Jamaican, Caribbean and world history through their engagement with reggae music.

In the last two years, Irie Up magazine has toured the exhibitions The First Rasta: 1930 – 1950 and Soundsystem: From Jamaica to Europe 1950-1995 to 30 different venues in 10 countries across Europe, and also to Tanzania and Kenya. Audiences were astounded that so much reggae history remains hidden or obscured. Although European audiences were familiar with Marcus Garvey, they were fascinated by the story of Pinnacle and Leonard Howell because of the fusion of ideas and the forward thinking of the people at Pinnacle. Many commented that Pinnacle seemed like an independent university of ideas at a time when Jamaica was still part of the British Empire.

The divisions between rich and poor cover the whole world now, so the ideas that flowed out of Pinnacle are more relevant than ever. From a historical perspective, there’s only the blink of an eye between Howell’s mission and the reggae movement that has now also spread to almost every country on earth. The fact that so many young Jamaican artists support the movement to keep Pinnacle safe means that the campaign will go worldwide in the coming year. Pinnacle clearly produced ideas and long-term thinking that have kept its spirit current, and we hope that the Jamaican authorities will respond in kind.

Ronan Lynch

Irie Up magazine

Berlin, Germany

rastaronan@gmail.com