The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts is an integral part of the cultural and social landscape of Jamaica. It has also established itself as the leading institution for cultural and artistic education in the English-speaking Caribbean. The 1970s saw a great cultural renaissance in Jamaica that gave form to the inevitable merger of the schools of Art, Dance, Drama and Music at the former Cultural Training Centre.

I am pleased to extend heartiest congratulations to the management, staff, students and proud alumni of the Edna Manley College on the occasion of the institution’s 40th anniversary. Over the past four decades the College has produced many distinguished artists, dancers, actors, writers and musicians who have gone on to enrich the artistic and cultural environments not only in Jamaica and but around the world.

Of course, the great work of the Edna Manley College preceded its founding as an amalgamated institution in 1976. The College benefited from the artistic pioneering efforts its matriarch, Edna Manley, who started informal art classes from as early as the 1940s under the auspices of the Junior Centre of the Institute of Jamaica. This gave rise, over time, to the amazing explosion of talent in the various disciplines of the arts. This journey has come to be regarded as an invaluable part of the great legacy of Jamaica’s proud national heritage.

It is indisputable that the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts has been “Inspiring Creativity and Impacting Lives” for the 40 years of its existence, building on the great legacy of its forerunner institutions. May its inspiration, work and impact continue to benefit our Jamaican and Caribbean societies and people for many generations to come.

Congratulations and best wishes.

The Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller ON, MP