Reggae Wednesday, the weekly music event showcasing aspects of the local experience, will not be held today.

Part of the celebrations for Reggae Month, the event commenced last week with a tribute to the Crown Prince of Reggae Dennis Brown inside Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree. However, Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) – organisers of the event, have decided to concentrate on other aspects of the celebrations.

The primary event for this week is tomorrow’s staging of the Reggae Open University discussion series.

This event shines light on particular aspects of reggae music in a panel discussion format. Set for the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Reggae and its impact on fashion takes centrestage. Panellists include former fashion model Romae Gordon, designers Mamayashi and Jason Panton of Base Kingston.

“Reggae is more than music,” notes JaRIA’s Joan Webley. “So this week, we are looking at how the music influences one other aspect of our culture. That is fashion. When you examine all our musical genres from ska coming right through to dancehall, there are some iconic looks that go with each musical style. This does not just happen in the streets and at parties but filters onto the runways. There are so many collections from international designers which have beeen influenced by our music and that is what we will be looking at.”

Webley is encouraging persons to come out to the event wearing something that expresses your musical style and taste.

The Reggae Open University continues next Thursday with a discussion themed ‘The Gatekeepers’. This will examine who controls how music gets to the audience; what are the standards and what makes a hit. Panellists will include radio disc jocks and sound system selectors.

For the final three sessions at Reggae Open University — February 21, 23 and 28 — will be held at the University of Technology (UTech) in St Andrew and will be staged in collaboration with the FiWi Jamaica Project.

“We are so pleased to be collaborating with this project and UTech. Thanks to Professor Rosalie Hamilton and Mikey Bennett we will be presenting three exciting topics for discussion. On February 21 the topic will be ‘Music Monetisation and Branding’. ‘Artistes as Advocates’ will be the focus on February 23 and our final session on February 28 will examine ‘Music and Foreign Relations’,” Webley told the Jamaica Observer.

“The Reggae Open University is open to everyone whether you just love the music, or you have a vested interest in the business. For those who just love Jamaican music it is a change to meet like-minded people and share, while for those into are more serious about the industry, it provides a space for important networking and transfer of information and ideas,” she added.