THE three nights of musical offerings during the 2017 Rastafari Rootz Fest will kick off with an impressive line-up of reggae artistes at the Long Bay Beach in Negril, Westmoreland tomorrow night.

The first night will feature an interesting mix of veteran and upcoming acts, including Tabby Diamonds of the famed Mighty Diamonds, Bushman, Ali C, Nakeeisha Stream, Mika Shemiah, Admiral Tibet, Jah Mason and Bushman.

Saturday night will be marked by an equally strong contingent of artistes, the likes of Michy Mee, Lila Ike, Iba Mahr, Kabaka Pyramid and Capleton.

Then on Sunday night’s closing, which will be dedicated to the late reggae icon Peter Tosh, patrons will be treated to acts such as Marlon Gaynor, Iyadore, Besenta, Dre Tosh and Ras Iris, chanters, drummers and others.

The event will also climax with the awards ceremony and presentation of the Ganja Cup.

Entrants in the competition will be judged in the categories of Best Sativa, Best Indika, Best Hybrid, Best Hash and Best Hash Oil.

Meanwhile, event coordinator Ras Iyah V explained that daytime activities will see seminars which will focus on the business of cannabis.

“We will have seminars dealing with herbs and neurology, the business of cannabis internationally, workshops dealing with growing and caring, and we have speakers addressing the issues dealing with the rights of indigenous people,” Ras Iyah V told the Jamaica Observer West.

Speakers will include Jasmine Rand, attorney and human rights activist; Dr Andrew Hall, neurologist; Charley Nesson, a Harvard law professor; Professor Ellen Grizzle from UTech; Dr K’adamawe K’nife from UWI, and Dr Jalawni Nyah, also from UWI.

Representatives from the Cannabis Licensing Authority and the Ministry of Justice will be on hand to answer questions.

Ras Iyah V is promising that the entertainment package will be a conscious affair.

“We have to come conscious, we have to come cultural, so from a musical point of view we cannot encourage slackness, and we want when our people come there they are entertained in a clean way, so they can leave there feeling satisfied that they have contributed to something meaningful, and that they will always want to come back to Rootz Fest,” he said.