KINGSTON, Jamaica — Fifty Jamaicans, who have played a major role in the development of Reggae music, will be honoured at the Reggae Gold Awards ceremony to be held at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston on February 27, beginning at 7:00 pm.

The function is one of the premier events for Reggae Month, which is being celebrated in February. It is being organised by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in collaboration with the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA).

Portfolio Minister, Olivia Grange, said the event will pay homage “to the icons of the industry and the role they play in the creation, the development and the worldwide impact of Reggae music”.

She noted that the ceremony is a precursor to the establishment of the Jamaica Music Museum.

Grange said that a shortlist of people in the categories of Reggae Hall of Fame, Reggae Icons and Special Awardees will be announced at the event.

“Persons announced will represent a shortlist of the full list that we intend to announce throughout the year, and so we will have a series of announcements of inductees either in the Hall of Fame or the Reggae Icon as well as Special Awardees,” she explained.

The Reggae Gold Awards will also celebrate the inscription of Reggae Music on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

“This was a major achievement for Jamaica, so while we celebrate 50 years of Reggae music, which is a milestone, we also celebrate this inscription to UNESCO,” Grange noted.

Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, will be special guest for the awards ceremony.

Grange said that Ramirez, who has responsibility for culture and the arts, was invited in recognition of “his role when Jamaica defended its position to have Reggae Music inscribed on the UNESCO’s List”.

“He was very moved by what the experience was at that occasion, and so I thought that it was prudent to invite him to join us in Jamaica when we celebrate the inscription and when we celebrate Reggae Month, and he did not hesitate to accept the invitation,” she said.

—JIS