Minister of Culture Olivia Grange says

there is so much widespread interest in the upcoming Reggae Month celebration

in February that “it should easily be the biggest” since its inception in 2008.

Grange, at a media luncheon at the Moon

Palace Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios on Saturday (Jan. 18), told JIS News that “a

plethora” of events is being planned right across the island in an effort to

foster inclusiveness and local participation.

“Our lead-up to February’s Reggae

Month has covered a lot of ground, both locally and internationally, to where I

am confident that this will be the biggest and best ever,” the minister said.

She pointed out that the Government has

been so dedicated in its desire to produce a world-class and exciting package

for Reggae Month 2020 that “we have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach to

ensure we achieve our objectives and to keep the global focus on our music and

our culture”.

“We have been putting in the work, and the

feedback we have been getting from all our partners has been nothing short of

amazing,” the Culture Minister added.

Grange said that she has personally given a

directive for events on the local front to be more inclusive, pointing to the

importance of the sound systems to the evolution of reggae and also the scores

of pioneers who have played their part in taking the genre “from our local

shores to inside the hallways of the Grammy Awards”.

She said that a deliberate attempt has been

made to broaden the scope as it relates to what will be presented to the

public.

“We have to do it in such a way where there

is a national buy-in and where there is a feeling that there is something in it

for everyone,” Minister Grange explained.

“We are introducing and have identified some areas that we want to focus the country on… that we want to focus the world on,” she added.

— JIS