KINGSTON, Jamaica — The team Jamaica camp is upbeat after the island’s Country Pavilion was named one of the ‘coolest’ at World Expo 2020, Dubai.

The ITP Media Group’s subsidiary, Time Out Dubai, recently published an article featuring the “coolest country pavilions” setting up for the global event, which gets underway in October.

Jamaica was among just 13 standouts recognised of the nearly 200 individual country participants.

“I am very thrilled that Jamaica has been represented in this article,” Commissioner General of Section, Jamaica Pavilion at World Expo 2020 Dubai, Essie Gardner said.

“We have been trying to make sure that even though Jamaica is a small island state, our voice is heard loud and clear across the world. So, the fact that Time Out Dubai has selected Jamaica as one of the coolest kids on the block is really refreshing to us. The fact that they have seen us, seen our bold colours, seen our personality coming out through the pavilion is really good for us,” she noted.

The Time Out Dubai article said that Jamaica has “struck gold” with its “spontaneous street party-style pavilion,” which features shipping containers from across the world organised into zones focused on the country’s sports, food, music, cultural heritage, investment attractiveness and tourism.

“The concept is that Jamaica has fun doing whatever it is we are doing. When you see the pavilion there are bold pictures of people on the outside and scenes of Jamaica and when you get on the inside it is like a block party and we actually have a music studio. I think that what captured the attention of Timeout Dubai is when they realised that they could listen to Jamaican music, create their own playlist and have a vibe of our home,” shared Gardner.

The Jamaica pavilion is a gift from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was designed and constructed by a UAE-based entity to the specifications of the Jamaican team.

For his part, Senior Director of Regulations, Policy, Monitoring and Enforcement at the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA), Ainsley Brown, also welcomed the recognition.

“It is the uniqueness of the pavilion, which is reflective of our culture and our drive to transform our economy into a logistics hub. They mentioned the containers and the art and culture, so that unique combination has come together in a seamless way, in a ‘sustain-a-livity way’. It combines the economic, social, environmental and governance aspects to delivering positive results for people, planet and profit,” he said.

A team from JSEZA forms part of the multi-agency Jamaican delegation to Dubai. Others include the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Jamaica Tourist Board and Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO).

World Expos are global gatherings of nations dedicated to finding solutions to pressing challenges around the core values of education, innovation, and cooperation.

World Expo 2020 Dubai will be held October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

The event was initially scheduled for 2020 but was postponed for a year due to the global pandemic.

— JIS