EWAN Simpson, chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA), says despite being late in coming, he’s appreciative of the $90-million special support package for members of the entertainment, culture, and creative industries.

“Stimulus is happening all over the world; two years later, our stimulus is [just] coming. But, it is very welcome because there are people who have been struggling a lot… It will allow someone to pay an additional light bill, to be able to buy an additional week’s grocery… it’s quite useful,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“I’m also grateful that there is an effort to expand the perception beyond live shows and parties. That is very critical because there are our fine artistes; our technical support persons; our dramatic artistes; our dance artistes; our spoken word artistes and so on who need to be appreciated as a part of what we consider to be the entertainment and cultural creative industry. It is just wider than those people who promote parties and round robins,” he continued.

On Saturday, Olivia “Babsy” Grange — minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport — made the announcement of the $90m package and that her ministry was accepting applications for grants of $60,000 per individual.

“Whatever your skills are, as long as you’re a practitioner in the industry, you can benefit. If you’re an actor, a singer, a songwriter; we’re talking about the stagehands, engineers, selectors, sound system operators, owners of sound systems, people in film. So, it’s a variety. Once you meet the criteria, you will benefit,” Grange said in a statement.

“I think that the entertainment, culture and creative industries sector was probably impacted more than any other sector and so it was necessary for us to see what we can do. Even now, as the restrictions are eased, entertainment events are still restricted,” Grange noted.

Grange estimates that 1,000 individual grants will be awarded.

To qualify, prospective beneficiaries should be registered on the ministry’s e-registry; be a member of an established industry body; and, have an account with a Jamaican bank or possess an NCB Prepaid Mastercard to facilitate payment.

Simpson, who assumed JaRIA’s helm in 2019, said he hopes funds will be “efficiently distributed”.

“I’m also hoping that the members of the industry will take the opportunity to regularise their memberships in associations because this stimulus did not just come by itself — it is a collaborative effort. It is something that groups like JaRIA have been lobbying for and we have been quietly trying to make it happen,” he said.

Jamaica’s entertainment sector has been shuttered since March 2020 due to COVID-19, and Government estimates indicate it has lost north of $26 billion.