THE Masters and Celebrities held their annual Bob Marley One Love Football festival at 7 Basiks and More (formerly House of Dread) on Ash Wednesday where they honoured a number of musicians for their contributions to the industry.

Among those honoured were Mutabaruka, Carl Dawkins, Luciano and Wailing Souls group.

Clive “Busy” Campbell, the founder and CEO of The Masters and Celebrities, explained that they had chosen to honour both local and overseas-based entertainers this year.

“We honour the best of the best of persons who have contributed to the development of reggae music in Jamaica as well as overseas — the great Allan Hope aka Mutabaruka, Jeptha McClymont aka as Luciano, Carl Dawkins and the Wailing Souls group,” he said.

Campbell encouraged Jamaicans at home to look out for each other while the cost of living continues to soar.

“COVID-19 has sat on us for the past two years without any apologies. We in Jamaica are experiencing our own challenges with the constant rise in the cost of goods and services. Many will fall by the wayside and for those who can stretch a hand, it is expected that more of us will become our brother’s keeper,” noted Campbell.

Having appealed for the resumption of face-to-face classes last year, the man called Busy was happy to see that children were returning to the classroom this year.

“It is commendable that our young people are back in school with face-to-face classes, and we can only hope that they will be able to overcome the hurdle to allow them to advance in their studies.”

He continued to express some amount of concern about the fallout in the education system, opining that it was not business as usual for everyone.

“It is not easy as, in speaking to many young persons who were out of school for approximately two years, it will be quite a task to get back on track. Some have even advised that they will not return to school.

“As I said last year and I will repeat it, if we do not wrap our hands around them, unfortunately we would have lost an entire generation. We need to let them know that education is the only legal way out of poverty,” Campbell stated.

A reduced format of the football festival took place after the awards ceremony where there was a 4-team, 6-a-side competition, with the Masters & Celebrities led by Jermaine Gonzales which included his son JJ, Tajhae Rattie/Simba Dixon from Molynes United and Moya Pettigrew, Harbour View U 17, Franklin Town All Stars & Christian Ambassadors.

Each game was played for 20 minutes with three former Fifa referees officiating in Peter Prendergast, Karl Tyrell and Keeble Williams.

The Masters & Celebrities won, with Christian Ambassadors finishing runners-up.

— Dwayne Richards