Olivia “Babsy” Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, says the upcoming Jamaica 60 celebration is more than song and dance.

She was speaking at the launch of this year’s Jamaica 60 celebrations at Jamaica House in St Andrew on Wednesday night.

“This is more than a party… It is our tradition to have a significant commemoration of our Independence milestones every five years. In the last few years, I’ve been involved in Jamaica 50, Jamaica 55 and now it’s Jamaica 60, and the whole purpose of these five-yearly commemorations is two-fold,” she explained.

“On the one hand, we reflect and do a report card on our progress as a country. We see to what extent our goals were met. On the other hand, we use our celebration to set goals for the next five years, while finding opportunities to engage and motivate our people towards achieving our national objectives,” she explained to the large crowd of business, entertainment, political, professional and cultural dignities, who filled the prime minister internal law to participate in the event.

“So, this is a time to reflect and to redouble our efforts towards building a Jamaica that will last; a country of peace, harmony, equality, justice, liberty and prosperity,” she went on.

“Therefore, this is more than a big party. My Government has always taken the position that our milestone commemorations should be more than celebratory activities. But that celebrations such as Jamaica 60 must include projects that will benefit our country for generations to come. In this regard, we must seek opportunities to improve our infrastructure and build new infrastructure — all with the aim of making a better life for all the people of Jamaica,” she added.

There were also performances from guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith and the Binghistra Movement (Nyahbingy drummers); former Miss World 2019-turned-balladeer Toni-Ann Singh; ASHE ensemble and the National Dance Theatre Company.

Grange’s call was heavily supported by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who acknowledged the tremendous value of the country’s enviable position as a major global force for entertainment and cultural development.

“We have demonstrated [this[, with tremendous acumen, in many areas of the global stage, and we have created one of the greatest music forms, reggae music, and we have been a main element in the emergence of pop culture and pop music. Our music has been an inspiration and a balm for the oppressed all over the world… Today, Brand Jamaica stands out among the world’s most dynamic brands, and we have remained one of the most sought after tourism destinations, globally,” he noted.