Ardenne High School is the 2024 winner of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts.

The winner was announced at the awards ceremony, held on Tuesday at the Little Theatre in Kingston.

The coveted Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts is presented to the school or group that has accumulated the most points from their participation in at least three performing arts disciplines, from dance and deaf dance, drama and theatre arts, traditional folk form, music, and speech.

Outstanding performers and teachers from schools, institutions and other groups that emerged with the most points from participation in the Festival of the Performing Arts competitions, organised by the JCDC and staged earlier this year, were celebrated at the ceremony.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Oliva Grange, in a message read by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean Roy Bernard, noted that the award, now in its 30th year, has attracted and showcased the talents of the nation.

“In many ways, this process of artistic development mirrors Marcus Garvey’s vision where education creativity and self-empowerment work together to uplift not only individuals, but entire communities,” she said.

The minister commended the JCDC for its unwavering commitment to preserving Jamaica’s cultural heritage.

“Your passion for our culture ensures that the JCDC festival for the performing Arts continues to thrive year after year. Thank you all for being part of this celebration. Let us continue to support the performing arts in Jamaica,” she said.

The award is named after Jamaica’s first National Hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

-JIS