By the end of this week we will begin celebrations for the much-talked-about Reggae Month.

The Ministry of Entertainment and Culture usually takes the lead in coordinating the observances over the month of February in recognition of the success of the genre, both locally and on the world stage.

What remains disheartening, however, is that each year, after the festivities are executed, the nation hibernates until another new year. Truth is, not much work goes into concretely securing the legacy in the hearts and consciousness of Jamaican residents on the island.

We have to admit that, while we appreciate that the music has travelled to lands afar, more continues to be done by foreigners to preserve the legacy of that aspect of our culture, which ought to be uniquely ours.

Reggae music is officially recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage, and quite a few countries mount their own festivals to celebrate the music.

Concomitantly, the stories are plenty of nationalities, which are not even English-speaking, singing along to the music of reggae greats. Such is the impact in the hearts and minds of foreigners. What of us locals?

Reggae music emanated out of the need to give voice to the social challenges faced as a people. Though those challenges do not exist in the same form today, knowledge and appreciation of them are crucial to our advancement as a nation.

National Hero The Rt Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey — recently pardoned in the US by outgoing President Joe Biden — is known for the maxim: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” It is time for this to truly manifest.

Some work has been done in advancement of recording and preserving aspects of the music. The local Reggae Museum comes quickly to mind. Despite its establishment, however, the challenge before us becomes pellucid if any survey is done — formal or informal — and the question is asked of secondary or tertiary students, or even regular adults: Where is the Reggae Museum?

The response will run from wide-eyed ignorance to bewildered silence.

What has not moved on the dial is the embracing of the fruits of our own by our own.

The life and story of the development of the music must be advanced beyond artefact materials and memorabilia. The stories must be told and retold. The information must be made current and tactile so that it may be interacted with on platforms like TikTok — wherever our young people and influencers meet.

Would it be that the opportunity of this year’s Reggae Month be used to forge plans that breathe renewed life into the story of Jamaican people manifested in reggae?

The present Administration speaks much of legacy projects, but a legacy that is not active runs the risk of being relegated to the dust pile.

There are several low-hanging fruits in advancement of this mission: Schools — and churches — must be intentional in teaching and sharing the story. Working material ought to be developed and shared so that the public may interact with it. Radio stations and television must play their part in digging into the catalogues of stories and their messages for free-to-air. Signs and video boards, already existing, must be used to draw attention. There’s no reason the information cannot be as ubiquitous as the COVID caution signs still are in our public spaces.

It calls for deliberate moves; dispassionate observances will get lost in the din and with it the soul of reggae.