ST ANN, Jamaica – St Ann-based reggae singer Maroon Queen is doing her part to uplift black consciousness with her upcoming February 16th event, ‘Africa Mi Deya’.

The show, which will be held at Island Village in Ocho Rios, will feature the sashing of the North East contestant in the Miss Jamaica Universe contest, a special guest appearance by Miss Jamaica Universe Rachel Silvera.

The event will be hosted by Maroon Queen herself with a special guest performance by dancehall artiste D’Angel.

“We’re doing a special tribute for Marcus Garvey during the event as we are celebrating our black fashion and culture in February which is also Reggae Month in Jamaica. We have to begin to love and embrace our roots, this is a really special year for Garvey who is a son of St Ann, as he was recently granted a pardon by the now former United States President Joe Biden,” Maroon Queen said.

Biden pardoned Garvey, more than 100 years after he was convicted on one count of mail fraud. Garvey served nearly three years of a five-year sentence and was deported to Jamaica in 1927.

Garvey started a Black nationalist movement anchored by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the 1910s. The movement would spread throughout the world after Garvey moved to the U.S. Through the UNIA, he advocated for the celebration of African history and culture and championed a back-to-Africa movement where the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans would return to their roots.

Reggae music, and especially Rastafarianism, espouses the black consciousness ideals of Garveyism, further cementing the black leader’s message across the world.

“The teachings of Marcus Garvey are especially important now because of the general hopelessness and the high crime rate. People are suffering and we need to cleave to the teachings and philosophy of Marcus Garvey to get through,” Maroon Queen said.

Later this year, Maroon Queen plans to do a school tour to underpin the ideals of her ‘Africa Mi Deya’ movement.

“We want to talk to students, helping them to deal with peer pressure and colourism, especially,” she said.

Maroon Queen, who is known for the single Black and Proud which deals with the negative connotations that some persons ascribe to the word ‘black’, has a long history of tackling social causes.

“It started with my song, Black and Proud. This song is always big on the radio in Black History month in February, which is also reggae month. I use the song as an educational tool for this upcoming generation. We still have issues with our race, loving and embracing ourselves,” she stated.

Maroon Queen first made a name for herself with her R&B-Flavoured Roll With Me, and You Say.

She released her first EP, a seven-track effort Black N Proud in 2020 with several standout songs such as Thankful, and Nobody Knows My Pain, a tribute to music selector Nicko Chromatic who passed away after losing his battle with kidney disease.