KINGSTON, Jamaica — Reggae star Jah Bouks is pulling out all the stops as he transforms his annual Angola Festival into what is anticipated to be a major event which will unfold on December 31st at the Angola Restaurant at Old Pera in St Thomas.

The event will be headlined by Capleton, Jamal and Jah Bouks himself.

“I want it to be the biggest festival in Jamaica and I know it can happen inna real life,” he said.

The festival will also feature artistes such as Stalk Ashley, Shane O, Eddy G Bomba, Moyann, Nation Boss, Short Ghad, Quick Cook, Macka Diamond, Predator, Seventeen, Bushman, Bascom X and Money Pallet.

Jah Bouks has been aggressive in his promotion of his “Angola” branding inspired by the enduring popularity of his Call Angola hit over a decade ago.

“I decided that anything I am going to do pertaining to business would be called Angola because it is a massive hit. I can’t put aside that name, have to keep it going, I always had it in mind to do a festival so when my idrin Short Ghad came up and say this is the year for the festival, I knew that things would take a different turn, Angola to the world,” he said.

Jah Bouks is saddened a bit by the fact that his mother, Zyon Panton, who passed away earlier this year, will not get to see what the Angola Festival has evolved into — a major event on the entertainment calendar.

“She would have wanted to be here to see all of this, to see what the Angola Festival has become. That is the reason I went to Ghana, she wanted to do the Angola Festival and I went there in August to plan it for December in Ghana, one in Ghana and the other in the Christmas season in Jamaica, but unfortunately it was not to be, but the Jamaica leg is going to be huge,” Jah Bouks said.

The event first began as a party, but has evolved into a major event at a time when other live performance events seem to be taking a step back.

“I started the event as a party with the intention of it becoming a festival and it has become a festival this year. Every year, I wanted to get bigger and better and it manifests this year,” he said.

Jah Bouks was born in Winchester, St Thomas, before relocating to live with his mother in Portmore, St Catherine in 1980.

He entered the Magnum Kings and Queens contest and he rode a wave of popularity that helped to propel his Call Angola into an international hit song.

In a time when it appears to be no longer fashionable to espouse repatriation and a return to the African continent as per Marcus Garvey’s philosophical teachings, Jah Bouks remains a staunch Pan-Africanist.

“Africa is the place to be, it is one of the biggest continents in the world. If you promote reggae music in Africa, you will get the outcome you want and the support. Ah Africa the ting deh,” Jah Bouks said.