On February 13, 2026, history will record that Member of Parliament and attorney-at-law Isat Buchanan, son of reggae icon Big Youth, delivered the 29th Bob Marley Lecture at The University of the West Indies, Mona, inside the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre. The lecture was staged by the Institute of Caribbean Studies, currently headed by Dr David Gosse, and was conceived by the legendary Professor Carolyn Cooper. The moment carried deep symbolism: The son of a cultural revolutionary addressing the stewardship of legacy, with his father present.

Speaking on the theme ‘Preserving and managing legacies’, Buchanan outlined key preconditions for successful legacy preservation. Drawing from his own life, he admitted that in his earlier years he did not fully appreciate the cultural significance of his father’s contribution. Only with maturity did he properly assess the elder Buchanan’s impact on Jamaican music and global culture. That personal reflection became a powerful metaphor: Legacy often requires distance, perspective, and deliberate stewardship to be fully understood and sustained.

A spirited panel discussion followed, featuring Dr Joseph Farquharson, Dr Dennis Howard, and the author of this piece, Clyde McKenzie, moderated by Dr Candia Hall. The discussion reflected the seriousness with which Jamaicans engage questions of memory, heritage, and cultural continuity.

Rather than repeat what was said at the lecture, I wish to focus on what was not sufficiently explored and to elaborate where necessary.

One central question posed by Dr Hall concerned the role of Government in legacy preservation. My position is that governments should minimise direct involvement in individual legacy projects, except where there is overwhelming national consensus and demonstrable public interest. Cultural legacies are often best managed by those closest to them — families, estates, and trusted professional stewards.

However, restraint does not mean absence. The proper role of the Government is to create an environment conducive to the sustenance of cultural legacies. This includes robust legal frameworks to ensure the orderly transfer and protection of intellectual property assets. Effective copyright enforcement, clear estate administration processes, and strong trademark protections which are essential to safeguarding both economic rights and artistic integrity.

Government also has a legitimate responsibility to establish and support public institutions — museums, archives, and research centres — that preserve and promote the collective legacies of national cultural producers. These institutions should complement, not replace, private stewardship. They serve as custodians of shared memory, ensuring that individual contributions are properly documented within the broader national narrative.

Another dimension that deserves greater attention is the establishment of an appropriate and dignified resting place for cultural icons. The site of burial or memorialisation can become a locus of pilgrimage and national pride. Properly developed, such sites generate employment, stimulate surrounding businesses, and strengthen heritage tourism. They are not merely places of mourning, but strategic cultural assets with significant revenue-bearing implications for the economy. The planning, preservation, and integration of these sites into national tourism frameworks must therefore be undertaken with seriousness and foresight.

The preservation of legacy involves multiple stakeholders with distinct interests. At the personal level are heirs and beneficiaries — often relatives and close associates — who possess both emotional attachment and financial interest. Royalties, licensing agreements, merchandising rights, and publishing revenues form part of the economic structure sustaining many cultural estates. Because of their proximity, these stakeholders are often best positioned to protect authenticity.

Institutional beneficiaries form another critical layer. Record labels, publishing houses, distributors, digital platforms, radio stations, media houses, and book publishers all derive value from enduring artistic legacies. They participate actively in shaping how work is curated, marketed, and interpreted across generations. Their role, while commercial, is integral to the continued visibility of cultural creators.

Governments also benefit, though often indirectly. Cultural legacies contribute significantly to national branding and soft power. Tourism flows are influenced by cultural icons whose work transcends geography. Many visitors travel to Jamaica inspired by figures such as Bob Marley. The Marley legacy has delivered immense value to private stakeholders and to the Jamaican State alike through taxation, employment, foreign exchange earnings, and global image-building.

Yet, ultimately, legacy preservation is a matter of brand management.

A brand is a promise of value. It establishes expectations and must consistently deliver on them. In the context of cultural icons, brand management requires disciplined curation, thoughtful licensing, careful storytelling, and vigilant protection against dilution. It demands clarity about the core values the creator embodied and a commitment to ensuring that commercial exploitation does not undermine those values.

Without strategic management, even the most powerful legacy can fragment. Over-licensing, inconsistent messaging, or poor-quality associations can erode the integrity of a cultural brand. Conversely, disciplined stewardship can extend relevance across generations, introducing new audiences to foundational work while maintaining fidelity to original intent.

At its heart, legacy preservation is about relevance. It is about ensuring that creators remain present in public consciousness long after their physical departure. It means keeping their work accessible, contextualised, and meaningful to successive generations. It requires innovation without distortion and expansion without compromise.

Legacy is therefore not passive remembrance. It is active management. It is the careful balancing of emotional heritage and commercial realities. It is the recognition that cultural icons are not only historical figures but living brands whose meaning continues to evolve.

When Government provides enabling frameworks — legal protections, institutional support, and strategic cultural infrastructure — while allowing families, estates, and private stakeholders to lead, the result can be enduring influence and sustainable economic benefit.

If we accept that culture is one of Jamaica’s most powerful exports, then managing legacies must be approached with the same seriousness applied to any major industry. The preservation of cultural legacies is not nostalgia; it is national strategy.

Clyde McKenzie is a cultural commentator and entrepreneur; founding general manager of IRIE FM; executive producer of the Grammy Award–winning album Art and Life; a judge for six seasons on Digicel Rising Stars; and the writer of Reggae My Life Is, authored by Copeland Forbes.

Clyde McKenzie.