BY RICHARD JOHNSON—
THREE elements of Jamaican culture — Rastafari, reggae and ganja — will be on show at the December 9-11 Rastafari Rootzfest at Long Bay Beach Park in Negril.
Last year, the inaugural festival was held as High Times Cannabis Cup. However, local organizers have since severed ties with High Times, the New York magazine which owns rights to the Cannabis Cup.
According to organizers, the event is primarily aimed at mobilizing, educating and connecting players in Jamaica’s emerging ganja industry following an amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act last year. That legislation decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, and use of the herb for religious and medicinal purposes.
Speaking at the launch of the festival, Ras Iyah V, a member of the organizing committee, said, “We need to identify, on a broader level, the herb landscape in Jamaica and be able to build a database. We should not be importing herb seeds until we know exactly what we have here locally, and we will be able to do this at the festival thanks to the Cannabis Licensing Authority, the Bureau of Standards, and the Scientific Research Council. We just want to educate people because the last thing we want is for the Jamaican ganja industry to be developed and owned by others.”
Entertainment will play a major part in the festival. On day one, Freddie McGregor, Half Pint, Sister Carol, Chezidek, Dre Island and Daweh Congo will perform, along with drummers from the Nyahbinghi House. The following night’s entertainment is led by Protoje, Richie Spice, Andrew Tosh, Yvad, Sevana, and Lutan Fyah.
The final night will see an awards presentation for the GanJamaica Cup, a ganja competition. The country’s best ganja farmers have been invited to showcase strains and will be judged by an expert panel.
The nine categories are: Best Sativa, Best Indica, Best Hash, Best Oil, Best Innovation, Best Product, People’s Choice Award, Best Booth, and Best International Collaboration.
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