By Richard Johnson–
Observer senior reporter–
Anthony “Chips” Richards —
Efforts are underway to increase the information pool at the National Library of Jamaica in downtown Kingston, on Jamaican reggae pioneers based in the United Kingdom for the past 60 years.
The initiative is spearheaded by Anthony “Chips” Richards, whose involvement in marketing and promotion of reggae in the United Kingdom began nearly five decades ago. He made his mark with Trojan Records, helping to promote major hit songs like Ken Boothe’s Everything I Own which topped the UK national chart in 1974. For his efforts, Richards was among last year’s recipients of the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation.
Richards, who is partnering with the National Library, made the announcement during last Friday’s Reggae Films in The Park at Emancipation Park in St Andrew. The event is part of activities commemorating Reggae Month.
According to him, this catalog is of critical importance considering the role artistes like Millie Small and Desmond Dekker played in advancing Jamaica’s music in that market.
“It’s a difficult task but we are getting there, our history should be preserved for the oncoming generations. A lot of the people who participated have passed and gone, and those who participated in the early days are going very, very fast, so the work we’re doing is very important,” Richards told the gathering at Emancipation Park.
The catalog of reggae artistes from the UK would join a proposed reggae film archives as two new collections being established at the National Library.
National librarian Beverly Lashley noted that the recent UNESCO inscription of reggae as an intangible cultural heritage highlights and underscores the power Jamaican music has on the world.
“At the National Library of Jamaica we have a mandate of preserving and promoting Jamaica’s cultural heritage. The library is now positioned to develop a portal which will showcase a digital reggae film archive. The creation of such an archive will improve our ability to safeguard these important films which document Jamaica’s rich musical history. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the National Library and so we are encouraging all the relevant stakeholders to participate in the activities that are planned,” said Lashley.
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