The Crown Prince of Reggae, Dennis Emanuel Brown.—
Due to the weather forecast for thunderstorms, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has cancelled the outdoor concert which was scheduled for International Reggae Day (IRD) on Thursday, July 1, at Port Royal.
Instead, the ministry will host the world premiere of the docufilm, Dennis Emmanuel Brown: The Crown Prince of Reggae; the Man and the Music, indoors at the Little Theatre.
The docufilm was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and produced by Judith Bodley.
The event will be staged in keeping with the requirements of the Disaster Risk Management Act, which prescribes a capacity limit for indoor venues, including theatres, a release from the ministry stated.
The program will also feature singer Richie Stephens, who will perform a medley of Dennis Brown songs, as well as L’Acadco performing a piece specially choreographed by Dr L’Antoinette Stines to Dennis Brown’s Revolution.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced in Parliament on June 22 that the Government would be hosting a concert on Thursday, July 1, at the Port Royal Cruise Terminal in celebration of International Reggae Day.
“To signal the reopening of the entertainment sector as well as to demonstrate how a large event could be hosted with the proper protocols, the Government will be organizing a concert on July 1, 2021, at the Port Royal Cruise Terminal,” Holness told the country.
IRD 2021 is being celebrated on July 1 as a virtual ‘1Love Rally’ to unite, inspire and uplift the global reggae community. The IRD website notes, “1Love – this is the single most central message of reggae music. Reggae music is synonymous around the world with ‘One Love’, a principle and affirmation first articulated by Jamaican national hero Marcus Garvey, contextualized by Rastafarian philosophy and later popularized by Bob Marley and reggae music.
“This year’s 1Love Rally campaign celebrates the many facets of spiritual and romantic love amplified through reggae music – love for self, family, community, country, culture and our planet.”
The message concludes, “On JulyOne, let us unite, inspire and uplift the world with 1Love.”
IRD will see 24 hours of celebration for reggae culture and its influence.
Andrea Davis is the conceptualizer of International Reggae Day.
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