How A Pandemic Might Be Changing The DNA of Jamaican Music

COVID-19 has slowed entertainment industries all over the world, Jamaica being no exception. With festivals and concerts like Pitchfork and SXSW having to cancel their annual stagings, the question arises; how will the music industry, in particular, cope in this downturn? Some brands, promoters, and artists are being forced to experiment with the concept of their shows in the digital space.

Meanwhile, in Jamaica, we patiently await the start of our very first Virtual Reggae Sumfest, today, July 24th. With a sturdy line up of contemporary and legendary artistes alike, the promoters might actually be on to something. But what will Reggae and Dancehall sessions, shows, and festivals look like once venues begin to open up again?

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in March, Jamaica’s government ceased the issuing of permits for entertainment based events, and banned the public gathering of more than ten people. Since then there has been a gradual relaxing of these and other lockdown measures, and on June 1st the country has reopened its borders for travel. The spread of the virus has been greatly mitigated, and a large majority of people who contracted the virus have recovered. However, with Jamaica’s healthcare system so low on resources to fight this new virus, the choice to reopen amidst the news of a second wave in China is still questionable.

Yet, Jamaica’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force hosted a meeting that included Howard McIntosh, chairman of the Entertainment Advisory Board (EAB); Kamal Bankay, chairman of the Sports and Entertainment Network in the Ministry of Tourism; and Joe Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Entertainment, the producers of Reggae Sumfest. Although there is a high risk involved with the reopening, Jamaica, unlike China, who is a manufacturing maverick, still attributes a significant portion of its GDP to entertainment and tourism. The music industry, for instance, is a source of income for many Jamaicans because of the communal nature of the Dancehall space.

Now with the proposed reopening, it calls into question certain fundamental characteristics of the entertainment industry, which up until now, we have conceived as inseparable from the culture. Characteristics like physical contact, social proofing, and even the way time is appreciated.

Jamaicans and global fans of the culture are now being asked to re-imagine the ways in which they enjoy things like dancing in light of the rule against physical contact.

Questions like; What are the other ways to identify a successful dance session without a chaotic crowd packed into the venue? What will Jamaica look like when it’s forced to shut down at 10 pm due to curfew rules? We may not, in fact, be able to separate the communion of the culture from its essence. One might argue that the closeness of community is what gives Dancehall and Reggae a greater portion of the power they possess.

Watch Night 1 of Reggae Sumfest below.