Beenie Man, Romain Virgo, Jesse Royal For St. Vincent Benefit Concert: “Stronger Together”

Intending to raise US$100 million from Sunday’s virtual showcase, “Stronger Together: We Are A Global Family”, in support of St Vincent and the Grenadines, the organizers have announced that Jamaican entertainers Beenie Man, Romain Virgo and Jesse Royal are among the acts scheduled to perform.

The two-hour showcase, being held on May 23 by the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission and the Global Coalition in support of St Vincent and the Grenadines in partnership with the O2N Foundation, will be hosted from Trinidad & Tobago. It will also feature performances by Alison Hinds, Teddyson John, and Rondel Positive, among others.

When news of the benefit showcase first surfaced weeks ago, the names of several popular artists, including Rihanna, Koffee, Buju Banton, Nicki Minaj, and Sean Paul, were being bandied about. At the time, a statement from the OECS said details on the complete cast of the showcase would be shared in the days leading up to the event.

Based on the OECS announcement yesterday, only ten names have been shared as part of the line-up, but more performers are promised.

Nicole Dyer Griffith, the patron of O2N Foundation who will also be co-hosting the virtual showcase on Sunday, said “quite a few others” will be performing, but viewers will have to tune in on Sunday to enjoy.

She told DancehallMag that the virtual showcase’s production format would include performances, supported by what the organizers term “calls to action”.

“This essentially means quite a few personalities have come forward to lend their support in the form of a ‘call to action’, encouraging continued support for the rebuilding process in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” she said. “Remember, the objective of this event is to encourage continuous pledges online.”

“No pledge is too small. And we are encouraging persons to visit the site stronger.oecs.org to pledge,” she added.

The showcase will have some of the Caribbean’s biggest acts joining forces to anchor financial pledges towards the rebuilding of St Vincent and the Grenadines, following the devastation of the volcanic eruption of La Soufriere.

The eruptions have reportedly inflicted hundreds of millions of dollars in damage with the Atlantic hurricane season just around the corner.

The organizers are encouraging people to support the rebuilding effort because 20 per cent of the population of St Vincent and the Grenadines has been displaced, there has been total devastation of the agricultural sector, villages have been destroyed, and there is the double jeopardy of having to also deal with the coronavirus pandemic at this time.

Since the start of the campaign, which saw soca artist Alison Hinds, DJ Bravo and Skinny Fabolous joining the country’s Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves in calling for people to pledge their support during a media launch just over a week ago, some US$300,000 in pledges have been received, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission told DancehallMag.

In the meantime, Dyer Griffith shared that working in collaboration with the OECS and Global Coalition in Support of St Vincent and the Grenadines has reminded her that “we are indeed stronger together”.

“Seeing the enthusiasm and spirit with which the performers have presented themselves underscore the region’s undisputed never-ending gene pool of excellence. Engaging the personalities, heads of government and influencers who partnered with us to keep the fire burning with their passionate calls to action tells me we are indeed a Global Family,” she said.

Dyer Griffith also thanked those involved, highlighting that all the teams coming together demonstrates “what being our brother’s and sister’s keeper looks like.”

The team is asking the public to join them on Sunday, May 23 at 2:00 pm (EST) for “Stronger Together: We are a Global Family”, streaming on @oecscommission on Facebook Live, and to donate to help Vincentians rebuild their lives.