No Outdoor Concert For Int’l Reggae Day, Dennis Brown Docufilm Instead

Instead of its previously announced outdoor concert to mark International Reggae Day and kick off entertainment events in Jamaica, the Government is set to premiere a docufilm about the Crown Prince of Reggae, Dennis Emmanuel Brown, on Thursday.

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport said on Monday evening that the concert, which was to be held at Port Royal in Kingston, was cancelled due to a forecast of thunderstorms.

However, people in some quarters, including Twitter users, are dissatisfied with the reason given for the cancellation, as the Government had come in for strong criticisms after announcing the concert.

In fact, in an editorial two days ago, the Jamaica Gleaner said the Reggae fete posed a moral hazard.

“In this COVID-19 environment, the Government’s primary effort should be in preventing, avoiding, and mitigating the spread of the disease, not risking its spread.

“That is why as much as we embrace and celebrate Reggae music and its centrality to Jamaican culture, this newspaper does not support the administration’s plan to host a July 1 concert to mark International Reggae Day,” the newspaper said.

It continued by saying the risks posed by the event outweighed its potential for demonstrating how to effectively put on a major concert in line with COVID-19 safety protocols, as had been announced by the country’s prime minister last week.

The event that will replace the outdoor concert — the world premiere of the docufilm ‘Dennis Emmanuel Brown: The Crown Prince of Reggae; the Man and the Music’ — will be held indoors at the Little Theatre, also in Kingston.

The docufilm, which was produced by Judith Bodley, was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

The July 1 event will be staged in keeping with the requirements of the Disaster Risk Management Act that prescribes a capacity limit for indoor venues, including theatres, as announced by Jamaica’s prime minister, the ministry said.

Besides the world premiere of the docufilm, which is expected to be the highlight of the event, the ministry said the program will also feature Richie Stephens performing a medley of Brown’s songs, as well as L’Acadco performing a piece specially choreographed by Dr L’Antoinette Stines to the Reggae icon’s ‘Revolution’.

Born February 1, 1957, Brown worked with many musical greats throughout his career, including Bob Marley, Cocoa Tea, and Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires. Said to be one of the most influential vocalists in Jamaica’s history, Brown released many hit songs before his death on July 1, 1999, including ‘Here I Come’ and ‘Money in My Pocket’.