Marcia Griffiths Laments Reggae Month Not Becoming A Massive International Affair
Reggae icon Marcia Griffiths is lamenting the fact that after 14 years, Reggae month has not grown to become a massive international affair, given the global importance of Jamaican popular music since the 1960s.
The Queen of Reggae, who is slated to make three performances during Reggae month, which began on February 1, made her observations during an interview on Television Jamaica’s The Entertainment Report on Friday night.
“I see no reason why it should not be that way now. Because this is what it is all about – to take it far and wide to the four corners. Vision is so important and if then, they had the vision of what it was going to be, I think more effort would have been made,” Griffiths told host Anthony Miller.
In response to Miller’s point that: “they dropped the ball and we missed out on a huge opportunity to really market Jamaica, not just Reggae music”, the Dreamland singer was in agreement.
“Yes they did. It is the strongest thing we have going for us – Reggae music. So it’s no doubt, or if, or maybe. It should have been done. So we are still here continuing to try and spread it, keep the fire burning, and whatever contribution we can make to make it happen,” she stated.
Reggae month which is now having its 15th staging, was the brainchild of Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange.
Then-Prime Minister Bruce Golding officially declared February as Reggae Month in 2008, which he said was aimed at highlighting the impact of the genre on Jamaica’s social, cultural, and economic development.
Golding, at the time, had also announced that he had written to then Governor-General Sir Kenneth Hall requesting that he “issue an official proclamation declaring February Reggae Month in perpetuity”.
The Prime Minister had stated that a month of activity was necessary in order to sharpen the focus and draw the attention of the world to what he described as a “powerful asset that is wholly Jamaican”.
He had also said that in addition to being a part of Jamaica’s culture, Reggae had been used by Jamaicans as a means of expression and to communicate their experiences, trials and successes, joys and sorrows, as well as to declare the country’s position against oppression and suffering.
The former Prime Minister had contended that this aspect of the music was the reason it had been embraced by people globally.
It was also important, he said, for Jamaicans, especially the youth population, to understand the power of the music, as they did not watch it grow through its many stages.
Each year, a variety of methods are used to analyze and celebrate Reggae, among them music showcases, film screenings, and academic conferences.
At the inaugural launch, Golding had declared that: “All sorts of means will be used to examine it, to study it, to look at its history and in that process, help to guide its future development”.
At the same time, Golding had warned that while the music can be seen as an instrument of advancement, “if not used properly it could also become a lethal weapon” which, instead of uplifting Jamaicans, could be “used to disparage women and undermine the value system that the country wants to support and institutionalize”.
Reggae Month at its inception was also aimed at giving full recognition to the music as a cultural capital, and “to assert Jamaica’s authority on the music so there can be no ambiguity of its origin” according to Golding at the time.
The Prime Minister had also said that he welcomed the opportunity to recognize the contributions the many pioneering musicians and promoters who never gave up even when the music “did not enjoy widespread acclaim” and that his Government would be in dialogue with representatives of the industry to ascertain the type of support needed to create more opportunities for new artists.