Culture Minister, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange has announced that the Festival Song competition in back on.
The Minister made the announcement while speaking earlier at the 2022 Jamaica Diaspora Conference.
Minister Grange disclosed that the Ministry will be inviting new entries over a short period.
Meanwhile, the Minister also announced that Grammy star Koffee and Agent Sasco will be among the artistes featured on the Jamaica 60 Commemorative album.
Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, Culture Minister.
The Minister had announced during her Sectoral presentation last week that there wouldn’t be a competition.
The adjudicators of the Jamaica Sixty Festival Song Competition also said they were simply not able to find what they believe was enough quality entries to hold the event.
They informed that of the reported 123 entries submitted, only 3 were deemed suitable.
Before Minister Grange’s announcement today, Prime Minister Andrew Holness had said there has to be a Festival Song Competition for the Jamaica sixty celebrations in some form.
The initial cancellation has caused controversy with Jamaicans expressing displeasure at the announcement that the competition would not be held in the year of the country’s 60th independence anniversary.
Meanwhile, Opposition Spokesman on Culture, Damion Crawford, is recommending that the government host a “Best of Festival Song Competition” to commemorate Jamaica 60.
Mr. Crawford’s comment comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding this year’s scrapping of the annual competition.
The Culture Minister, Olivia Grange, has since reversed that decision.
The Opposition Spokesman says Jamaicans would be excited by a competition that ranks the best of Festival through the decades.
Mr. Crawford was speaking on Nationwide This Morning with Ricardo Brooks and Tauna Thomas.
The Opposition Spokesman is rejecting suggestions that the Jamaica Festival Song Competition has lost its relevance.
He says the competition is an essential part of celebrating the positive aspects of Jamaican culture and way of life.
And, Mr. Crawford is criticising the direction of the Culture Ministry under Minister Olivia Grange’s leadership.
The Opposition Spokesman told our news center the portfolio, which he says is essential to national life, has been reduced to an events planner.
Mr. Crawford says the Culture Ministry should play a more active role in national mobilisation towards things that are pro Jamaican.
Damion Crawford.
