Quickies

Culinary Arts contest

deadline today

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is on the lookout for foodies who wish to showcase their talents in the 2017 Jamaica Culinary Arts Competition. The competition invites persons to compete in the Special Diets (Live Cooking), Fruit and Vegetable Carving, Sweet Treats, Mixology, Dutchie Dash and Hot off the Grill categories, among others.

The aim of the competition is to showcase the creative talents of Jamaicans in the culinary arts, while promoting healthy lifestyle and wellness.

Persons are encouraged to visit the nearest JCDC office and get their entries in by today.

Entrants in the Star Chef (live cooking) category could go on to compete in a foodie reality series for the ultimate crown of TV Star Chef. The entrants' culinary skills will be put to the test as they are challenged to prepare a four-course meal, using a surprise ingredient in each round, while competing in the separate rounds. At the end of each round participants will be eliminated, based on a scoring system.

Entry forms for the 2017 Culinary Arts Competition can be accessed on the JCDC website at www.jcdc.gov.jm, at the JCDC parish offices islandwide, and at the JCDC head office at 3-5 Phoenix Avenue, Kgn 10.

El Numero Uno' opens at Edna Manley

The School of Drama is celebrating seven Actor Boy nominations, including best costume and set Design for the production DOG, written by the school's former director Dennis Scott, as well as Best Ensemble cast and Best Children's theatre for Plastic Things and Butterfly Wings.

As part of its drama course, Children Theatre Workshop, the School of Drama produces a

play for young audiences annually. This year's production is El Numero Uno, written by Jamaican-Canadian poet and playwright Pamela Mordecai.

"This is the seventh children production I will be directing with the students in that course," Pierre Lemaire, director of the School of Drama, said, "And this year's production will be special, as it is being mounted as part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts."

El Numero Uno opens today, with performances on March 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19.

March is movie month at Mona

The Department of Literatures in English, University of the West Indies, Mona, is hosting its 'March Is Movie Month at Mona' annual film series. The event includes film screenings and discussions each weekend of the month that will highlight exciting new works in Jamaican, African and African diaspora cinema.

Screenings will be held each Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1), Faculty of Humanities and Education, throughout March. All films are free and open to the public.

The activities kick off today with a screening of outstanding local films by participants of the 2016 PROPELLA! Initiative. It is a joint project of JAMPRO and Jamaica Film and TV Association (JAFTA) that fosters local film-making from script to screen.

On March 17, the Department of History and Archaeology is sponsoring the screening of Deported, a documentary by Haitian filmmakers Rachele Magloire and Chantal Regnault.

March 24 will feature the award-winning Confusion Na Wa by Nollywood film-maker Kenneth Gyang, tracing the criss-crossing lives of a handful of strangers in one of Nigeria's largest cities. March is Movie Month ends on Friday, March 31, with a screening of Looking For Love, a documentary by British film-maker Menelik Shabazz which explores love, sex and emotional baggage in the 21st century.

All sessions will feature film screenings followed by discussion.

Lim to launch 'Kingston Buttercup'

The Department of Literatures in English, University of the West Indies, Mona, will host the launch of Ann-Margaret Lim's poetry collection Kingston Buttercup (Peepal Tree Press) on Sunday, March 26, at 11 a.m. in the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1), Faculty of Humanities and Education.

Kingston Buttercup is Lim's second book of poetry. Her critically acclaimed debut collection, The Festival of Wild Orchid (Peepal Tree Press, 2013), was nominated for the UK Guardian First Book Award and received honorary mention in the 2013 Bocas Prize competition.

Lim has been awarded silver and bronze medals in the Jamaica Cu Literary Arts Competitions and won first place in the short story category of the 2007 WISPA Creative Writing Competition. She was featured in the 2014 Ebony magazine article 'Six Caribbean writers to discover this summer'.

The event will include a launch talk by Professor Mervyn Morris and a reading by Professor Edward Baugh.

Warwick extends friendship to UWI

That's What Friends Are For, done with Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, was a huge chart topper for Dionne Warwick.

Warwick demonstrated the strength of friendship on behalf of Ky-mani Marley at The American Foundation for the University of the West Indies's (AFUWI) 20th annual Legacy Awards at the Pierre Hotel, New York, on February 23.

Marley, who was scheduled to present the AFUWI Robert 'Bob' Nesta Marley Award to Barbados born American rapper Doug E. Fresh, was not able to at the last moment and sent an SOS to Warwick to represent him.

The Robert 'Bob' Nesta Marley Award' is given to an individual/group for their contribution to society and to the advancement of arts and culture, transcending race, colour, creed and geographies; to unite people worldwide in a spirit that embodies the essence of the music and lyrics of Bob Marley. Previous recipients of the award have included Machel Montano, Jimmy Cliff, Danny Glover, Judith Jamison, Spike Lee, and Jessye Norman.

The Inaugural Shirley Chisholm Award was presented to Yvette Clarke, Democratic Member of the House of Representatives from New York's 11th District whose Jamaican-born mother was a former New York Council Woman.

AFUWI also presented the Champions of Community Award to Paul Salmon, founder/chairman of Rockhouse Foundation; Dennis Hawthorne, CEO, Dennis Shipping; Finn Partners; The Kimberly Hotel; Christopher Roberts and Joan Lewis of The Door Restaurant; Sesame Flyers International and Earl Phillips, Secretary Treasurer, Transport Workers Union Local 100.