Shaggy connects with Ambassador Marks on monetising Jamaica’s culture

Award-winning reggae and dancehall artiste Orville ‘Shaggy’ Burrell will join Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States Audrey Marks as her special guest on the monthly chat series, ‘Lets Connect with Ambassador Marks’ on May 6, at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

In announcing Shaggy as her special guest, Marks stated that the upcoming online fireside chat will explore the concept of monetising Jamaica’s culture on the international market.

She further noted that Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora should be able to monetise Jamaican food, music, dance, fashion, athleticism, language and sense of humour.

“When I speak about the potential for monetisation, I’m not simply talking about becoming the next famous industry star, but about all areas of creating value, including the new value proposition on the market today, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTS), or just about any unique creative work for which there may be a buyer. We have seen millions being paid for NFTS - $69M for pictures put in a digital collage, $3M for Jack Dorsey’s first tweet,” Marks explained.

It is against this background that the ambassador has invited Shaggy, known for not only his music but also his understanding of the business of branding, to chat with members of the diaspora about monetising Brand Jamaica.

Commenting on the invitation, Shaggy said: “As a proud brand ambassador for Jamaica, Let’s Connect is an ideal platform for the diaspora to engage openly on such important matters as presenting and spreading our culture. Jamaica is one the most vibrant destination brands in the world and our culture is as unique as it is popular. I am looking forward to participating in these discussions with Ambassador Marks.”

‘Let’s Connect With Ambassador Marks’ offers members of the diaspora the opportunity to speak directly with the ambassador about issues that are of interest to them, as well as to be updated on the government’s policies and programmes and the activities of the embassy.