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Jamaica 60 cultural tour launched in Florida

Published:Thursday | April 21, 2022 | 12:06 AM
From left: David Muir, chairman of Island SPACE Museum; Jacqueline Knight, Top Klass Events; Judy Paul, mayor of Davie, Florida; Consul General of Jamaica-Miami, Oliver Mair (behind Paul); Steve Higgins, executive producer, Jamaica-60 Cultural Tour; Lisa A
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From left: David Muir, chairman of Island SPACE Museum; Jacqueline Knight, Top Klass Events; Judy Paul, mayor of Davie, Florida; Consul General of Jamaica-Miami, Oliver Mair (behind Paul); Steve Higgins, executive producer, Jamaica-60 Cultural Tour; Lisa Alvarez, pageant director; Phillip Rose, regional director, Jamaica Tourist Board and Gustavo Padrino, Broward Center of the Performing Arts.

Steve Higgins Productions kicked off its diaspora celebration with the launch of the Jamaica 60 cultural series, titled the ‘Love & Nostalgia Tour’, commemorating Jamaica’s diamond jubilee. The launch was held at the Robbin’s Lodge in Davie, Florida.

The tour is endorsed by the Government of Jamaica, while the patron is Consul General of Jamaica to the Southeast USA, Oliver Mair, and the consulates of Miami and New York as well as the high commissions of London and Canada are all strategic partners.

Higgins and his team, comprising sopranos Dahlia Wynter and April Marr as well as dancer/choreographer Amaya Lewis, will be conducting workshops and performing at concerts. Further, they will participate in multicultural festivals and concerts hosted by various consulates, high commissions and community organisations.

The organisers say that it is designed to be a narrative of Jamaica’s history through music, and a way to pass the culture down to second- and third-generation Jamaicans.

PASSING ON CULTURE

“We will reach the children of Jamaican ancestry and teach them their own culture, which they may be at risk to lose,” Higgins said. “[It] is an educational exposé on Jamaican folk music and features every aspect of Jamaican life, including love, labrish, spirituality, slavery and celebrations. The songs, such as Day-O, Manuel Road, Dis Long Time Gal, Colon Man and Fan Mi Soldier Man, are indigenous to Jamaica and come from a mixture of influences – African, British, Spanish, the Maroons and Jamaica’s indigenous people, the Tainos.”

The events will be live and interactive to engage and enlighten all parties.

Higgins, who is a tenor soloist, musician, actor and producer, has been singing and touring for over 30 years. While living in Jamaica, he sang with the internationally acclaimed Jamaican Folk Singers. He was recently awarded the Proclamation from his hometown of Davie, Florida, and has also received Special Congressional Recognition by the United States Congress for outstanding and invaluable service to communities.

In 2001, Higgins founded the South Florida Caribbean Chorale.