No Festival Song winner this year as contest misses beat
Published:Thursday | June 9, 2022 | 12:11 AM
Once a highlight of Independence celebrations, the song competition had long lost its lustre, falling off the tongues of the public with waning interest.
The Festival Song Competition, a decades-long staple of Jamaica’s annual Independence celebrations, has been scrubbed from the plethora of activities for the 60th anniversary milestone.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange told the country Wednesday that she was disappointed that the competition would not be held because the entries were substandard.
Grange made the announcement in Parliament on Tuesday while making her contribution to the 2022-2023 Sectoral Debate.
She also announced a raft of activities to celebrate Jamaica 60 in July and August.
Explaining why she had to pull the plug on the Festival Song Competition, Grange said that the panel that selects finalists for the annual event advised her that they were unable to choose 10 suitable songs from among the entries despite extending the deadline.
The ministry received 123 entries, which is fewer than the number submitted in the previous year.
Grange said that the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) will refund all entry fees. At the same time, the minister has instructed that the JCDC ramp up the Festival Song workshops over the next 12 months to ensure that the competition returns next year with outstanding entries.
“This disappointment comes after a period of tremendous growth for the Jamaica Festival Song Competition, which has seen the finalists in each of the last two years appearing on several music streaming services across the world and for the first time, earning royalties for the JCDC and the competitors,” Grange said.
So commendable were the entries last year that the Jamaica Festival Song album was included on a shortlist that was considered for nomination for the Reggae Grammy, Grange added.
However, Grange said that there was a silver lining behind this dark cloud.
“We will take the opportunity to produce a Jamaica 60 commemorative album with a mix of some of our leading reggae ambassadors and some of our emerging artistes,” the culture minister said.
Primarily a platform for amateur talent, organisers wooed established artistes to participate, with Buju Banton and Stacious winning the contest in the heights of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Commenting on plans for Emancipation and Independence, Grange said that Jamaica will invite special guests from Africa.
According to Grange, the highlight of the celebratory activities will be the establishment of the Jamaica 60 Independence Village at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
The Jamaica 60 Independence Village will host a week of activities beginning July 30 and culminating on Independence Day with the Grand Gala at the National Stadium.
Performers will be recruited from the Corporate Area and St Catherine for the event.
Other parishes will stage their own activities.
The Jamaica 60 Independence Village will feature daily activities and nightly entertainment, including the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Coronation, Mello Go Roun, a film night, and a Jamaica Music Through the Years Night, among other activities.
Emancipation Day will see the return of the float and street parade.
“We will welcome the return of masquerade bands, jonkunnu, and effigies in honour of our national heroes and cultural icons,” Grange said.