Reggae Month highlights the best of Ja - McIntosh calls for support of annual celebration amid talk of relevance, boycott
Published:Wednesday | February 3, 2021 | 12:22 AM
There is work to be done but much to celebrate. Those are the words of Howard McIntosh, chairman of the Entertainment Advisory Board, as he spoke to the relevance of Reggae Month, particularly now, when members of the entertainment industry are facing increasing losses due to the closure of the entertainment industry.
“Reggae Month has been around now for 14 years, and it continues to build. The purpose of Reggae Month is that we ensure people understand and appreciate the music that we have given to the world, and to showcase it to the best of our abilities during a particular time period,” said McIntosh, who is also a member of the Ministry of Tourism’s Sports and Entertainment Network.
In an interview with THE STAR last week, Winston ‘Wee Pow’ Powell of the legendary Stone Love sound system, and host of Weddy Weddy Wednesdays, said that after seeing what little regard the Government has for the entertainment industry, he felt he had good reasons to boycott the upcoming Reggae Month celebrations. Describing the delay in getting the entertainment industry up and running again as “neglect” on the part of the powers that be, Wee Pow said he wanted nothing to do with Reggae Month.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I am looking for the reopening to happen right now, not in a few months. Sadly, the events industry is being neglected – the Government not doing anything for the events industry, take it from a forerunner. Because of that neglect, me nuh even want to hear nothing bout Reggae Month, me a boycott it,” he told THE STAR.
WORK TO BE DONE
But, with the month designated to celebrate the contributions of reggae having kick-started on Monday, McIntosh has come out to encourage industry insiders away from that school of thought. Indicating that he was in no way singling out Powell, who made the comments about boycotting the month, he said much work needs to be done in structuring the entertainment industry.
“There is a lot of work that needs to be done where the industry is concerned, but there are a number of persons who have jumped up and said they are a part of an industry, but they have not really contributed to the industry. They don’t necessarily join the institutions, they don’t become a part of the ecosystem and, therefore, they don’t become a part of the conversation. And now when we have run into a major issue, they are saying we should do this and that. That cannot be the approach,” he said.
Pointing out that it should be the consensus among every member of the industry that celebrating Reggae Month is a good thing, McIntosh went on to encourage players to do just that.
“I never dwell on the negatives and so I am going to call on everyone to support Reggae Month. Attend the symposiums, attend some of the activities, the events – to try and ensure that the purpose of the month is achieved, and that purpose is highlighting and showcasing Jamaica as the home of reggae and the only place people can really ‘ketch the riddim’,” he said.
He said the focus should be highlighting the success of the past and building for the future. “I am calling on everyone not to get into discussions about boycotting, not to entertain discussions on other things. Let us now highlight those things that have really gotten us to where we are and figure out how we build and how we go forward.” McIntosh pointed out that although he understands the frustrations many industry players are facing right now, he admits that moving as a united force may be the only thing that gets the Government’s attention now.
“We can encourage the Government to give the necessary considerations to the industry. So I would flip what he (Wee Pow) said to say this, let us force the conversations surrounding the industry and ensure that the Government gives the necessary considerations to entertainment, to music and to the creative sector. Put forward proposals for them to consider and let’s see how the Government responds because at the end of the day, it is an important sector that everybody is realising is much more important than originally thought.”
With proposals on the reopening of the entertainment industry already submitted to the Government, news is expected this week on the way forward.