New date for crowning of reggae queens

The Queens Of Reggae Islands Honorary Ceremonies (QORIHC), scheduled for October 23 at Courtleigh Auditorium in Kingston, has been postponed.

In making the announcement, Laurell Nurse, founder and chief organiser of the event, said that inadequate funding forced her to make that unfortunate decision.

Fourteen ‘queens’ from various areas of the entertainment sector were to be honoured at the event’s sixth staging. According to Nurse, funds from a prospective sponsor did not materialise, which resulted in the postponement.

She added that a new date for QORIHC will be announced by year-end, but hinted that it will most likely be at the beginning of April. In the interim, she plans to seek committed sponsorship which will help ensure solid promotion of the event in Jamaica and the diaspora.

Nurse said she is “very, very sad” at the turn of events but sees a silver lining in the cloud.

“It has propelled a new motivation to make this wonderful event more known to the public. It’s going to be held either in late March or early April,” she stated.

Nurse noted that she is encouraged by the support of the queens who, while expressing disappointment, understood her dilemma.

The inaugural staging of QORIHC was held in 2016 in Kingston. Pioneer deejay Sister Nancy and Jamaica’s current entertainment minister, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, were among the awardees.

The last event was held in 2019 and the honourees were veteran actress Leonie Forbes; former lead singer of The Grace Thrillers, Shirley Willis; artiste manager, Claudette Kemp; singer, Judy Mowatt; international model, Stacey McKenzie; businesswoman, Tina Matalon; businesswoman, Kelly Upsetter; poet, Cherry Natural; music video director, Scorpio 21; broadcaster, Elise Kelly; dancer, Keiva The Diva; recording artiste, Ce’Cile; public relations practitioner/marketer, Coleen Douglas and social media influencer/blogger Lauren O Lauren.