Grand cost for Gala

The Jamaica 60 Independence celebrations cost taxpayers $403.6 million with the popular Grand Gala, held at the National Stadium, accounting for 31 per cent, or $129 million, of that spend.

Over in Montego Bay, St James, the Western Gala was staged at a cost of $14 million at Harmony Beach Park and Garden.

The details of the celebrations bill were disclosed following a Gleaner Access to Information (ATI) request.

The information was released 16 months after the newspaper made the enquiry through the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

Denzil Thorpe, one of the two permanent secretaries in the culture ministry, declined to comment on the overall expenditure when contacted by The Gleaner on Monday, noting that he would not go further than the information released.

He said the documents were vetted by him and portfolio Minister Olivia Grange.

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), as the executing agency, entered into 200 contracts for Grand Gala, the ministry said, but it did not provide the full list of contractors as requested by The Gleaner.

Direct contracting

The document showed that the JCDC entered into 56 contracts to stage the western event but it remained unclear who the individuals are or which companies were contracted to stage the gala in Kingston.

Michael Holgate was hired as the artistic director at a cost of $1 million to oversee the event in the capital city.

“We utilised the direct contracting method in keeping with the First Schedule of the Procurement Act 2015 and the GOJ Handbook of Public Sector Procurement Procedures (Volume 1, Section 1.2.1.),” the ministry said.

The acquisition or rental of land, existing buildings, or other immovable property or the rights thereon; procurement of works of art; artistic and cultural performances; creative products and services associated with the staging of cultural productions and services in support of, and associated with the staging of cultural events – including but not limited to artistic coordination, direction and management of artistic works and events; management of Intellectual Property Rights; health and medical services; venue rental; infrastructure and technical effects; design, technical direction, artistes and performers; contracts of employment – are not subject to the procedures contained in the handbook.

It also means that where costs fall below the procurement threshold, direct contracting is permitted.

A total of $98.3 million was spent on the Emancipation Day Float and Street Parade which the ministry said covered design, material, labour, rental of equipment and vehicles, transport, entertainment, television production, streaming, costumes, catering, security, and all associated costs.

More specifically, $6 million was doled out on six “special” music trucks from Zoukie Trucking Services Limited.

Further, the ministry spent $56.3 million on the Jamaica 60 Independence Village, outlining that this covered equipment and facility, stage, lighting, performers costs, electrical services, catering, transport, video production, promotion, labour, and all associated costs for seven events over the period July 29 to August 6.

For the Jamaica 60 Festival Song Competition, $17.7 million was spent, while the staging of the Jamaica 60 Gospel Star Competition cost $19 million.

The ministry said the Festival Queen programme, which includes the Jamaica Festival Queen Coronation and a number of preliminary competitions, amounted to $27 million.

Meanwhile, US$120,000, or $18 million, was expended to put on the 300-drone display which, the ministry said, was covered by LYNX/NCB, JAMDEX, CHASE Fund and JCDC. This formed part of the $129 million the ministry said it spent to host the Grand Gala.

The drone display was executed by US and Jamaica-based company Reel Media.

Industry players shied away from commenting on the $400-million price tag but economist Keenan Falconer told The Gleaner on Monday that the Government was well positioned to fund Jamaica 60 celebrations in 2022.

Falconer, who is assigned to the Local Office of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the Bank of Jamaica, said this is because, by the 2022-23 financial year, revenues had recovered materially after the initial COVID-shock, given the increase in economic activity.

“However, given that the budgetary allocation to Culture generally falls in the bottom three ministries, with no provisions for capital expenditure, its ability to fund recurrent expenditure such as Emancipendence celebrations is premised largely on its ability to attract corporate sponsorship,” he said.

“It’s no surprise then that some of the costs – especially for new single line items such as the drone show – would have been partially underwritten by the private sector,” he added.

Furthermore, he said with the normally elevated expenditure in major anniversary years such as Jamaica 50, 55 and 60, “the total doesn’t seem inconsistent when juxtaposed against celebrations in years between major anniversaries”.

Falconer said while it is ultimately difficult to gauge the direct monetary benefit of such an outlay of expenditure, it is expected that some indirect returns would accrue at the micro level to suppliers and contractors of the various services provided.

“Our decision as a country is always going to be that of weighing the costs versus the sustainable benefits,” argued Dr Sonjah Stanley Niaah, cultural studies lecturer at The University of the West Indies.

“Jamaica’s 60th anniversary was a special one, and the price tag was by any measure a big one,” she told The Gleaner yesterday.

She asserted that Independence celebrations are important timelines to take stock and re-energise the work around culture, noting that there has been a steady erosion of aspects over the last two decades.

According to the senior lecturer, it is barely understood that cultural identity is what anchors people to a place and gives them an understanding of their place in the world.

She said Jamaica, as a country with relatively few resources invested in cultural work, cultural preservation, cultural infrastructure and cultural events, is globally recognised as a cultural superpower.

Stanley Niaah said with relatively low investment in culture, this status was achieved on the backs of ordinary Jamaicans who have been the vessels carrying cultural assets and memories for generations.

There comes a time, however, she asserted, when structures need to be put in place for preservation and augmentation of cultural assets in light of the erosion witnesses in the last 20 years.

Stanley Niaah said the virtual disappearance of masquerade groups such as Jonkonnu performers, traditional dance moves, and certain foodways, is an indication that there is much work to be done.

“I would like to see more effort being put into nurturing the development of traditional groups in rural areas from which some of the most spectacular cultural assets have emerged,” she said of the Jamaica 60 celebrations.

“I would have liked to have seen resources made available for sustainable engagement of performing arts as a medium for social change throughout our schools. I think we could have used some resources to engage through school tours leading up to Jamaica 60 on the centrality of Independence celebrations and the meaning of sovereignty,” she added.

Further, she said while major celebrations were held in Kingston and Montego Bay with parish events held elsewhere, the bulk of the spending was directed to events in the capital city.

“It will be important moving forward to spread the resources to stem cultural underinvestment in some parishes,” Stanley Niaah said.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com