Record donations for Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise book drive

For the eighth consecutive year, the Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise (WTJRC) community admirably responded to requests for book donations as part of its annual drive to support the Jamaica Library Service.

Approximately 1,500 books were presented to the Jamaica Library Service during a recent handover ceremony at the Ocho Rios Branch Library on Thursday, when the cruise docked in St Ann.

Students from Milford Basic, Ocho Rios Primary, Ocho Rios Preparatory and Ocho Rios high schools welcomed members of the WTJRC team including Cindy Breakspeare, mother of cruise captain, Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley. Reggae-dancehall artistes Tifa and Yaksta, both of whom were on the roster, joined in on the proceedings, giving words of advice and encouragement to the students.

In her remarks, Breakspeare spoke about her son’s commitment to the Jamaica Library Service. She says that, her son pledges to, “do all he can to put as much information and knowledge at your disposal, [so] that you can become the best person you can be to function in the world that we live in today”.

She also noted that if the cruise is able to make a similar donation next year, the library will be in need of more shelves.

WTJRC has proudly donated more than 2,500 books through its annual book drive since 2015. This year, the team was delighted to report that it received one of the highest numbers of donations of new and gently used fiction and non-fiction books.

Make a commitment

“The book drive is one of the aspects of the cruise that I am most proud of. Anybody can book artistes and have a show, but when you take it one step further to make a commitment to do something like this for generations to come, it becomes part of your legacy, as well. Now, the books are stamped and there is also a Jamrock bookmarker. It is our honour, it is our privilege and it is our duty as citizens of this country to do things of this nature to support anyone who is making this kind of effort,” Breakspeare said.

Regional director at the Jamaica Library Service, Merlene Walker, thanked the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise supporters and stakeholders for their donations. She also highlighted the importance of reading in the development of the nation’s youths and building a knowledge base.

“The partnership forged with Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise has been a valuable one and has contributed to reading and literacy in our nation. Prior to today’s donation, more than 2,500 volumes for young adults and children had been donated since 2015,” she expressed.

Walker used the opportunity to extend gratitude to the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise for its support of the service for the National Reading Competition which was staged earlier this year.

“Every time you open a book you get a different spin to the story. Please extend our thanks to Jr Gong for giving support to the Jamaica Library Service and its reading competitions. We look forward to all of your support at the national and local level. The gift of a book is one that you can open over and over again, which is the reason we welcome this type of donation. It is our business to provide information for all reasons, from recreational to educational, donations like these help us to meet our goals,” she said.

This year’s diverse book collection featured timeless classics like Dr Seuss and Enid Blyton, alongside narratives showcasing strong female leads, African pride, and modern favourites such as Harry Potter and Hung er Games.