‘Greetings Across the World’ - A Jamaican Christmas tradition

For years, popular Christmas prime time feature ‘ Greetings Across the World’ (GATW) has helped to connect families through greetings recorded in the diaspora and broadcast across Jamaica.

It has given many a glimpse of their long-lost relatives at a time when they need it the most: the holidays.

For producer of the feature, Krystia Royes, “it’s moments like those that propel us to continue”.

The feature was created by her father, Clarence Royes, a filmmaker, with his own production company, in 1987. It emerged from his own longing for home in Jamaica after emigrating many years before.

“He went to school in England, and he was there by himself. Although he was with other people from the Caribbean, he was missing home. He told me a story about how his mother would sit and listen to the radio and the greetings that would come across at times. But in those days when people emigrated, they barely saw each other, so he thought it would be great if they could actually see, not just hear, each other,” Royes related.

34-YEAR PARTNERSHIP

“It took off from there, and Jamaica National (JN) got involved and remains our partner 34 years later,” she continued.

The effort was a natural fit, Leon Mitchell, general manager of the Jamaica National Group, who played an integral part in the establishment of JN’s representative offices in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the US in those early years, said, given the organisation’s strong relationship and thrust to foster Jamaica’s connection with its diaspora.

“It was a unique way to keep families and friends connected, most of whom had not seen each other in many years, and as the organisation helping to maintain those relationships, we saw it as a means of further strengthening that movement,” Mitchell said.

The show, which traditionally showcased Jamaicans overseas simply sending greetings to their loved ones in Jamaica on screen, remains popular at Christmas time and is aired throughout December to early January.

But similar to other ventures in 2020, ‘GATW’ has not been unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In previous years, the crew would travel to various diaspora markets to film. However, with restrictions in place in some countries, travelling abroad was not practical this year. Therefore, the production team has launched an initiative to invite persons, locally and overseas, to send their videos to the ‘GATW’ team.

“They can simply videotape their greetings and send it to us,” Royes said.

The show, which has become a part of the modern Jamaican Christmas tradition, will be aired from December 4 to January 6, 2021.

For instructions about how to send videos, visit jngroup.com/gatw .