Entertainment Sector Doing Well – State Minister Crawford

State Minister in the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Damion Crawford, is expressing satisfaction with the progress of the entertainment industry.

Citing the dancehall sector in particular, Mr. Crawford says that while there are some negatives, which must be addressed, these are far outweighed by the positives.

He says the dancehall culture, apart from displaying another side of the Jamaican people, proves that the entertainment industry remains very alive and democratic.

“I am pleased about it. The fact of the matter is it is a democratic industry. You want an industry that people can enter and exit quite easily. You don’t want an industry that blocks people because of rules or money. We are a people that believe in equality and democracy. Entertainment is the greatest example of that…not everyone can become a hotel owner…however, we can easily say we are going to be a DJ and the market will decide if we are good or bad,” he argues.

Mr. Crawford, who was speaking in an interview with JIS News, notes that dance hall has opened up doors for many entertainers, especially from the inner-cities. He says that the Government has no intention of denying easy access to the sector.

He cites the example of the popular song ‘A Yah Suh Nice’, which was released on a cell phone and through social media, the recording became one of the most popular songs in the country.

“I have no intention to stop the ease in which persons can participate in the industry, the market will decide of persons are acceptable or unacceptable. “A Yah So Nice” was released on a phone and was one of the biggest hits in its time,” he states.

The Junior Minister, while acknowledging the concerns surrounding the dancehall culture, says that one cannot ignore the net benefits of the sector for those involved.

“Of course, no industry has all good…we have a net benefit in entertainment and we are net exporters of entertainment activities and I do not believe that our (dancehall) artistes are any less important today than they were before. The causes might not exist as before, but our artistes are still very well renowned and still much appreciated,” he states.

Meanwhile, Mr. Crawford says that the Ministry’s ‘Jamrock Summer – 90 Days 90 Ways’ programme is expected to introduce new artistes to the Jamaica market.

The programme, which was launched earlier this month, is aimed at boosting Jamaica’s position as a year round entertainment destination and will see a major push being made over 90 days towards the attraction of international visitors to Jamaica as well as encouraging Jamaicans to support local entertainment activities across the country.

The initiative covers the months of June, July and August.