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French Festival to Feature Jamaica

By: , March 3, 2004

The Key Point:

A unique festival to celebrate the opening of a community centre, the La Condition Publique, in the French town Roubaix, will have Jamaican culture as its focal point.

The Facts

  • Called I-Land, the festival will last from May 15 to July 18 and its organizers, the La Condition Publique, have said they would seek to explore and contrast elements of life in Roubaix with elements of life in Kingston, and elements of life in France with elements of life in Jamaica as a whole.In a release, La Condition Publique said like Kingston, Roubaix has experienced many social and economic challenges.
  • "However, as with the citizens of Roubaix, the people of Kingston and the rest of the Jamaican nation have an inspiring ability to overcome adversity and this ability is one of the key elements we seek to highlight in the I-Land festival," it said.

The Full Story

A unique festival to celebrate the opening of a community centre, the La Condition Publique, in the French town Roubaix, will have Jamaican culture as its focal point.

Called I-Land, the festival will last from May 15 to July 18 and its organizers, the La Condition Publique, have said they would seek to explore and contrast elements of life in Roubaix with elements of life in Kingston, and elements of life in France with elements of life in Jamaica as a whole.In a release, La Condition Publique said like Kingston, Roubaix has experienced many social and economic challenges.

“However, as with the citizens of Roubaix, the people of Kingston and the rest of the Jamaican nation have an inspiring ability to overcome adversity and this ability is one of the key elements we seek to highlight in the I-Land festival,” it said.

The I-Land festival is expected to feature Jamaican music and art forms. La Condition Publique will host the European debut of ‘Island Revolution: Jamaican Rhythm from Ska to Reggae, 1956-82’. There will also be a focus on Jamaican ‘Sound Systems’, looking at the influence of pioneers like King Jammy’s Hi Power and Studio One’s Clement ‘Sir Coxson’ Dodd, and a variety of singers and selectors.

There will be a discussion session and workshops on the importance of the ‘Sound System’ to Jamaican music, the development and influence of Jamaican music as well as discussions on the Rastafarian Faith.

The food focus of the festival will be on ‘Ital’ cooking and the festival will feature an on site ‘Ital’ restaurant with resident chefs expected to be Angelina and Patrick Frasier from the Lion of Judah restaurant in Cross Roads in Kingston.

The organisers said Jamaican ‘street painter’, Jah Bones from Greenwich Farm is scheduled to be the resident painter with his mural depicting various aspects of the I-Land festival and his interpretation of life in Kingston.

“In putting together the I-Land festival, we ultimately hope to further a deeper understanding of Jamaica’s incredibly vibrant and complex heritage,” the release said.

Last Updated: June 19, 2019

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