Gov’t Allocates $300 Million for ‘Jamaica 50’

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) has received an allocation of $300 million to fund the ‘Jamaica 50’ celebrations in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives.

The aim of this project is to establish a legacy that will spur Jamaicans to the kinds of actions that will assure the country of future sustainability and prosperity. 

Among the objectives are: to strengthen and enhance the cultural identity of the Jamaican people; to provide space for reflection and meditation on the achievements, struggles, challenges and aspirations of Jamaicans; and to create opportunities for economic advancement through the planning and implementation of trade fairs, market penetration activities, expositions and festivals.

The celebrations also seek to engage the Jamaican Diaspora in initiatives towards national development; foster and promote heritage preservation and product enhancement for the expansion of the tourism market and the economic capacity of the Jamaican economy; and promote Jamaica as a world class culture and destination for music, film, theatre arts, festivals, and events, sports, design, fashion.

Jamaica 50 is being celebrated under the theme: ‘A nation on a mission’.

By Latonya Linton, JIS Reporter