• Category

  • Content Type

Advertisement

Unveiling of Bolt statue set for October 13 during Heritage Week

By: , October 5, 2017

The Key Point:

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced that the unveiling of the statue of the world’s greatest athlete, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, will take place on Friday, 13 October 2017 at the National Stadium.

The Facts

  • The statue of Usain Bolt is the first of four statues of national sports stars that were commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport under the Jamaica 55 Legacy Programme.
  • Heritage Week officially begins on Sunday, 8 October 2017 with the National Heritage Week Interfaith Service at the University Chapel, Mona starting at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

The Full Story

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced that the unveiling of the statue of the world’s greatest athlete, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, will take place on Friday, 13 October 2017 at the National Stadium.

“The unveiling is [set for] 5:30 on Friday (afternoon) …following that will be a reception in honour of our track and field athletes who went to the World Championships in August,” said Minister Grange.

Minister Grange extended an invitation to the public to attend the unveiling ceremony:

“The public is invited. We’re asking that they come out early and give Usain all their love and appreciation and to get the first look at the life size statue that will be unveiled of Usain Bolt. And I know they will not be disappointed.”

The bronze sculpture was designed by renowned Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson and arrived in the island “during the past 24 hours,” according to the Minister.

The statue of Usain Bolt is the first of four statues of national sports stars that were commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport under the Jamaica 55 Legacy Programme.

The reception for the World Championship team (which is a private event) and the unveiling of the Bolt statue highlight activities for the celebration of Heritage Week.

“Heritage Week will be massive,” said Minister Grange who highlighted that there will be a National Reparations Youth Baton Relay, beginning in Heritage Week, and organised by the National Council on Reparations as part of the public education programme about the Government’s reparations agenda. “We will have Dr Julius Garvey (son of National Hero Marcus Garvey) visiting during this period and there will be a run with athletes across the island to take the message of reparations to the people of Jamaica,” said Minister Grange.

The National Reparations Youth Baton Relay will be staged over three months.

Additionally, Heritage Week activities will highlight Jamaica’s rich heritage in music, sport and literature. The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, the National Library of Jamaica and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust are organising a series of activities in every parish; while the Ministry is staging a Heritage Concert “From Kete to Reggae” on Saturday, 14 Oct 2017 at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, starting at 7pm.

Heritage Week officially begins on Sunday, 8 October 2017 with the National Heritage Week Interfaith Service at the University Chapel, Mona starting at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

 

Last Updated: October 5, 2017

Skip to content