Ethiopian Prince Special Guest for National Heritage Week

Chairman of the Ethiopia Crown Council, His Imperial Highness, Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie, will be Jamaica’s special guest for National Heritage Week.

The Prince, who is the grandson of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I, is expected to arrive in Jamaica on Thursday, October 13, for a week of official engagements.

He will be accompanied on his trip to Jamaica by his wife, Princess Woizero Saba Kebede.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, made the disclosure while speaking in the House of Representatives on October 11.

She said the Prince will meet with the nation’s leaders, including the Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen; Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang; Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding; as well as members of the Ethiopian and Rastafari communities.

He is expected to tour the National Gallery and the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, Liberty Hall. He will also attend a reception hosted by Honorary Consul of Ethiopia in Jamaica, Yodit Hylton, on Friday, October 14.

The Prince will receive the Keys to the City of Montego Bay during a civic ceremony on Saturday, October 15. Later that day, he will visit Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann, where he is expected to lay flowers.

He is also expected to attend the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Sunday, October 16, as well as the interfaith National Heritage Day Church Service. He will visit Dub Club, National Heroes Park, for the shrine lighting display, as well as the National Honours and Awards ceremony.

Meanwhile, Minister Grange said the itinerary for Sheryl Lee Ralph, who will also be a special guest, has been completed.

The main activity for National Heritage Week takes place on National Heroes Day, Monday, October 17, when Jamaicans will be honoured and awarded for their service at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony, at King’s House.

The week is being celebrated under the theme ‘Reigniting Greatness through our Heritage’.

Minister Grange thanked the Honorary Consul of Ethiopia in Jamaica for her efforts in the arrangement for the visit of the Prince.

She said the country’s heritage has heralded trailblazers and trendsetters, as well as the creation of cultural forms that the world respects.

“Kingston has been recognised as a world creative city of music. The music of the Moore Town Maroons has been named among the world’s intangible heritage, and reggae music has also been inscribed among the intangible heritage of humanity,” the Minister noted.

“We continue our tradition of excellence in global sports and culture and have given the world a tourism product of global acclaim, because of its entrenchment within the cultural ethos and heritage of our people. We will continue to reignite greatness through our heritage. It is our determination that this glorious heritage is passed on to our children through education, policy and practice,” she said.

Ms. Grange recognised and celebrated the various groups that have contributed to Jamaica’s heritage.

The Minister said the National Council on Reparation has been holding consultations with the Ministry of Education and Youth to collaborate on a platform that will ensure that the nation’s children become aware of the great traditions and heritage Jamaicans celebrate.