Celebrating The Legacy Of ‘Mr. Festival’, Hugh Nash

As Jamaicans celebrate the country’s 59^th anniversary of Independence this year, we reflect on the work and legacy of the late Hugh Nash, whose contribution to Jamaica’s Festival movement and overall cultural development has left an indelible mark on the country’s history and heritage.

Fondly called Mr. Festival, Mr. Nash pioneered the festival of activities we now enjoy every year to mark the Emancipation and Independence period.

Following Jamaica’s independence in 1962, then Minister of Development and Welfare, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga, invited a young and vibrant Hugh Nash to develop  a proposal to ensure that Jamaica’s culture would play an integral role in the upliftment of the lives of all citizens whether at home or abroad.

That was the beginning of what would become a more-than-five-decades-long career helping to grow and shape what are now staple events on Jamaica’s annual Independence calendar.

In 2015, JIS News spoke with Mr. Nash about his contribution to culture in Jamaica.

“The intention was that with Jamaica’s strategic position in the hemisphere, so close to Central and South America, it was felt that Jamaica had quite a future in developing national festivals that could attract clientele from outside.

“Plus, we have a substantial diaspora out there, and the early thinking was that Jamaicans abroad could easily see Independence time, Festival time, as a good time to take their holidays at home,” he noted.

Mr. Nash’s initial involvement led to the creation of what was known as the Festival Office in 1963. This was later changed to the Festival Commission in September 1968 with a mandate to encourage the annual Independence anniversary celebrations throughout the island as well as to foster the development of local talent.

In 1980, the entity’s mandate was expanded, and its name again changed to the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), with Mr. Nash appointed the first executive director.

“I came into the system in the second year, 1964, and worked on its basic outline and formation and structure, starting with a very small staff and with a set of competitions in the performing arts and exhibitions in art and craft and the celebratory activities,” he told JIS News.

Prior to the JCDC, the first recognised festival, which was staged islandwide for an entire year, was done as part of the celebrations for Jamaica’s 300^th anniversary as a member of the British empire.

Mr. Nash said his efforts were aimed at ensuring that the JCDC was not a seasonal agency.

“It picked up all the performing arts – music, speech, drama, dance, the visual and other art forms and used the preparation towards the Independence anniversary celebrations as a period of training throughout the parishes and then melding that into the festivities of Independence. The whole initial aim was to make our people conscious about the importance of Independence and, at the same time, use the JCDC as a training and development outfit in the whole area of our culture,” he outlined.

Mr. Nash was also involved in the organisation of Things Jamaica, which gave Jamaican craftsmen, women and artisans support for development, trade, and export.

He also helped to establish the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT), which succeeded the National Trust Commission, and has been a critical partner of the JCDC in the development of Jamaica’s cultural industry.

“The intangible cultural heritage, what our people carried forward in their heads, that became a strong part of the operations of the JCDC working in close collaboration with its sister agency, the JNHT, which is more responsible for the tangible heritage,” Mr. Nash noted.

Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange, in her tribute to Mr. Nash, described him as a true Jamaican patriot whose energy and commitment to nation-building knew no bounds, noting that he gave tireless service to the land of his birth.

Senior Advisor in the Culture and Entertainment Ministry, Lenford Salmon, said that the country has lost another cultural giant, noting that Nash was instrumental in unearthing hidden talents across the island.

“People talk about Boys and Girls’ Champs and what it has done for athletics, and not too much has been said about the Festival movement to make Jamaica a cultural superpower across the world.

“It started in that festival movement and one of those persons to give thanks to for that is one gentleman called Hugh Nash,” he noted.

Mr. Nash died in July at age 90. His legacy lives on with every festival season and every individual who celebrates our country’s heritage.