Jamaica’s 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner, Kwame McPherson, has been invited to attend Buckingham Palace as a guest of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS). Mr. McPherson, a prolific writer, is the first Jamaican to win the prestigious prize. His award-wining story, ‘Ocoee’, is a mixture of Caribbean folklore and African American history. “We are delighted to invite you to...

One hundred and fifty-eight years ago, Baptist Deacon, Paul Bogle, led a march from Stony Gut to the Morant Bay courthouse in St. Thomas, to protest the living conditions of the people. Just before those events of October 11, 1865, the National Hero had taken on the more than 40km journey by foot from Stony Gut to Spanish Town to...

One hundred and fifty early childhood practitioners now have a chance to improve their skills in delivering effective learning programmes, free of cost. This follows the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund’s donation of $8 million to the United Way of Jamaica (UWJ), a not-for-profit organisation focused on improving the quality of early childhood education. Chief Executive Officer...

The name Justine Henzell is rooted in the parish of St. Elizabeth, particularly Treasure Beach, where she co-founded the renowned Calabash International Literary Festival in 2001. The daughter of the late filmmaker Perry Henzell of the ‘Harder They Come’ fame, Miss Henzell was not born in Treasure Beach but fell in love with the area in her childhood days when...

Local tourism industry stakeholders have joined the many persons globally paying tribute to late American singer and songwriter, Jimmy Buffett, who passed away on September 1 at age 76. The significance of the sentiments resonating locally is grounded in the fact that Mr. Buffett’s hit, ‘Margaritaville’, was instrumental in the establishment of one of Jamaica’s and the Caribbean’s most popular...

Newly appointed Executive Director for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Lenford Salmon, says he wants to see more investments in culture. He notes that the sector contributes to Jamaica’s gross domestic product (GDP) as much as any other. “There’s a job to be done to convince those with the purse strings to invest more in culture. We have to...

For many Jamaicans living abroad, the country’s Independence Day is just another day. However, for 70-year-old Judy Jackson, a Registered Nurse Practitioner with a heart deeply rooted in her homeland, that historic day of August 6, 1962, is etched in her memory and continues to shape her life and inspire her to overcome challenges with unwavering determination. Recounting her childhood...

A name change, perhaps, did the trick for this year’s Festival Song winner ‘Slashe’, the artist formerly known as ‘Iceman’. His song, ‘Best in the World’ took the top prize of $3 million, beating out an impressive field of 11 entries, including ‘Mr. Festival,’ seven-time winner of the competition, Eric Donaldson. The 2023 Festival Song winner, who entered the competition...

The Festival Song Competition, a traditional and long-standing feature since 1966, stands as a vibrant expression of the country’s rich cultural heritage. Conceived to create an original musical form that would encapsulate the spirit of Jamaica and celebrate the nation's sovereignty, the competition provides a platform for local musicians to showcase their talent and contribute to the preservation of Jamaican...