Jamaica A Global Cultural Power – Hanna

Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna, says Jamaica’s hosting of some very prominent world leaders last year is a growing testament to the island’s cultural strength and global appeal.

Speaking to JIS News following the official opening of the Rio Hoe Community Cultural Centre in Moneague, St. Ann, on February 18, the Minister said the island did very well culturally last year and is now standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the most developed countries in the world.

“It is worth noting that United States President Barack Obama’s first official stop on his way from the Norman Manley International Airport was at the Bob Marley Museum where he declared that he still has all of Bob’s albums,” Ms. Hanna said.

Prime Minister of Japan, His Excellency Shinzo Abe, during his visit to the island in September, also toured the Bob Marley Museum.

Ms. Hanna said Morgan Heritage’s Grammy win For Best Reggae Album is further evidence of the global power of the country’s music.

“Our music has become such a global force to the point where we are seeing spin-offs in the tourism sector,” she said.

She noted that the designation of Blue and John Crow Mountains as a World Heritage Site and Kingston being named a creative city for music will provide further economic boost for the country.

“You can actually feel where our country has taken off and it is not by coincidence that we have been attracting the attention of some very influential world leaders,” she added.