Thousands of Jamaicans Celebrate at Grand Gala
By: , August 8, 2023
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Terry Salmon (left) and Dalton Spence, celebrate Jamaica’s 61st Independence anniversary, during the Grand Gala at the National Stadium on August 6.
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Members of the grammy winning reggae group, Morgan Heritage, perform after being honoured for their work during the Grand Gala held at the National Stadium on Independence Day (August 6).
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right) and his wife, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness (centre), with Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, following their arrival at the Independence Day Grand Gala held on Sunday, August 6, at the National Stadium in St. Andrew.
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Wife of the Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness (left) and Member of Parliament, St. Catherine Eastern, Denise Daley, who represented the Leader of the Opposition, enjoy the festivities during the Independence Day Grand Gala at the National Stadium on August 6.
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Members of the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force, on parade during yesterday’s (August 6) Independence Day Grand Gala, held at the National Stadium, in St. Andrew.
Photo: Rudranath Fraser
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre) stands at attention as the flag is raised by members of the Jamaica Defence Force, during the singing of the National Anthem at the Independence Grand Gala, held at the National Stadium in St. Andrew on August 6. He is joined by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Clifford Blake (third right); Chief of Defence Staff, Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman (second right); and Chief Justice, Hon. Bryan Sykes.The Full Story
Thousands of Jamaicans clad in the national colours, black, green, and gold, turned up at the National Stadium to celebrate the country’s 61st year of Independence on August 6.
The patrons were treated to renditions showcasing the best of Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage through song and dance, with an exciting array of performances featuring singers, deejays, and dancers.
The audience exuberantly waved Jamaican flags, blew horns, rocked, and swayed in response to the mix of dancehall, mento, gospel, reggae and soca music featured in this year’s Grand Gala.
Hundreds of thousands of others tuned into the event in the virtual space.
Addressing journalists, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness said he was delighted to see how many persons turned out for this year’s event.
“I am very happy with the crowd. The crowd is very energetic, very engaged. I am very pleased that we have sought to acknowledge Morgan Heritage, which is one of the groups, in my opinion that have been carrying the flag very high for inspirational, cultural, and conscious reggae music. In other words, you could call them authentic,” the Prime Minister stated
He said personally, the country’s 61st anniversary of Independence represents growth and maturity of the nation.
“It’s a nation coming into its own in terms of its economy, its institutions, its culture. Jamaica, we’re coming into our own and we are developing the capacity to overcome the challenges,” Mr. Holness stated.
The Prime Minister urged Jamaicans to always have a positive outlook, despite the challenges they may be faced with.
“There are challenges in our country…but we are overcoming them, in the process of overcoming, it may seem chaotic, it might sometime even seem distressful, but we must remain positive,” he stated.
“With that positive outlook which you can see here…, everyone here has a positive view of their country. We have a positive view of our culture…once we take a positive view as a people, a positive reality will materialize and that’s my message, think positively,” he added.
Some of the performers at the Grand Gala included 2023 Festival Song winner, Slashe, Roy Rayon, Tessanne Chin and Mass Choir, Shuga, Morgan Heritage, Machel Montana, Kukudoo, Valiant, Ding Dong and RoseDon.
Veteran Reggae band, Morgan Heritage, received the Reggae Icon Award, while soca icon, Machel Montano was presented with the Keys to the City of Kingston.
Homage was also paid to actor, singer, songwriter and social activist, the late Harry Belafonte.
Meanwhile, patron, Dalton Spence also known as ‘Mr. Pot Cover’ said he normally attends the event with his pot covers in hand to celebrate the occasion.
“I come to these events all the while with my pot covers. It is an opportunity to celebrate the greatness of Jamaica. The knocking of the pot cover signifies celebrating greatness and all that we are as Jamaicans. We are great in athletics, medicine, in many areas we are making an impact and every time me knock me pot cover, it’s to celebrate that…with my fellow Jamaicans,” he shared with JIS News.
Terry Salmon told JIS News that she usually performs during the event, noting that she was enthused about the whole night. “I don’t know what to expect but I’m expecting everything with enthusiasm and love for Jamaica,” she said.
Another spectator, Ramone Reid, said he was enjoying the opportunity to unite with other Jamaicans in celebrating Jamaica’s 61st year of Independence.
“I try to come out as much as possible, I was here last year, I was actually working last year and this year I said I wanted to come and actually sit and enjoy it and it has been such a joyous occasion for me,” he told JIS News.
Patrons were also treated to a spectacular drone show. Among the images depicted by the drones were the British Crown, breaking the shackles of slavery, symbols of Jamaican culture, and the road to becoming a republic.
A spectacular fireworks display topped off the electrifying Grand Gala, one of the major events for the Jamaica Independence Festival.
The Grand Gala is the highlight of Jamaica’s 61st Independence anniversary, being celebrated under the theme ‘Jamaica 61… Proud and Strong’.
