THE GLEANER, SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | ENTERTAINMENT B6 JAMAICAN REGGAE icon Denroy Morgan died peacefully on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia, after a brief illness. He was surrounded by close family members. Morgan, the hitmaker who topped the international charts in 1981 with his smash single I’ll DoAnything forYou, was the father of 30 children, with over 120 grandchildren. His musical and spiritual shepherding of his family members led to the creation of the Grammy award-winning group, Morgan Heritage. Three generations of Morgans have produced hit records over the years. A statement from the family read, “It is out of sincere love that we share that our beloved father and patriarch, The Honourable Bishop Ras Denroy Morgan, has ascended. Daddy has been our light, our source of love and joy throughout all our lives”. The statement continued, “Our family thanks you in advance for your overwhelming love and support, and we ask for your continued prayers as we go through the process. We also ask that you please respect our privacy during this time of healing.” Denroy Morgan was a bishop at the Abrahamic Covenant Family Ministry Church. He was passionate about the legalisation of marijuana, and his landmark and successful sacramental defence of a marijuana charge in New York City in 2011 was a significant turning point that led to the relaxation of marijuana legislation in NewYork City. Morgan had also been pushing to establish November 2, the coronation day of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie, as a United Nations International Day. He was scheduled to release a new album, Divine Destiny, on March 22. MINISTER OF Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange says that the Government is to draft legislation to protect the rights of practitioners in the creative sector, as the country seeks to safeguard the cultural and economic contributions and legacies of its well-known creations, for example, reggae music. Opening the JNTalking Reggae symposium to culminate the celebration of Reggae Month last Monday, Minister Grange said her ministry has, since 2019, been embarking on a series of measures to facilitate and protect the continued viability and growth of Jamaican music. “Key among these was the preparation of a candidature filed to UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2019 on ‘Reggae Music of Jamaica’ to have the element inscribed on UNESCO’s representative list,” she stated. The inclusion has established Jamaica as the original source of reggae. Grange said that her ministry has also prepared a proposal to the European Union and UNESCO for technical support under their expert facility on the governance of culture. “And I amhappy tonight to announce that, through this facility, Jamaica will produce a first draft of an Entertainment Cultural and Creative Economy Act,” she disclosed. The month of June is the target date for the draft, which will establish a legal framework within which mechanisms will be established to protect the rights of members of the creative, cultural and entertainment sectors. The draft legislation is set to come as the country celebrates its 60th year of Independence. The act will also outline incentives for investors in the creative and cultural sectors and taxation relief for professionals in the arena, and establish the framework for creating a space for cultural expression. She noted that the drafting of the legislation parallels an ongoing thrust for the ratification of international legal instruments, which protect the copyright of Jamaican ‘creatives’, even within the Metaverse. The legislation is to be supported by the Cultural Policy, which Grange said is almost complete. “We have come a long way,” mused the minister, who has also had a career in artiste management, as she challenged banks to step up their investment in the sector. “The banks were not receptive, except for one bank,” she recalled, “and we had to mortgage everything we had, and so I hope tonight is a beginning of a new era.” Panellist Gillian Hyde, deputy managing director, JN Bank, acknowledged the difficulties entrepreneurs and self-employed persons in the creative sector face when accessing financing from banks. She pointed out that many players in the space face challenges because of their difficulty with creating and operating an enterprise and monetising intellectual property for use as collateral. JN Bank, Hype said, is prepared to help. “Based on our service over the years to the micro and small business sector, we’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand and [to] build a relationship with that sector, and we want to zone in on our creative sector, to include our artistes, and ensure that we design products that meet their needs,” she explained. She added that the JN Group, of which JN Bank is a member, will be working with their local and international partners to provide financial products with guaranteed programmes that provide access to collateral to assist with the security challenge. The JN Talking Reggae symposium was hosted by attorney-at-law and media personality, Khadine ‘Miss Kitty’ Hylton. Law to be drafted to protect rights of creatives, Grange Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange said the Government is to draft legislation to protect the rights of practitioners in the creative sector. FILE Reggae icon Denroy Morgan dies after brief illness Denroy Morgan, who topped the international charts in 1981 with his smash single ‘I’ll Do Anything for You’, leaves behind a tremendous musical legacy. FILE PHOTOS The reggae icon was scheduled to release a new album, ‘Divine Destiny’, on March 22. NEW ORLEANS (AP): JANET JACKSON, Kevin Hart and Nicki Minaj are among the headliners announced Thursday for this summer’s Essence Festival of Culture, which returns to New Orleans after a two-year hiatus brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Others tapped to entertain June 30 through July 3 include New Edition, The Isley Brothers, Jazmine Sullivan, Summer Walker, The Roots & Friends and D-Nice & Friends, Essence Communications Inc. said in a news release. Additional talent and details will be announced later. “We are excited to welcome the family back live to New Orleans, and thrilled to connect with more of our diasporic family through new digital experiences,”Essence CEO Caroline Wanga said in the announcement. In addition to the nightly concerts inside the Superdome, the festival will include programming on networking, finance, career, wellness, fashion, beauty and more at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and other entertainment in venues citywide. Launched in 1995 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Essence magazine, the festival has evolved into the world’s largest celebration of black women, culture and communities, convening more than 530,000 people annually over the July 4th weekend in NewOrleans, the company statement said. The festival, with the 2022 theme ‘It’s The Black Joy For Me’, plans to expand its digital programming, livestreaming “select on-theground activities”, as well as creating new digital-only content and experiences, the company added. And even though some COVID-19 restrictions have been eased, proof of vaccination is required to participate in festival events, organisers said. Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Kevin Hart on tap for Essence Janet Jackson, Kevin Hart and Nicki Minaj are among the headliners announced on Thursday for this summer’s Essence Festival of Culture, which returns to New Orleans after a two-year hiatus brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. AP
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=