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FEATURE
THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017
H7
A
NYONE REMOTELY familiar
with West Central St Andrew
will testify that it has always
been ‘hip’. For decades, even preceding
Jamaica’s Independence, the communi-
ties that surround Olympic Gardens
have been a breeding ground for some
of the country’s most dynamic talent.
Originally built when Jamaica was
still a British colony, the vision was
that the community, its streets, lanes
and thoroughfares, would be a celebra-
tion of the country’s heroes in the 1948
and 1952 Olympic Games. As such,
Wint Road, McKenley Crescent, Laing
Road and Rhoden Crescent all stand as
testament to the achievement of
Jamaican stars of the past.
If you listen to the music of the last
60 years, one is bound to hear the influ-
ence of communities, as borne out in
the voices of such native residents as
Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Ninja Man,
Josey Wales and Admiral Bailey. It is a
community that boasts an exceedingly
wealthy cultural heritage.
Supporting the cadre of talented
artistes who have emerged in the sur-
rounding communities has been a scat-
tering of top-of-the-line music produc-
tion studios, such as King Tubby’s,
King Jammy’s, Black Scorpion and –
more recently – Friends for Real. With
such a nurturing environment existent
in a relatively small geographical area,
it is no wonder that so many giants of
the Jamaican entertainment scene have
been raised in these streets and lanes.
However, the question that has hov-
ered over the community is whether the
potential of the area could be harnessed
for the development and upliftment of
the people – both individually and col-
lectively. Upsurges in violence and crime
have threatened to derail the socio-eco-
nomic potential of Olympic Gardens, but
time and time again the people have
surged ahead against the odds.
OUTLINING A VISION
Shortly after becoming the member
of parliament for West Central St
Andrew, Andrew Holness outlined a
vision to bring a sense of organisational
stability and structure to Olympic Way.
Very early, he saw the potential of the
many bars and shops along the over
two-kilometre roadway. Since that
time, Holness has sought to transform
the vibrant and thriving thoroughfare
into a modern ‘hip strip’.
President of the Olympic Gardens
Youth Corps, Sandrene McKenzie,
believes one of the most important
aspects of the project has come through
the influence of the Tourism Product
Development Company (TPDCo) in pro-
viding customer-service training for many
of the business operators on the strip.
“They have helped with infrastruc-
tural changes to make business more
attractive. Bars need bathrooms. The
people who work in the businesses
need to be trained in good customer
service. Things have been brought up
to a higher standard,” she said.
McKenzie continued, “There has
always been a good vibe on Olympic
Way. We’ve always had a culture of
dancehall and parties, but what we
have now is a formalisation through the
building up of the infrastructure.”
She explained that “Mr Holness
always had the idea to take what we
were doing from informal gatherings
and making it more formal and
profitable for all of us. This is not just
people haphazardly doing this. It’s
been years in the making. You’ll see it
in speeches he has made in Parliament
years ago.”
Philly Blacks, promoter of the popu-
lar weekly dance Side Chick Tuesdays,
said that the entire atmosphere has been
transformed by the branding of all bars
along the strip by such companies as
Red Stripe, J.B. Rum and Desnoes &
Geddes.
“These companies have bought into
branding these businesses because they
see how much work has been done.
They’ve bought into the vision and
we’re all working together. That’s been
an important partnership as well,”
Blacks notes.
Pointing to the significant improve-
ments to the physical infrastructure of
business on the strip, the popular pro-
moter said, “Step into any establish-
ment and you’ll be seated comfortably
in bars, shops and wholesales that are
well painted, well kept. We couldn’t do
it without them.”
RIDDING THE STRIP OF VIOLENCE
Proprietors of various businesses on
the strip are at pains to point out that
anyone from anywhere in Jamaica can
feel welcome to come to Olympic
Way to shop at the wholesales, bars,
cookshops and restaurants. It is nothing
strange to see Japanese, Chinese,
Italians, British, Americans and other
nationals gathering at the nightly
parties in the area.
This is largely because what now
obtains is an atmosphere of peace and
stability. Both Blacks and McKenzie
credit MP Holness with bringing
together various stakeholders to reduce
the tensions that once obtained.
“We have to give credit to him.
When he came, he got rid of a lot of
the political tension and outright
violence. He changed the climate
and culture, which gave way to the
economic growth. When people
started to feel safe and come out,
then the businesses started to grow.
He had to help build a climate that
could foster the broader vision,”
McKenzie said.
CONTRIBUTED
Prime minister and member of parliament for West Central St Andrew, Andrew Holness (right), at All-Star
Thursdays with music promoter Randy Rich.
The strip is hip once again ...
REBRANDING OLYMPIC WAY AS A
BUSTLING ENTERTAINMENT ZONE