[SOUTH FLORIDA] – Through the initiative of the Consul General in Miami, Mr. Oliver Mair, and as a part of the ongoing Jamaica 60th celebrations, Jamaicans in Florida and the southern states of the USA will be able to “have fun and do good” while celebrating the best of Jamaica’s Jerk Foods, Music and culture, in Palm Beach, Lake Worth at the John Prince Park on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30
The efforts of Consul General Mair have brought the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s subsidiary, the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) into a collaboration with the annual Florida Jerk Festival. The Managing Director of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Dr. Marlene Street Forrest, noted that “it’s through events like this that all parties strengthen their respective brands while solving a social need in Jamaica”
Founder and Organizer of the annual festival, Mr. Damian Tater is anticipating that this year’s festival will supersede the previous years’. Especially, in light of the fact that no festival was held during the pandemic.
Tribute to Trench Town
Through his effort, this year’s festival will pay tribute to the birthplace of Reggae Music, Trench Town, Jamaica’s most famous cultural community from which its Reggae genre emerged with the rise to fame of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh & Bunny Wailer; along with the many other icons before and after them who trace their early roots in that special community.
Consul General Mair, in seeking to assist the efforts of Dr. Henley Morgan, social entrepreneur and Founder of Agency for Innercity Renewal, who also happens to be his former Tutor, shared with Mr. Tater the JaMIN Music Entrepreneurship proposal which requires JMD$6M in funding through the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE).
The Consul General is on record saying “I am happy to facilitate this partnership. I consider myself to be a strong advocate for our reggae music. Additionally, I believe this project will go a far way in improving the opportunities for young and upcoming artistes to get additional support, in the JaMIN studio”.
The project having been selected for the Training of marginalized young men and women in Music Entrepreneurship, with the objective of giving them hope and a career path in the music industry, impressed Tater who through his Full- A -Vybez Inc. has decided to support the JSSE.
Donation
Towards the project’s needed funds, he will donate US$1 from every ticket sold for the event on Memorial Day. In addition, he has committed to replicate this gesture at his next Jerk Festival. That festival is slated to be held in Orlando in October 2022.
Miss Nora Blake, the manager of JSSE said that “this gesture is one of the most noble, with its intent of giving back for the development of Jamaica. Especially by empowering marginalized youths in the inner cities of our beloved Jamaica. She further stated that “our hope now is that this effort will inspire replication at the hundreds of Food and Music Festivals held in Jamaica and its Diaspora across the globe”.
