Where’s the ganja at Global Reggae Conference?

During my afternoon at UWI, I met this man, Lenny, who was selling his jewelery to Global Reggae Conference-goers. I asked about the T-shirt he was wearing, which advertised a website, www.caribbeanmandate.com, about the campaign to legalize ganja in Jamaica. It didn’t occur to me until talking with Lenny that, in a week’s worth of panel discussions and academic papers on myriad aspects of Jamaican music — from gender and sexuality in dancehall to religious transformations through reggae — the absence of any conversation of marijuana and its role in reggae music is startling. Please correct me if I am wrong, if I have overlooked a panel that focused on ganja. If I have not, I ask: Is marijuana still a taboo subject, even in an academic setting where reggae music is the focus? Can one adequately discuss all aspects of reggae music without a discussion of the role ganja has played in the creation and content of the music?

Global Reggae Conference

I just returned from a whirlwind week in Jamaica, where I did my best to experience the Reggae Month festivities. The short bit UWI’s Global Reggae Conference that I participated in was immensely gratifying. The conference was very well organized and with speakers from all walks of life and from all around the world. It is a shame the conference was not better attended, as most of the chairs at the sessions I sat in on were empty. For those who missed the conference, UWI has streaming video of each session and event on its website here, which I am hoping they do not remove any time soon.

February is Reggae Month in Jamaica – But Does the Government Really Care About the Music?

At the beginning of the year, Jamaican PM Bruce Golding declared February Reggae Month throughout the country in perpetuity. A number of reggae-related events had already been planned, including UWI’s Global Reggae Conference from February 18-24, and the Africa Unite/Smile Jamaica series of events, culminating in a big concert on the 23rd.

Ironically, Golding’s declaration came at the heels of embarrassing news of the Jamaican government’s own neglect of the country’s cultural history.