Reggae: Jamaica’s gift to the world

Jamaica is understood around the world for the variety and rhythmic originality of its folk and popular music genre genres. Few countries have had such a significant impact on the world music scene over the past 65 years. Jamaica is the birthplace of the world Reggae lifestyle phenomenon and also the culturally authentic home of Reggae music.

Reggae grew from this exceptionally rich musical culture, and particularly reflected the growing influence of Rastafari in urban Jamaica within the 1960s. The country’s music scene became infused with Rastafari philosophy, drumming, and style, including the signature dreadlocks that became the image of Reggae music.

How would you characterize its importance?
“One Love”, a philosophical affirmation inspired by Marcus Garvey and popularized by Rastafari, is at the guts of Reggae’s worldwide movement, resonating across borders and generations. Arguably the primary true world beat, Reggae music enjoyed a world audience well before the age of music videos and therefore the Internet.

Reggae music is its soundtrack and also the signature genre within the diverse Sounds of Jamaican. As a core part of Jamaica’s creative industries, which contribute 4.8 percent of GDP, music is one of the country’s most useful assets. And creativity continues to be a major driver of inclusion and empowerment of teenagers and marginalized groups within the economy. The economic, social, cultural, and environmental value of Jamaica’s music has strengthened Jamaica’s brand value significantly and continues to feature resonance to its brand internationally.

Jamaica has had the great fortune to provide several distinct genres of worldwide appealing music but has suffered from underinvestment in creativity, arguably its Most worthy asset and greatest competitive advantage. One of our objectives in establishing International Reggae Day was to bolster Jamaica’s position because of the culturally authentic source of the worldwide phenomenon that Reggae music has become.

Chronic underinvestment within the country’s human and artistic capital has proven the most important challenge to sustaining this vision. The creative sector is working capital intensive so it’s an uphill struggle to confirm that it flourishes in a very country where capital is in brief supply. Capital financing could be a prerequisite to putting together Jamaica’s creative economy and developing and marketing its creative assets.