Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica Cultural Enterprises will start off with culture- and history based tours in Kingston, with North Coast and Miss Lou tours in the making, but at Saturday's official launch, the art was brought to those who gathered at Grosvenor Galleries, Grosvenor Terrace, St Andrew.

There was the photography of the Tivoli Revitalisation Project, Alexander Pusey explaining project and process, drumming by the Bongani Drummers, poetry from Nicole Burgher and Tanya Shirley, Dr Erna Brodber reading from as yet unpublished novel.

With the Kingston Art Trek and the Kingston City Explorer on offer, Jamaica Cultural Enterprises founder Karen Hutchinson explained the initial focus on the city as it is not only officially the capital, but "it is also the cultural capital of Jamaica. In Kingston there is so much to see, to think about, to experience". On the Kingston Art Trek the experience is specific to art, Hutchinson saying persons will be "moving from gallery to gallery, viewing art, meeting artists and curators". On the Kingston City Explorer there will be "music, religion and political history, in addition to art".

Hutchinson included nuggets of information about Kingston, including its founding and the origins of the name Half-Way Tree. And she also spoke to the logic behind hosting the tours, saying, "Jamaicans love Jamaica and, like anyone else, enjoy their stories being told to them."

Simple principle

Hutchinson said that there is a simple principle behind Jamaica Cultural Enterprises, that "Jamaica is far more interesting than warm sunshine and beaches".

Hutchinson noted that this year Kingston has added more to its stock of tales and "Jamaica Cultural Enterprises is poised to be the one to tell these stories".

Tours start as low as $2,500, bookings accessible via telephone, e-mail and online form, with Internet billing soon to be added to the list of options.

One of the stories that has been added to Kingston's lore this year is the Labour Day military incursion into Tivoli Gardens in search of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. Alexander Pusey gave the background to the Tivoli Revitalisation Project, where young people from the west Kingston community were given cameras and free rein to record the emotions of the community. 'The whole project was to help the youths to forget what happened. It was therapy," Pusey said, giving thanks to those instrumental in instituting the project like Jamaica National.

Collette Garrick of The Wanderer gave first-hand experience of being on a Jamaica Cultural Enterprises tour, saying, "They have been fun, they have been informative, they have been exciting."

The launch was hosted by Carolyn Allen.