A grand celebration of Jamaica 64

A grand celebration of 64 years of Jamaica’s Independence unfolded seamlessly inside a sold-out National Stadium on Thursday at the annual, showpiece event, the Independence Grand Gala. This year, the gala took on a more musical overtone, with the introduction of an exciting Festival Song Sound System Clash, a nod to the competition celebrating 60 years; and the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Kingston being named the Creative City of Music by UNESCO.

Scheduled to start at 6 p.m., from four minutes to the hour, the uniformed groups took up their position on the field and the combined mass band moved fluidly into position with the precision for which they are known. Host of the event, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, arrived at 6:09 p.m. wearing an elegant green ensemble, accessorised with earrings featuring Jamaica’s national colours, gold pumps and black beaded necklace. In charge of the official arrivals and salute, Grange warmly greeted the dignitaries, including Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and his wife, Lady Allen; Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness; Opposition Leader Mark Golding and his wife, Sandra; Speaker of the House Juliet Holness; Commissioner of Police Kevin Blake; Lorraine Dobson, representing Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby, and others.

Under the theme ‘United in Celebrating Resilience’, more than 1800 performers showcased the island’s history and culture at the gala, which signed off with a fantastic 1,000-drone show that also focused intently on the theme. Among the evening’s performers was up-and-coming singer Abbe, whose rendition of the National Anthem had many declaring that she “ate it all up”. The Festival Song, too, was a winner and dBURNZ had the entire stadium enthusiastically waving their flags and singing the chorus of I Love Jamaica. It was one of the best responses to a Festival Song in a while.

The ‘Festival Song at 60’ sound clash pitted DJ Rassarella from Zion Train International against DJ Oliver from Metromedia, and the two selectors did not come to play. From the arsenal of Festival Songs, Rassarella drew Baba Boom; Bam Bam, the inaugural Festival Song in 1966 by Toots Hibbert; The Astronauts’ Mek We Jam; and Eric Donaldson’s 1971 winning song, Cherry O Baby.

DJ Oliver’s set included Dance This Ya Festival by Freddie McKay; Sweet and Dandy by Toots and the Maytals, which won in 1969; Clive ‘Snowball’ Brown’s crowd-pleaser, which placed second in 1994, Chiquitita; and closed on a high with Land of My Birth, the patriotic anthem by Eric Donaldson, which won the competition in 1978. After 13 exciting minutes, the emcee quizzed the crowd on which selector was the winner and it was declared a tie. DJ Oliver, however, had a slight edge.

Four-time Festival Song Competition winner, Roy ‘Mr Festival’ Rayon, and the Festival Dancers closed out that portion of the show on a high.

It would not be Grand Gala without gospel, and it came in a section titled ‘Spirit Inna Wi’. Of course, there was a tribute to the late David ‘Kukudoo’ McDermott, who was a regular on that stage with his much-loved mento-infused worship style. Singer Sebastian Braham from St Ann did the tribute to Kukudoo. Kevin Downswell and Sista Patt, the gospel headliners, gave rousing performances.

Ten years of Kingston being recognised as the Creative City of Music was ably narrated by dBURNZ, as singers and dancers segued through the eras of mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall in “a city that gave the world its rhythm”. The dancers took over the field as they showcased the Della Move, Bogle, Gully Creepa, Nuh Linga, Lego Di Bird and Drift.

Live performances came from Queen of Reggae Marcia Griffiths, Noel Ellis and Janeel Mills, with this year’s Reggae Icon Award recipients Wayne Wonder and Busy Signal also taking the stage.

Singer Wayne Wonder was smooth, and Busy Signal brought the fireworks with his popular Happy Birthday song and instructed patrons to light up the stadium with their “lightas” – their cellphone flashlights. They did, and the sight was amazing.

Earlier in the evening, the women in the Jamaica Defence Force did a thrilling drill display and drama piece which showed them skilfully apprehending and neutralising members of the feared Bussu Gang. This year is the 50th anniversary of women being admitted to the force, and they were militant as they showed their skills in combat, driving and flying helicopters. The audience was wowed.

In another thrilling display, the Jamaica Constabulary Force executed a bike display on road safety, during which they booked a rider for a laundry list of offences and showed off their high-flying skills on motorbikes.

In tribute to members of the South African delegation who were special guests at the Grand Gala, a section titled ‘Ode to Africa’ burst alive with captivating dancers who set free the spirit of Africa.

The curtains on the celebration of Jamaica’s 64th year of Independence, which was produced by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, closed with the highly anticipated drone show, as well as the fireworks.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com