International Reggae day 2010 will be held on July 1st and it promises to be a fun filled affair. Organizers of the celebration said this year the Reggae day celebration will mostly be online. Media houses and online portals such like Urban Islandz will joining in the celebration to spread the Jamaica’s rich musical culture.
According to the founder and producer of the event, Andrea Davis, it is “a virtual media festival that is intended to use the power of music, media and technology to link people around the world in the celebration, not only of the best of Jamaica, but to highlight the global reggae culture that has grown out our music.”
The decision to make the celebration more virtual can be link to the current economic climate, as sponsorship are hard to come by at this time. But this will not stop one of the most important days for Reggae music. All around the world fans will be celebrating Reggae in various ways.
A publication in the Jamaica Gleaner reads:
Davis explained that her decision to start International Reggae Day was prompted by a speech made by Winnie Mandela, ex-wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela. She said Winnie Mandela said reggae music was instrumental in the struggle against apartheid in her country, although they could only hide and listen to it.
“If our music can do something like that for people across the world facing such an adversity, how come it’s not doing more for us in Jamaica?” Davis questioned.
As a result, International Reggae Day was born.
“Reggae Day came as an idea, not only to motivate Jamaican media to look at the best of Jamaica, but also to invite media around the world, on one day, to take a serious look at this music that we call reggae, ’cause it has shown itself to be of importance all over the world, not just Jamaica,” she said.
“In this phase, we are really focusing on building on the power of the social media and the Internet as a way to really expand participation ….” – Davis
Check regularly for Reggae day updates and visit ireggaeday.com
