Bounty Killer’s recent call for the temporary extension of cut-off times for entertainment events to be extended to the end of February to facilitate Reggae Month has gained support from the chairman of Jamaica’s Entertainment Advisory Board (EAB), Howard McIntosh.
The chairman’s comments come three weeks after Dancehall’s One General, Bounty Killer, recommended, via Instagram, that “February will be Reggae Month and if we are truly celebrating Reggae Music it should be played freely during that month.”
The artiste had made his comments after reading the announcement about the extension made by the Jamaican Parliament, which was posted on social media by Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries, Floyd Green.
McIntosh, in a media release, said while his board welcomes the two-hour extension for events for the period of December 13, 2019, to January 31, 2020, which was granted by the Ministry of National Security, “the extension should have lasted until the end of February 2020, which is a nationally declared month of celebration for Jamaican Reggae Music.”
He said his organization throws its full support behind Minister of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange, who had lobbied for the extension, but noted that with Brand Jamaica being highly linked to entertainment and culture, it was cautioning the Ministry of National Security to refrain from using the Noise Abatement Act “as solely a security measure that creates unwarranted tensions between the security forces and the creative industry.”
McIntosh also called on the island’s local authorities to be more proactive in partnering with the National Security and the entertainment Ministries in making their physical planning decisions, ensuring the Noise Abatement Act is taken into consideration, so that the rights of citizens who want to reside in quiet areas are not infringed, and party-goers can also have their entertainment needs met.
The Entertainment Advisory Board falls under the auspices of the Entertainment Ministry. It was established to strengthen private-public partnership of the industry to promote economic and social development and provide advice to the Ministry regarding key issues and strategies, including the development of an industry policy.
