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THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
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AMENDMENTS TO SEXUAL HARRASMENT BILL IN PROCESS
The Legislation Committee of the Jamaican Cabinet will receive an amended Sexual Harassment Bill, according to Olivia “Babsy” Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. The bill was already sent to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, which made the amendments. The amended legislation will be brought to the Parliament during the 2017 legislative year once it is approved by the Legislation Committee. The aim of the bill is to protect women and men from unwanted sexual attention, advances, requests for sexual favors and “crude sexual behaviors” that create an ”intimidating, hostile or offensive” environment that impacts a victim’s quality of life..
JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT MOVES TO PROTECT JAMAICAN REGGAE MUSIC
Entertainment Minister Olivia Grange announced that the government is moving to protect Jamaica’s reggae music on the global stage. She said that in March 2017 Jamaica submitted nomination paperwork to UNESCO to include reggae on its representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity. UNESCO confirmed that it received the nomination. Grange said that the organization indicated that Jamaican Reggae Music could be inscribed on the list in 2018. This will ensure that the origins of reggae and its offshoots will be documented and protected appropriately for the present and for future generations, Grange said.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
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CARIBBEAN REGION PROGRESSES WITH MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
Authorities in the Caribbean note the progress made by nations in the region to protect the marine areas that are critical in sustaining tourism. The initiatives include a new “sister sanctuary agreement” between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Netherlands in April 2017 under the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol. The agreement expands the network of protected areas from New England in the United States to the Caribbean Sea and provides important safe zones to shelter the endangered humpback whale. Haiti’s government has declared new marine protected areas in the Grande Anse Department of Haiti, which brings the total of such areas in that country to 11.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
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JAMAICA 55 CONFERENCE TO HIGHLIGHT LEGACY PROJECTS
Several legacy projects for Jamaica’s 55th anniversary of independence will be the focus of the Jamaica 55 Diaspora Conference. Joining with ministries and private sector interests, the Jamaica 55 Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, produced a list of these tangible and intangible projects to ensure that they will last beyond the 2017 celebrations. Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, noted that the projects will form part of the Diaspora Conference scheduled for July 23-26, 2017, in Kingston. Examples of the projects include the “Adopt-a-Clinic Initiative” and the “Pledge 2 Build Campaign,” which seek to help the islands, health and education sectors.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS SUMMARY
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JAMAICA’S FIRST GASTRONOMY CENTER LOCATED AT DEVON HOUSE
Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, announced that the gastronomy experience of Devon House will expand to include a self-service kitchen, a farmers’ market, and food shops. Visitors can sample island cuisine at the shops, as well as partake of local wines and rums. The goal of the venue is to establish Jamaica as a major destination for food lovers. According to Bartlett, studies show that “people travel to eat” and that the global gastronomy market totals about US$150 billion. Eighty-eight percent of those who travel to other countries are looking chiefly for food experiences, Bartlett noted.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
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WORLD REGGAE DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION STILL ACCEPTING ENTRIES
Jamaica’s top international dancehall and reggae dance competition, the World Reggae Dance Championship, continues to accept entries even as it moves into its elimination round. The competition is a featured highlight of the Jamaica 55 celebrations and is designed to attract the most versatile and best dancehall and reggae dance groups from around the world. In the elimination round, four regional eliminations will be held across the country during the month of June. The competition, organized by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) is open to groups comprising three to six people, 18 years of age and older, and is not limited to residents of Jamaica.
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THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
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BIG CELEBRATIONS PLANNED FOR FINAL JAMAICAN RUN BY BOLT
Jamaican Olympic champion Usain Bolt will appear in his final race on his home ground at the Racers Grand Prix, and celebrations are planned to honor him. Labeled “Salute to a Legend,” Digicel will sponsor a celebration after his historic last 100-meter race at National Stadium. Fireworks will go off to signal the event, and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission has planned a show. Additionally, local acts like Beenie Man and Ding Dong will appear, as well Bolt’s fellow Digicel brand ambassadors Tifa and I-Octane.
