THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
SUPREME COURT OF JAMAICA ISSUES LANDMARK RULING IN GANG CASE
The Supreme Court of Jamaica issued a conviction in the case of Andre “Blackman” Bryan in a decision described as a “landmark” ruling that represented a victory for the country’s recent reform of its anti-gang laws. The well known crime boss was adjudged guilty of heading the One Don faction of the Klansman gang. The gang is known for persecuting a community outside of Jamaica’s capital of Kingston. Bryan was also found guilty of being a facilitator of several murders. The ruling is viewed as a win for the government in its battle against crime and follows several judicial reforms designed to control rising gang violence.
BUSINESS INTERESTS IN MONTEGO BAY TO JOIN GOVERNMENT IN JAMAICA-EYE PROJECT
Businesses in Montego Bay will enter into a partnership with Jamaica’s government on the JamaicaEye project, the national closed-circuit television surveillance program designed to support efforts in fighting crime. According to Oral Heaven, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), the agency met with the police commissioner to start planning the establishment of CCTV cameras in and around Montego Bay. Heaven said that crime-fighting tools that require partnerships between public and private interests are welcomed and will receive Chamber support.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
FORECAST FOR 2023 TOURIST ARRIVALS IN THE CARIBBEAN VERY OPTIMISTIC
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) indicated that there will be a 10 percent to 15 percent rise in arrival totals over the number registered in 2019 when the region saw 32 million land-based tourists. According to Neil Walters, acting secretary of the CTO, the prediction means that the Caribbean will enjoy between 31.2 million and 32.6 million tourists in 2023. The cruise industry is expected to expand in its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic years as well. Walters noted that all the region’s berths are open and expanding, and as more ships travel to the region, cruise capacity will increase, and demand will remain high. He added that the recovery in tourism was enhanced by a loosening of restrictions on global travel and strong demand in the United States, the Caribbean’s top source market.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
UK FESTIVAL CELEBRATING JAMAICAN CULTURE EXTENDED UNTIL JUNE OF 2023
The Out of Many Festival, which is organized by the Jamaica Society Leeds, opened in May of 2022 to mark Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence. While it was scheduled to end in February 2023, it has added several highly anticipated events that cause it to last until the summer. Between April 4 and 29, 2023, a pop-up exhibit at the Compton Library will showcase displays from the successful “Rebellion to Romance” exhibition held at the Leeds Central Library until November 2022. This exhibit was very popular, and thousands of visitors viewed curated mementos, fashions, music, and photographs documenting the lives of the second generation of West Indian people who came of age during the 1970s and 1980s. The program, “The Writer As Researcher,” will offer a partnership between the British Library and Leeds Libraries with the Festival that examines approaches authors take to researching their historical writings. The exhibit explores the lives of Jamaican veterans of Leeds in World War II.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
EDMUND BARTLETT PRESENTED WITH TOURISM LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, received the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion of Sustainable Travel and Tourism” by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) International Travel Awards. The award was present to Bartlett at the organization’s summit meeting in Berlin, Germany. These awards are presented in recognition of outstanding work by individuals and organizations in promoting tourism from various sectors of the travel industry, including hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, government bodies, tourism ministries, and other providers. Bartlett thanked PATWA for the honor, stating that he was passionate about tourism, especially the sustainable development of tourism as this is the only way the travel industry can be leveraged to provide the economic growth that can transform communities and nations.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
MONUMENT IN TRIBUTE OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE INSTALLED AT APPLETON ESTATE
Wray & Nephew Limited (JWN), a Jamaican rum producer and distributor of spirits, is honoring the enslaved people who were workers on the Appleton Estate Plantation during the years of slavery. The firm unveiled a monument entitled “Lest We Forget” at the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience in St. Elizabeth. Designed and constructed by Jamaican artist Trishaunna Henry, displays the relationship between sugar cane and the economic and socio-cultural development of Jamaica. The names of those enslaved people who worked on the plantation during the ownership of the Dickinson Family are incorporated in the monument. According to the managing director of J. Wray & Nephew Limited, Jean-Phillipe Beyer, the monument is being installed at the heart of the estate’s Joy Spence tour and will be located on a pedestal displaying the names of enslaved individuals who have been identified. It allows visitors to honor the workers who created the foundation of the Appleton Estate brand.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
SHELLY-ANN FRASER-PRYCE RECEIVES NOMINATION FOR LAUREUS AWARD
Jamaican Olympic athlete and sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year award at the 2023 Laureus World Sport Awards. In 2022, the runner achieved a fifth world title victory in the 100 meters with a time of 10.62 seconds. She also has a record number of under-10.70-second 100-meter races in the season. Fraser-Pryce thanks the world’s sports media for the nomination, which is her sixth for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award. She added that she is inspired by the Laureus movement and its initiatives in celebrating the power of sport to change the world. In addition to Fraser-Pryce, Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin Levrone were nominated for Laureus Awards.
