Hextall IT WILL be fresh... it will be the millennium bashment," a promise from Marcia Hextall, executive director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Comm-ission (JCDC) regarding how Festival 2001 activities will be.
"It is an approach to celebrate the Independence and talent of a country that has brought a fresh dimension to entertainment internationally, especially in the world of music. We are simply celebrating the fact that we are Jamaicans".
"We are focusing on where we want to go with the positive elements of our popular culture with a high level of emphasis on showcasing. There will be many more parish activities and we are marketing our product to a broader cross-section of society". Explained Ms Hextall. The Executive Director continued by pointing to the new addition to this year's Festival roster.
"We have just launched a new project, it is called Mento Music in schools". This essentially entails schools island-wide competing in a mento music competition.
Most of the festival activities are going to be held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre and the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre. According to her, the activities will take place over a two-week period beginning with the Crowning of the National Festival Queen on July 22. The festival Queen Contest is aimed at attracting the participation of young women between 18-24 years.
The final activity for Festival Week will be the Kings House Independence Day Parade and the Street Dance/Festivals. This year the Popular and Gospel songs competitions will be held on July 28 and 29 respectively. The annual Emancipation Day Vigil will take place July 31, while Bruckins will be held on August 1.
Meanwhile, the annual popular 'Mello go Roun' show will be held on August 2. Other activities will include Culinary Arts, professional category
Gospel campaign
"We (JCDC) will launch a parish to parish campaign promoting the gospel aspect of the competition. We will be going all-out to attract a youth-based audience. There is also the inclusion of a category for popular dance groups, where young people can also be involved". Said Ms. Hextall.
"One fantastic aspect about Festival 2001 is the wide variety of activities that will be on show, we are making sure that there is something for every one at Festival 2001", stressed Ms. Hextall.
Funding for Festival 2001 is a very important aspect. Financial expenses are covered by Government funding and private sector sponsorship. "We have not seen our budget as yet, but we are hoping it will be more than last year's", she said.
Ms. Hextall also said the JCDC was hoping to receive better sponsorship for Festival 2001.
