Kesi Asher, Staff Reporter
SAMUELS - FILE PHOTOS
OLIVER SAMUELS will now be even 'larger' than before as come next month he will be the first recipient of the Gold Medal of the city of Kingston for the arts.
This was announced at a press briefing on Tuesday at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, that was associated with Oliver's 35th anniversary celebration.
The Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, will present the award next month at the first leg of the 35th anniversary celebrations to be held at the Indoor Sports Complex on October 1. The show, which will feature Ernie Smith, Lady G, Ian Andrews, Richie Stephens, Owen 'Blakka' Ellis, Ity and Fancy Cat, Iceman and Johnny, Audrey Reid, among others, will be held under the distinguished patronage of the Honourable P. J. Patterson.
The Minister of Industry and Tourism, Aloun N'dombet Assamba, will be the patron for the second leg of the celebrations, to be held on October 2 in Claremont, St Ann.
'FALLA BACKA MI TO UWI'
It was also announced at Tuesday's briefing that the Institute of Caribbean Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI), will host Samuels at the Undercroft on the UWI, Mona campus, on September 29, at 6:00 p.m. The event, dubbed 'Falla Backa mi to UWI', will allow students to listen to Oliver as he shares his experiences while he developed as an artiste. The public is invited. According to Dr. Carolyn Cooper, director of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, he will also endorse the UWI as the place to be.
The 35th anniversary celebrations has acquired major sponsorship in the form of headline sponsor, Cable and Wireless Jamaica Limited. Philip Hamilton, corporate communications manager at the company, said that he felt that the celebration was long overdue. "I'd like to salute a true Jamaican icon, that's Oliver. Cable and Wireless is honoured to be allowed to be a part of this wonderful
celebration."
Christine Hewitt Gordon, chief executive officer for RASTA Agency, the organisers of the celebration, compared Oliver's 35 years of providing laughter to the public to bMobile's well-needed services during Hurricane Ivan.
Hewitt Gordon says that she has also requested that the University Council confer the Honorary Doctorate on Oliver. "I feel confident in doing so based on the large body of work that Mr. Samuels has put in," she remarked. Following Oliver's celebrations, Hewitt Gordon also says she will be endeavouring to get the sidewalks of Knutsford Boulevard turned into a Jamaican Hall of Fame.
At Tuesday's briefing, the all-male group, H5, provided entertainment. They delivered renditions of Oliver's Duppy Nuh Stop Walk a Nite, and their own Cable and Wireless jingle. Oliver's songs will also be sung by H5 at the celebrations.
Also at the brief was Minister Assamba who said that, "It's very important that we honour our heroes while they are around, as Jamaicans, we respect and admire Oliver."
In return, Oliver in his closing remarks not only thanked several persons for their support but also noted that, "I use the language of my birth, the language of my mother's tongue. My greatness was approved by the Jamaican people. Anytime I leave Jamaica is a invitation I get from outside Jamaica."
