Former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC), Wycliffe Bennett (left), is greeted by the current CEO of CPTC, Hopeton Dunn. - photo by JIS Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
When Leonie Forbes intoned a near guttural "Eh? Whe yu sey?" to Alma Mock Yen's explanation of where she meant by saying she was going to 'Studio 3B' on Sunday afternoon, MockYen went slower and louder for her hard-of-hearing companion, as well as those gathered in the spacious facility at the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC) on Arnold Road, St. Andrew. "Studio 3 B. bun dung, buil' up, name Bennett," she said, to laughter.
The words were the very short version of a long, serious process that began on April 25, 2005, when a fire gutted the main studio at the CPTC, outgoing chairman Hopeton Dunn also finding humour as he looked back at a critical occasion. He had been abroad and was met at the airport by a driver, Mr. Allen, who said, "Welcome back Dr. Dunn, the studio is on fire."
"When?" Dunn asked "What you mean the studio is on fire?" Allen replied, "Doc, de studio a bun dung." He displayed a twisted clock, taken from the wrecked control room at the studio, which had stopped at 6:25 p.m. that day. The blaze was caused by an electrical short circuit.
The 'buil back' came from insurance coverage, which had been fully maintained; from the Government through the urgings of the Office of the Prime Minister and the CPTC itself from its commercial products. Current chairman Angella Patterson quoted in a release as saying that over $60 million had been spent on the rehabilitation, the result being a 2400 square foot ultra-modern facility.
And the name 'Bennett' was revealed as the hands of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller removed the cloth covering a plaque just outside the studio's entrance to show that it was named after Wycliffe Bennett, turning to give the man a hug and kiss as those watching the programme on large screen inside the studio applauded, the throb of the Akwaaba drummers finding the pulse of the moment.
Beauty from the Ashes
There was a standing ovation for Bennett when he returned to the studio.
Simpson Miller covered the time from the fire to the rebuilding in Biblical terms, referring to Isaiah 61 and a promise made by God to the children of Israel of beauty from ashes.
"Today, after the ashes, mourning and heaviness of that April 2005 fire, we have come to the time for beauty, joy and praise," she said. "It is a super-modern facility named in honour of a super-talented Jamaican. Wycliffe has made an indelible mark on the Jamaican landscape."
And there were chuckles when Simpson Miller referred to "the other and better looking half of the Bennett team, Dr. Hazel Bennett".
Simpson Miller encouraged the CPTC staff to see the renaming of the studio as a renewal in the organisation's life. "This is your time. Take it. Let your light be seen," she said.
There was another standing ovation for Bennett when he went to the podium. "I stand here on behalf of the staff," he said. "This is a wonderful institution. It is a key institution in the development of this country."
"We have carried the media in Jamaica on our backs," he said.
"May I thank you all today. Thanks to the CPTC staff. I will always love you. Thank you for this day," Bennett said as Fae Ellington, who hosted the evening, put an arm around his shoulder.
There were presentations to electrician Carlton Green and then acting CEO of CPTC, Kirk Buchanan, both of whom made sterling efforts during the fire, the latter actually suffering from smoke inhalation afterwards.
It was a musical re-dedication and renaming, as the horns of the Alpha band combined with the drums of Akwaaba on the outside and, after individual performances, Nadje Leslie and Dwayne Foster combined violin and saxophone to wonderful effect. Vernita Fort delivered Afro Blue to keyboard accompaniment and Ashe, in their second appearance of the evening, delivered Marley's Iron Lion Zion.
