Lloyd Stanbury - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Next February, somewhere in Jamaica, there will be cheers and acceptance speeches to the flash of cameras, at a top-flight music awards ceremony. And sometime in the future, there should be cheers for and chairs in a top-flight performing arts centre, somewhere in Jamaica.

The Reggae Academy and its premier event, next February's Reggae Academy Awards, was launched on Tuesday evening at the Club House, Caribbean Business Club, New Kingston, in a function chaired by Elise Kelly of IRIE FM. And the evening's guest speaker, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, near the end of her address, said she had already instructed her team to examine the construction of a "a first-class, First World, cultural and performing arts centre in Jamaica".

Three entities at work

Lloyd Stanbury, chairman of the Reggae Academy, pointed out to an audience which filled and overflowed from the Club House, that there were three entities at work. The Recording Industry Association of Jamaica (RIAJam) is an organisation formed in 2003, of which the Reggae Academy is a division. And it is the Reggae Academy which will run the awards.

Stanbury said there will be about 15 awards in a reggae segment, 13 in dancehall and seven in gospel, all to be decided by voting members of the academy from nomination to final decision, while the public will decide on the recipients of two People's Choice Awards.

The awards are "somewhat similar" but not identical to the U.S.-based Grammy Awards.

Stanbury gave pre-emptive answers to concerns about what is different about these awards from those that have been attempted before and not sustained. "The Reggae Academy Awards is based on a transparent, participatory industry structure. Through this structure we enable the members of the industry to participate ... At the end of the day we will find the awardees to be adjudged the best by their peers ... It is also designed to promote standards, higher standards, creative and business," Stanbury said.

Awards a priority

Cleveland Brownie, chairman of RIAJam, said that when the organisation was formed four years ago the establishment of the awards was a priority, the launch being "a giant step towards a vision becoming reality". He pointed out that the success of the awards "rests heavily on the participation of the reggae fraternity" and ended by urging all "to put some love into what you do; make some good music so we will have a good awards in 2008."

Executive director of markets at Jamaica Trade and Invest, Kirk Kennedy, congratulated the organisers on their "vision in recognising the genius of Jamaican music".

And, the Prime Minister said the Government "heartily endorses the launch of the Reggae Academy and Awards".

"If we could get the creative industry where it should be, alongside sports, there is nothing to stop us. And tonight is a step in the right direction."

Before and after the speeches, there were songs from students at the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts along with their tutor Ibo Cooper. Serena Constantine delivered My Boy Lollipop and No No No, among a number of other songs.