Music: February 2019 is "Golden Reggae Month" [50 Years]

With so much focus on culture, history and preservation of originality, February 2019 has been declared Golden Reggae month in Jamaica.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, the celebration was declared and launched by the country’s minister of culture, gender, youth and sports, Olivia Grange, on Sunday, January 20.

“It was a major step for us and our music which is our heartbeat and our lifestyle,” Grange  said. “It is an achievement for reggae music to be formally recognised and for that it is my pleasure to participate and share in the launch of Reggae Month this year.”

Since 2008, as part of its determination to preserve culture and history, Jamaica has set aside February as reggae month to celebrate the impact that the homegrown music genre has had on the world.

The decision was announced by then Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, on January 8, 2008, at Jamaica House. Grange, at the time, stated that the main aim of reggae month was to sharpen the focus and draw the attention of the world to the powerful asset that is wholly Jamaican.

This year’s reggae month celebration will mark 12 years since the month-long festivity was started in Jamaica. Most importantly, it marks 50 years since the genre came into existence with the release of Do the Reggay by Toots and the Maytals in 1968.