In recognition of his contribution to the field of culture, director of policy and research at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport David Brown, will be conferred with the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service.

He is among 150 Jamaicans who will be recognised by the government with honours and awards for outstanding service in various fields on National Heroes Day on October 21.

The cultural historian told JIS News that he learnt about the award on August 6, when he received a call from the Office of the Prime Minister. He said that at first he was taken aback, but his surprise soon turned to delight. “First, for a few seconds, I was kind of shocked, because you don’t expect it,” he added.

Brown said that he is grateful to receive the award and to know that his contributions have not gone unnoticed, adding that it will propel him to continue the work.

“It’s a great incentive. There is so much more work to be done, but it does provide for you some added incentive and a pause to let you know that what you have been doing is actually working and being noticed,” he said.

Over the years, Brown has been quietly making his contribution to Jamaica and world culture since joining the Institute of Jamaica, a division of the ministry, in 1994, where he worked on matters relating to cultural policies and how to interact with cultural communities and UNESCO.

One of Brown’s proudest moments was when he and his team prepared a dossier on Reggae Music of Jamaica and lobbied for its inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

Brown said that it was not easy getting reggae music inscribed, due to the technical process that had to be followed.

“It was sometimes challenging to get the submission through.  It wasn’t reggae music that was the issue; it was how did we properly address or answer the questions posed in the dossier,” he noted.

He recalled being sent to Paris, France, by the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, to meet with members of the Inter-Governmental Committee of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, who wanted additional information to support the inscription of reggae music.

Jamaica was successful in securing the inscription for Reggae music, which was inscribed on November 29, 2018, at the 13^th session of the UNESCO Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

“We were so successful that it was the first time in the history of the Convention since 2003 that all countries on the Inter-Governmental Committee, except Jamaica, unanimously supported reggae music being inscribed,” he pointed out.

“I felt very proud because as one of the persons who authored the dossier and actually went and fought for it, and of course with Minister Olivia Grange’s oversight, it was really a proud moment for Jamaica,” he added.

Further, Brown has provided primary research for a dossier that was produced in 2002 for the inscription of the Maroon Heritage of Moore Town, to the Representative List.  Maroon Heritage of Moore Town, which was inscribed in 2008, sought to safeguard the Kromanti Play, a Jamaican Maroon religious ceremony practised by Maroons.

Brown’s knowledge and technical skills have also been recognised by UNESCO. In 2013, he was selected as a Global Facilitator for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

“What that means is that I have specialised training to impart knowledge about the convention, what it does and how state parties can actualise and implement the convention in their country,” he explained.

“It is a very technical thing and it’s essential for people to know how to properly do it and how to effectively interface with communities,” he added.

The global facilitator has conducted numerous workshops across the Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Saint Maarten.

Additionally, he has led a series of workshops with Rastafarian, Revival and Maroon groups, helping them to monetise aspects of their traditional culture. Brown also received the Jamaica Civil Service Association Long Service Award in 2021