In observance of Reggae Month and African Heritage Month, the Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music (CPR) will host the State of Reggae Reception this Thursday, (February 24) at 7:00 pm.

Since its launch in 2009, the reception has focused attention on developments affecting reggae music, declared “an intangible cultural heritage of humanity” by UNESCO in 2018. For 2022, it will explore efforts of the Sounds and Pressure Foundation to raise the profile of downtown Kingston in Jamaica.

According to Julian “Jingles” Reynolds, chairman and CEO of the foundation, “downtown Kingston is a special place in world culture, as it has established a music industry that has given five genres of popular music to the world: mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, and dancehall”.

“It is to Jamaica what New York and New Orleans are to America, what London is to England, what Paris is to France, and what Rome is to Italy. Our work now is to make it serve the interests of the communities that made it a reality,” Reynolds added.

The reception will emanate from Jazz Hut, a Reggae Music Heritage Site in downtown Kingston and shared with the public via live stream.

Joining the Sounds and Pressure Foundation for the reception will be representatives of Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture and Entertainment, Ministry of Tourism and participants in the reggae music industry in Jamaica.

Journey through downtown Kingston for reggae’s birthplace ‘exploration’

Jingles explained further, “Together, they will recount the development of reggae and take you on a journey through downtown Kingston for an exploration of reggae’s birthplace and a glimpse into the emergence of the genre. They will also provide a window into its future by revealing plans and initiatives underway for enhancements in line with the 2015 UNESCO designation of Kingston as “a creative city of music.”

For his part, Carlyle McKetty, president and co-founder of CPR remarked, “we are elated to have this opportunity to share these insights with the world, in keeping with our mission of ‘working together to make things work.”

The State of Reggae Reception will be streamed live via www.cprlive.org, www.facebook.com/cprlive1 and affiliate platforms. Reservation can be made at www.eventbrite.com.