The Louise Bennett-Coverley Festival Committee wishes to thank all 100+ Voices for Ms Lou contributors who reached out to us during the planning of the Inaugural Louise Bennett-Coverley Festival.
One of the objectives of the Louise Bennett-Coverley Festival is to provide a platform for the contributors of the anthology to do paid performances. Our resources were limited this year but, going forward, we hope to make the event more expansive and possibly include more 100+ Voices for Ms Lou contributors on the programme.
With the festival being this Saturday, October 15, 2022, there is another way contributors can help ensure the Louise Bennett-Coverley Festival becomes an enduring cultural product. You may assist us by doing the following:
promote the event on your respective social media sites
circulate our flyer to your supporters, tribe, family and friends
Above is our flyer, invitation letter and fact sheet for your participation and support with ticket sales. Email us at any time if you have any queries or recommendations. Thank you for your support. We appreciate all you do. Have a nice day!
Digicel Group has been shortlisted for both the Global Carrier Awards and the World Communication Awards.
Entering the category for “Best Environmental, Social, Governmental (ESG) Initiative” in the Global Carrier Awards, this submission looked at the extensive work the Digicel Haiti Foundation has done in the field of education throughout the nation. Digicel has built 188 schools, resulting in more than 100,000 Haitian children accessing education in a Digicel-built school each day.
The “Best ESG Initiative” category recognises initiatives that are changing the world in the environmental, societal, state and government spheres, including charity initiatives, corporate environmental commitments now or for the future, or anything in the CSR space.
For the World Communication Awards, Digicel was shortlisted in two categories, the “Social Contribution Award”, again for the work of the Digicel Haiti Foundation in education and the “Customer Experience Award” for work done to improve customer experience and to go above and beyond when it comes to putting the customer first.
The “Social Contribution Award” celebrates the service provider demonstrating the greatest positive impact on the market it seeks to address, while the “Customer Experience Award” will go to the service provider that proves to have the best all-round experience for its customer whilst enhancing the trust bonds with its customers in an increasingly digital world.
Oliver Coughlan, Digicel Group CEO said, “Each year, we take a look at the work Digicel has done in a number of areas and determine which aspects can stand tall in a global playing field. While we mostly operate in small island nations, we have a big impact and we are all immensely proud of the work we do in the markets we serve.”
Oliver continued, “Being shortlisted for these awards is a tremendous honour, and validates the work we have been doing. Getting to this stage took a collective effort, so I’d like to give a big thank you to all the teams across the business who have been working extremely hard to make this a possibility, especially in Haiti where, despite the challenges, we continue to do our best to create a world where no one gets left behind.”
The Global Carrier Awards will be held on October 19 at The O₂, London and the World Communication Awards on November 1 at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London.
IGT ASA students from the Women’s Centre in Savanna-la-mar display their certificates following a virtual graduation ceremony for Level 1 participants of the IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp. The students were on site at MGI for the occasion and later received a tour of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology at the UWI, Mona Campus. Pictured with the four students (from left to right) are MGI’s Senior Project Manager Kaodi McGaw, Lead Tutor Kevin Johnson, Technical Support Jordan Earle, and General Manager of IGT – Jamaica Debbie Green.
With the successful second staging of the IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp for its IGT After School Advantage (ASA) beneficiaries, Brendan Hames, Regional Director IGT-Caribbean, noted that more students have expressed a desire to be a part of the next training. IGT aims to meet these additional requests as best as possible, in continuing the programme which caters exclusively to students within IGT ASA Centres across the Caribbean – many of whom are either in state care (children’s home or place of safety) or are otherwise disadvantaged youth.
“The response to our introductory Level 1 training in 2021 was overwhelmingly positive,” Hames stated. “With the addition of the more advanced Level 2 component and focus on regional sustainability, there was an even greater demand for enrolment from our ASA student group across the region.”
Young men at The Learning Centre in Barbados were deeply immersed in the Level 1 training session during the IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp. ICT Teacher and ASA Supervisor, Daniel Coulthrust (standing) was on-hand to provide on-site assistance to the students who were among over 60 regional youth who participated in the virtual training funded by IGT and taught by MGI Tutors.
Over 60 youth from IGT ASA Centres in Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Jamaica; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Maarten; and Trinidad and Tobago participated in this year’s camp. It was delivered by the Mona GeoInformatics Institute (MGI) at the University of the West Indies(UWI) Mona Campus. The MGI team received curriculum development guidance from Nalini Ramsawak-Jodha, Education Specialist and Lecturer from the School of Education at the UWI, St. Augustine Campus. The camp culminated in late August with more than 30 students completing introductory level training and over 30 additional students receiving intermediate training at Level 2 for the first time.
Pleased Participants
Participants have indicated that this year’s camp taught them useful skills and broadened their horizons in terms of future career options. In the post-camp evaluations, students identified a wide range of future endeavours that the experience had ignited in them, everything from e-commerce stores to gaming and game design to cybersecurity (“ethical hacking”).
“It was very fun, competitive and intriguing,” said Jared Davis* a Level 1 participant from the IGT ASA Centre at the Spring Village Development Foundation in St. Catherine. He also noted that while the camp has ended, he is still improving the clothing website that he created during the training. “I am doing this because it is very fascinating, and it will help me in the future to create my website for my company.”
The participating supervisors affirmed the high level of engagement among the students and had high praises for the MGI instructor team as well as Education Specialist, Nalini Ramsawak-Jodha.
“The camp was great. The students were a little shy, but with encouragement from the team, they became more involved and they enjoyed it,” said Melissa Boothe-Anderson, IGT ASA Supervisor at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) in Savanna-la-mar.
Youth from IGT ASA Centres at SOS Children’s Village – Stony Hill, Sunbeam Children’s Home and Mustard Seed Communities – Jerusalem! were also among the list of Jamaican participants.
MGI’s Acting Executive Director Dr. Ava Maxam said the Institute was gratified at the continuing success of the programme and was eager to renew the partnership with IGT to serve more youth across the region.
“The value of this initiative cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Maxam. “We look forward to an even better offering as the programme grows and as we offer our youth a vital pathway to fulfilling their potential through information technology (IT).”
The programme’s curriculum advisor, Ramsawak-Jodha said it was inspirational to know that the students had gleaned as much as they had from the sessions. “We are proud to be associated with this experience, and we commend IGT for deepening its commitment to ensuring young people receive this critical and early exposure to IT.”
As Caribbean territories continue to strive to secure relevance and sustainability in this data-driven age, IGT has been graciously aiding the cause for the technological empowerment of the region’s youth. This has been witnessed through the company’s provision of fully equipped IGT ASA Centres for students in underserved communities since 2011. The company has also funded numerous IT training opportunities for young people, the most recent being the IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp which has left anticipation on a high for the 2023 hosting.
Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, October 3, 2022
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
Congratulations to the Stella Maris Steelband, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last Friday with a free concert. Band Captain Margaret Rhoden and Musical Director Gay Magnus led the happy troubadours who delighted us with a variety of medleys from gospel to Bob Marley, to Jamaican folk and soca.
The Stella Maris Steelband performing at a concert recently in celebration of their 20th anniversary.
They played a tribute to octogenarian Sister Mary Andrew who had retired from the band at the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Stella Maris Steelband has toured Europe and the United Kingdom, raising substantial funds for renovating our church.
If you believe seniors don’t rock, please check my social media pages for some of their items. Like fine wine, our Stella Maris Steelband members have mellowed with age.
Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, October 3, 2022
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
We said farewell in recent weeks to two wonderful individuals, Kamla Devi Kumrai, mother of my friend Rita Kumrai Mitra, and Professor Michael McFarlane, father of colleague Nicholette McFarlane and brother of my college friend Pamela McFarlane.
The gracious Kumrai and her family made their home in London, even as they preserved their Indian traditions. She was a gentle lady and a culinary creative who kindly graced my kitchen on a visit to Jamaica. Kumrai and her late husband raised five outstanding children.
Professor McFarlane was an exceptional medical professional, who, along with his wife Allison, raised three high-achieving daughters. Professor McFarlane was a member of the Department of Surgery, UWI, Mona, the Association of Surgeons of Jamaica, the American College of Surgeons (serving as governor, Jamaica chapter), the Medical Association of Jamaica, the Caribbean College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons, and The Jamaica Cancer Society.
Our sympathy to the Kumrai and McFarlane families, may the souls of their loved ones rest in peace.
Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, October 3, 2022
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
The extensive flooding we experienced when Hurricane Ian passed south of us was nothing compared to the devastation it wreaked in Cuba and Florida. The videos are reminiscent of our Gilbert experience and the losses have been heartbreaking. So far there have been six deaths in Cuba and 65 deaths in Florida.
I have appealed on social media for assistance for Cuba as they have never failed to send personnel to support our health-care system. I believe that grateful Jamaicans would contribute to the effort.
There was widespread criticism of Jamaica’s authorities regarding the flooded areas but as we see from the highly developed state of Florida, no amount of drainage infrastructure could have stood up to the deluge of a hurricane.
Let me hasten to say, however, that the pile-up of garbage all over the island is a health crisis. A news report a few months ago showed rats running in and out of garbage heaps; we could have a leptospirosis threat on our hands. It should be noted that dumping offenders include businesses who are not managing their waste. However, the final responsibility rests with the National Solid Waste Management Authority, which can act against lawbreakers even as they address the ever-increasing garbage on our roads.
Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, October 3, 2022
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
We read deeply into history at The University of the West Indies (UWI) and, yes, we knew all the ills of colonialism, but we did not feel malice toward our fellow students from various ethnic origins because of their colour. Indeed, we learnt that the Irish joined the Indians and Chinese as indentured servants and later there was a settlement of poor Germans and Jews who fled Nazi Germany. How could we decipher then the ancestry of our fellow Jamaicans based solely on their colour?
Fast-forward to the present, where white-looking folks in Jamaica are being painted with a broad brush. Never mind that these Jamaicans care for their country, that they built businesses which create employment, that they offer scholarships and invest in the professional development of their staff. Even as we celebrate our young black Jamaicans who have risen to become business moguls, let us also celebrate those who were not content to only inherit businesses but continue to put their energy into innovative expansion.
Our motto ‘out of many, one people’ was created on a bright hope for Jamaica’s future, a hope that all of us, regardless of class or colour, would aspire to be nation-builders. There is nothing that saps our common good like malice, both for the giver and the target. We have lost fine Jamaicans who could not tolerate the bile being poured on them and have opted for a more peaceful life abroad.
But there are some of us who refuse to give up our Jamaican dream that we can all work to affirm and help each other to prosper. It was Dr Martin Luther King Jr who exhorted Americans not to judge someone “by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character”. It is a challenge that we should embrace here in Jamaica.
Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, October 3, 2022
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
Bahia Principe chefs Richard Swaby and Linton Brown (Photo: Jean Lowrie-Chin)
We felt joy in greeting friends and colleagues at last Thursday’s Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards, some of whom we only had contact with via Zoom for the last two years.
We were treated to Jamaica’s finest in food and drink and felt the relief of those restaurateurs who had managed to survive the pandemic. Our favourites were Sandals, where bartender Marland poured us his unique gin fizz; Rainforest, including desserts created from their frozen fruits by chef Trevanne Donegal; paella from Bahia Principe hosted by David Shields; and Select Brands, where my “little sister” wine authority Debra Taylor Smith exulted after receiving the Chairman’s Award. I was sorry to miss the display of the family favourite Pelican Grill, which I later found out had “milkshakes galore” — one of their most popular offerings.
Chef Trevanne Donegal (Photo: Jean Lowrie-Chin)
The service was impeccable and the displays delightful, the result of Jamaican excellence when we unify around our goals. Kudos to Novia McDonald-Whyte and Natalie Chin for pulling off this sparkling event after a worrying deluge that afternoon.
However, our hearts were heavy as we learnt that afternoon of the death of a high school student at the hands of another — two teenage girls. There have been allegations that the attacker had a negative history. This is the dilemma of those of us who have served on school boards: Do we expel a troubled child, leaving them to the perils of their community or do we try to mentor them and keep them in school?
Onlookers gather outside Kingston Technical High School, where a female student was stabbed to death on Thursday, September 29. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
We have to accept that we have young parents in Jamaica, some of whom have received little guidance and live in crime-torn communities. They need support. I remember a Stella Maris Foundation parenting programme in Grants Pen supported by the USAID in the 90s. The remarks of the parents at the end of the project revealed that they desperately needed guidance on discipline, communication, and budgeting. We have a wealth of successful professionals who could participate in mentorship programmes.
As I recall the great folks at the Food Awards, I believe a mentorship drive having a presence at such events could assist in the social healing which Jamaica needs.
Jamaica Highlights 