Jamaica 50th Anniversary Celebrations Flowing at Jazz

Trelawny,  Jamaica;  When the lights went up on the main stage at the 16th Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, it was clear that this was a celebration of Jamaica's 50th.  From the local serving of food and drinks in the various skyboxes and the energy and dynamism of the performances, this was one of the best Thursday nights ever.  Patrons saw the best of classic Jamaican music through the years with an amazing line-up of performances from Luciano, Etana, Marcia Griffiths, Yellow Man, Half Pint and Shaggy. Off stage the action was just a potent.  The festival saw companies such as Flow teaming with local groups to ensure that the Celebrate Jamaica theme was everywhere in the stadium. 

Flow joined forces with L’acadco, to bring local culture live on the grounds of the festival.  With drummers and stilt walkers, the audience were able to walk and participate directly in the "celebrate" Jamaica vibes. Many of the patrons stopped to dance with the drummers and take photos of the still walkers.  Visitors were in awe of the skills and talents displayed and cameras clicked and photos were uploaded and sent worldwide.  Local talent and culture was certainly everywhere in the festival and was sent to friends across the world.  Denise Williams, Director of Government and Corporate Affairs explained that Flow welcomed the opportunity to help kick start the Jamaica 50th anniversary celebration.  “We have such a rich and wide culture, the world is captivated by it.  We are happy to help showcase this fantastic talent, through the technology of WIFi, and through Flow TV and our partnership with international partners,” she said.

Part of the showcasing will be done through a special partnership with international cable channel HBO who were capturing all the action at the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny for a special documentary.  HBO will this year place special focus on Jamaica’s historic 50th Anniversary of Independence and will showcase cultural icons and places of interest throughout the island to promote Jamaica as a prime tourist and business destination.  The  Flow/HBO partnership will bring the internationally renowned festival and Jamaica into the homes of millions of viewers across 22 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Powered by Flow for the third consecutive year, the Jazz and Blues Festival is the first major entertainment festival of Jamaica’s 50th anniversary year. The festival sets the stage for the highly anticipated celebrations and pays tribute to Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage. Jamaica raised its own flag on August 6, 1962 and has since then has made significant strides in the development of the country’s cultural and technological landscape.  Flow, through its own mandate has made a commitment to providing state of the art technology to Jamaicans.