Finalists in the 2023 Festival Song competition. (Karl Mclarty)
The Festival Song competition has grown to be an integral part of the annual Jamaica Independence celebrations.
First held in 1966, the various iterations of the competition have seen participation from both up-and-coming and established acts, who have offered up some memorable songs, many of which have become anthems with Jamaicans at home and abroad.
In recent years, a perception has developed that the competition has waned in significance and quality of entries.
Music producer and artiste manager Ralston “Rallo” Barrett believes that the Festival Song competition, which is promoted by Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), has earned little interest with youngsters and young adults.
“I don’t think that the younger generation of Jamaicans at home or the Diaspora really care about the Festival Song competition. When I was growing up it was still a big thing. I remember how excited we used to be when we heard the new festival songs each year. Attending the festival shows and watching the grand finals was also a big thing. And these were some awesome events,” Barrett told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday.
Still, he credited Minister of Culture Olivia “Babsy” Grange for leading recent efforts to revamp the competition to make it more attractive. However, Barrett charged that entertainment in Jamaica has changed a lot over the last two decades.
The tide has included the inclusion of established acts and greater involvement by women. The 2024 edition had a record six female finalists with the winner being Kimiela “Candy” Isaacs with
One Jamaica.
The veteran artiste manager pointed to social media for the decline in interest in local cultural expressions.
“The Internet and social media have made a significant impact on our culture. The younger generation has no interest in things that are not popular on social media. So I think that the JCDC has to find a way to use social media to capture the people’s imagination and get them interested… Otherwise, it’s just going to continue to decline in popularity, and we shouldn’t let that happen,” Barrett opined.
Professor and socio-cultural analyst Donna P Hope at Institute of Caribbean Studies at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, believes that the Festival Song competition still has relevance.
“Our nation has an immense catalogue of musical output, beginning in the pre-Independence era, particularly with mento and moving through to the current forms. Jamaicans from all walks of life consider a career in music to be a part of our heritage, encoded in our DNA. The Festival Song competition, started by the late [former prime Minister] Edward Seaga in 1966 when he was our minister of development and welfare, stands as one of the first musical competitions of its kind available for Jamaicans to showcase their musical talent, ‘buss’, and gain a variety of rewards, and be the voice of our Independence celebrations…
“No matter what, our Jamaicanness must be put on the front burner at key points in our lives. The Festival Song is one of the mechanisms that reminds us of who we are as a people and why we celebrate our heritage and culture,” Hope shared.
She shared with the Observer suggestions for generating interest in the competition: “The Festival Song competition has to put more effort, over a longer lead-up time to use the very platforms, like social media and its supporters, to reach a wider range of Jamaicans. I believe that all finalists today should, for example, have a TikTok interface because this is where many people coalesce,” said Hope.
“I know that the JCDC and [ministry] have been working to find ways to engage with established and up-and-coming artistes from a wider cross section of genres. This must be ramped up and broadened to add more value and interest to the competition…. Again, in this era of high competition for the attention of the public, these products have to be marketed in a different way from the earlier times when there were no smartphones, no Internet, or social media,” said the professor.
Still, Hope doesn’t agree with the notion that the Festival Song competition should be about promoting emerging talent.
“There are other competitions, like the Rising Stars that provide these outlets solely for emerging talent. Since its inception, the Festival Song Competition has always been about Jamaican music, so both emerging and established artistes are able to attend. Remember that the first competition in 1966 was won by the Maytals with Bam Bam. And I recall, as a child, the excitement when The Astronauts won in 1982 with Mek Wi Jam,” she said.
Some of the better known winning Festival songs over the years include Intensified by Desmond Dekker, Sweet and Dandy by Toots and the Maytals, Cherry Oh Baby by Eric Donaldson, Play Di Music by Tinga Stewart, Land of My Birth by Eric Donaldson, No Weh No Betta Dan Yard by Tinga Stewart, Born Jamaicans by The Astronauts, Jamaica I’ll Never Leave You Again by Ras Karbi, Give Thanks and Praises by Roy Rayon, and Buju Banton with I Am A Jamaican.
Kimiela “Candy” Isaacs (left) receives her first-place trophy from Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia Grange at last year’s Festival Song grand finals.
2019 Jamaica Festival Song finalists.
HOPE…in this era of high competition for the attention of the public, these products have to be marketed in a different way
Ralston “Rallo” Barrett.
Buju Banton poses with his trophy after winning the 2020 Jamaica Festival Song Competition. Photo: JCDC