Delegates from eight countries are in the island for the annual United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities of Music Subnetwork Meeting being held from February 16 to 18.
The four-day meeting, which is being held in the Caribbean for the first time, aims to strengthen ties between designated Creative Cities of Music and serves as a platform for discussions on musical creativity.
Delegates attending include representatives from the cities of Hamamatsu, Japan; Katowice, Poland; Glasgow, Scotland; Amarante, Portugal; Adelaide, Australia; Hannover, Germany; Norrkopink, Sweden; and Daegu and Tongyeong, South Korea.
Reggae – Cultural Heritage for Humanity
A key part of the discussions will center on the Government’s submission of a nomination dossier to inscribe Reggae on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity.
Jamaica’s nomination file, dubbed ‘Reggae Music of Jamaica’, was submitted in March 2017. It is anticipated that the genre may be inscribed in 2018.
The international protection instrument will ensure that the origins of Reggae and its derivatives are appropriately documented and safeguarded for present and future generations.
In her remarks at the opening ceremony, Minister of Entertainment Olivia “Babsy” Grange, expressed the hope that the discussions will yield positive outcomes.
Music cities will find a creative model
“I hope that the conversations and sharing that will arise during the course of the meetings will look at how cities that lack capacity in one area can be bolstered by other cities within the network that are able to provide support in technical areas of cultural mapping, cultural data gathering and cultural data analysis. I am sure that the music cities will find a model that can be replicated across your network of other creative cities,” she said.
Meanwhile, Kingston’s Mayor, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams said the initiative is important for the development of Jamaica’s reputation as a Creative City of Music, a designation that was bestowed by the UNESCO in December 2015.
 Creative Cities of Music Subnetwork Meeting being held from February 16 to 18.){kind=link}