Songwriter tops list of national honourees
PHILANTHROPIST AND international superstar Harold George Bellanfanti Jr, better known as Harry Belafonte, will add membership in the Order of Merit to his list of prestigious awards as the sole new entrant at this year’s National Honours and Awards ceremony in October.
Bellanfanti Jr will be honoured for his outstanding contribution in the field of music.
Although he was born in Harlem, New York, the songwriter and social activist spent part of his childhood in St Ann and has helped to position Brand Jamaica on the world stage. He has given Caribbean music an international profile and has contributed to Jamaica’s folk culture through songs like Jamaica Farewell and the Banana Boat Song (Day-O).
Bellanfanti Jr will be among 130 individuals who will receive national honours and awards at King’s House on National Heroes Day, October 15.
Tourism stalwart Godfrey Dyer will receive membership in the Order of Jamaica. So, too, will Earl Jarrett for exceptional contribution to the banking and financial sector, public service, and volunteerism; Grace Jones for her contribution in entertainment, internationally; and Giuseppe Maffessanti for his contribution to the construction industry, social development and welfare, and philanthropy.
Olympian Alia Atkinson, trade unionist Senator Kavan Gayle, Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis, communications expert Jean Lowrie-Chin, and United States Congresswoman Yvette Clarke will be among those who will join the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander.
Those who will join the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer include Barbara BlakeHannah, Winston ‘Yellowman’ Foster, Dermot Hussey, Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Peter Jervis, Grace McLean, Raymond Spencer, and The Reverend Rennard White.
“DAT BUMPY head gal” author and cultural ambassador Joan Andrea Hutchinson believes that the Jamaican culture should be repackaged for the next generation by making use of technologies that are now available.
“Young people don’t have time to sit around grandma’s feet anymore to hear Anansi stories, so we have to package it so that we reach them in a particular kind of way,” Hutchinson told The Gleaner yesterday.
“There are many Jamaicans in the Diaspora, secondgeneration Jamaicans who have been born there, or Jamaicans who have married people from other countries who need to understand Jamaica,” she said as the country celebrated its Independence Day.
Hutchinson is among 130 individuals who will be recognised on National Heroes Day for their contributions to nation building.
PRESERVING JAMAICAN CULTURE
The author, storyteller, actress, and cultural educator will be receiving the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer for her contribution to the cultural arts, in particular, the spoken word.
“I am totally honoured. I am part of a long tradition of preservation of Jamaican culture, and I am happy to know that the work that I have done has been acknowledged,” she said.
The cultural ambassador said that she is focused on interpreting, documenting, and preserving Jamaican culture.
“Jamaicans in the Diaspora also need to understand the importance (of culture). It is not just the singing and the dancing and the putting on green, black and gold on special days. The culture of Jamaica is present 365 days per year,” she said.
“How are we going to interpret that culture for those who need to understand it? How are we going to document it for those who need to have it documented? And how are we going to preserve it for those who need to have it preserved?” she asked.