Plantation, Florida: On Saturday, February 10, 2024, in celebration of Reggae Month, the story of the Caribbean’s most prolific music genre will be presented to South Florida in a bold new way. The inaugural historical retrospective and concert event “Reggae Genealogy – The Origins, Evolution and Influence of Jamaican Music,” produced by Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, will be presented in the city of Plantation, Florida. A blend of entertainment and education, this event will showcase live performances including music and dance, archival video elements and contemporary narratives for a fully immersive experience. Reggae Genealogy will take place in the northeast parking lot of the Broward Mall.
The entire history of Jamaican music will find representation. Beloved icons who are no longer with us, such as Harry Belafonte, the first recording artist to sell a million records in the U.S., will speak to the audience in recorded video. Living legends like Mykal Rose of Black Uhuru, the first reggae band to win a Grammy, will make special guest appearances.
Reggae Genealogy event is presented in partnership with Broward Mall and the City of Plantation, and made possible in part by the support of the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Broward County Cultural Division, Grace Foods, Jamaica Tourist Board, Blue Mahoe Capital, the Beach Channel, Visit Lauderdale, Only the Best Printing and the following funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Judith Cornfeld Fund for the Arts, Helen and Frank Stoykov Charitable Endowment Fund and The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Broward Community Fund.
The three-hour showcase will trace the early beginnings of popular Jamaican music, prior to Jamaican independence from Britain in 1962, to the present, touching on mento, ska, Nyabinghi, rocksteady, lover’s rock, dub, reggae and dancehall. The showcase will also highlight the influence of Jamaican music on genres such as hip hop, reggaeton, EDM and Afrobeats.
To execute the inaugural staging of Reggae Genealogy, Island SPACE has assembled an experienced team of experts in reggae music history, event production and business. The team includes Lloyd Stanbury – one of the founders of Reggae Month and of the first Jamaican all-reggae radio station, IRIE FM, and Calibe Thompson and David I. Muir – the former producers of The Taste the Islands Experience culinary festival, and co-founders of Island SPACE. Other team members include authors, documentarians, television and video producers, radio personalities and choreographers.
The gates open at 3 p.m. with showtime at 6 p.m. Pre-sold tickets are $20 or $25 at the gate. Afternoon attendees can enjoy restaurant and artisan vendors and tours of Island SPACE Caribbean Museum inside the Broward Mall. Find tickets, general, sponsorship, vendor and volunteer information at www.reggaegenealogy.org
Island Society for the Promotion of Artistic and Cultural Education (Island SPACE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of arts, culture, history, and educational initiatives that represent the Caribbean region, in South Florida and the broader diaspora. The public is invited to visit the Caribbean museum Thursdays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. General museum entry is $10 per adult and $5 per child. Visit www.islandspacefl.org to learn more.
