The Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of the West Indies, Mona explore and celebrate Jamaican culture at its best at the Global Reggae Conference on February 18-24, 2008 at the UWI, Mona Campus.

The Conference, titled “Global Reggae: Jamaican Popular Music A Yard and Abroad”, is the first of its kind. Keynote speakers from all continents will assess the reception and adaptation of reggae in their region. This historic conference is designed to highlight the global impact of Jamaican popular culture, provide a platform for the discussion of reggae’s influence in various cultural contexts, showcase the work of stakeholders including artists, scholars and entrepreneurs and expose emerging reggae talent through daily concerts.

During the week of activities, conference presenters will document and analyse the roots & rise of Jamaican popular music, technological transformation and the social, political and business aspects of reggae. A major objective of the conference is to help define priority growth markets for the reggae music industry.

The Global Reggae Conference 2008 will partner with the Recording Industry Association of Jamaica (RIAJam), the Bob Marley Foundation, IRIE FM and the Jamaica Tourist Board.

This cultural exploration began in a tradition started in 1996 when the inaugural Conference on Caribbean Culture was convened, on the initiative of Dr. Barry Chevannes, Professor of Anthropology, to celebrate the distinguished intellectual legacy of Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford, Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies. The second Culture Conference paid tribute to the renegade Barbadian historian and poet, Professor Kamau Brathwaite. This third Conference on Caribbean Culture focuses not on a single giant but on a mass movement of popular consciousness.