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Jamaica Awareness INC, was formed in 1984 in direct response to a rapidly growing Caribbean population and interest in Caribbean art forms. 1984- Presented its first premiere event, The Jamaica Awareness Festival; although the popularity of reggae music was expanding across Florida’s cultural lines, most of the artists donated time and talent to the Festival, but reaped many benefits after in the form of job offers from hotels, restaurants, clubs and recording studios.
1985- Incorporated as a Florida-based nonprofit, found community and governmental support, and began its growth as one of Florida’s prolific producers of Caribbean music, theater, dance and other art forms.
Caribbean businesses such as Desnoes & Geddes, Red Stripe Beer, Air Jamaica, Jamaica Tourist Board and smaller Jamaican and Caribbean companies saw Jamaica Awareness’ activities as a great opportunity to support Caribbean culture and to market products.
1989 - Jamaica Awareness Festival, now an annual event, was renamed the "Miami Reggae Festival," expanded to two days, attracted more than 50,000 music lovers, residents and tourists, and featured international reggae performers such as Marcia Griffiths, Barrington Levy, Jimmy Cliff and Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, and Kymani Marley -- the children of reggae legend Bob Marley. The Festival was established as one of the major summer festivals in South Florida, and Jamaica Awareness became recognized as a major presenter of Caribbean music in the United States.
1992 - The cultural series, "Celebration 500" was launched expanding activities that focusing on the survival of African culture in the New World at a time when many were celebrating the Quincentennial arrival of Christopher Columbus. "Celebration 500" was and continues to be a series of cultural events drawing on the many disciplines of folk, traditional and contemporary Caribbean arts. The initial season of "Celebration 500" consisted of the play "December" featuring Leonie Forbes from Jamaica and Errol Jones from Trinidad. "Culturama 92" - a potpourri of music, dance and poetry, "The Miami Reggae Festival", and "The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica". The success of "Celebration 500" inspired the organization to continue presenting these much needed cultural events for the community and to formally adopt this concept as a basic outline for its annual season of programs, which remain a part of the organization’s presenting and operational blueprint today.
Today- Jamaica Awareness presents internationally and nationally, a wide-range of Caribbean arts and artists from the Caribbean basin; three of its founders remain deeply engaged with the organization; and its operations are overseen by an ardent and vested Board of Directors that now includes second generation involvement.