slated to be even more successful on January 2, 2010, despite the looming tax increase cloud and the IMF
conditionalities to be levied on Jamaicans as the new year dawns. This is Jamaica - No Problem!
The who's who of Jamaica companies, mostly from the entertainment and telecomm industries minus Lime and Claro sponsored the promotion for the Shaggy & Friends 2010 Benefit Concert. Not surprisingly, the manufacturing sector was not represented at all aside from Jamaica Broilers, who obviously benefitted from the so-called 'gift' to Jamaica promotion of ‘cheaper chicken for a week during Christmas’. Combing as many outlets as possible throughout the week only revealed that chicken meat was more expensive than the weeks prior to the promotion, and Roasters were in short supply.
The lineup for Shaggy's benefit concert included Boysz II Men, Joe, Shaggy, Toots Hibbert, Beenie Man, Machel Montano, Queen Ifrica, Busy Signal, Cham, Sanchez, Ce'cile, Alaine, Tanya Stephens, Mario Winans, T.O.K., Mykal Rose and Ding Dong... tickets starting at $5,000 for Silver, $10,000 for Gold, $20,000 for Platinum and a new segment of $30,000 for Diamond! Wow!
The tag line is 1 Ticket = 1 Life, I Dare You!
My question to the promoters is which of the above tickets = one life? Is it the $5,000 ticket, which then means that those paying $30,000 are helping six lives while filling their guts with the goodies supplied by the likes of Red Stripe, Coca Cola, Wray & Nephew, etc.? While provisions are made for donations to be made via DigiCel Line (text 444-2452) or at www.shaggyfoundation.org, me thinks that the whole charade of starting the ticketing at such a high level as $5,000 per person is nothing short of bourgeoisie behaviour in Jamaica Society. Tell me, how many government workers, even top level civil servants, who have burst their asses all year to keep the engine of the economy turning, can afford to fork out $10,000 for 2 tickets to watch a concert, which I am sure they would all have loved to be a part of? Repeat the same question for members of the manufacturing fraternity or even the small business trade for that matter - Jamaica house and the grounds of Jamaica house belong to all Jamaicans - not to a few elitists and wannabes.
I know I will get a lot of dissension for daring to ‘criticize’ if you want to call it that, but I feel good speaking out about it, because somebody in earnest must start this conversation. My suggestion to Shaggy & Friends is to create a 'copper' or 'brass' category available for 2011, where you charge $2,000 for a ticket. I will not dare you, I will bet that you collect far more donations from far more participants, who would not only have come to help the Bustamante Hospital for Children, but also come to start the new year with good company, good hope and good will. In the long run, is far better for Jamaica for a family unit of 5 for example, to purchase 5 x $2,000 tickets, or for friends to sponsor each other for a quality night out, than to struggle to find same amount of ‘profile' money, while our children are left at home to watch cable TV.
