BY KAVELLE ANGLIN-CHRISTIE, Staff Reporter
Left: A section of the crowd enjoy the music at East Fest held annually in St Thomas. The show attracts a large and faithful following each year. Right: Coco Tea performing at Beenie Man's Summer Sizzle held at Jamalco Sports Club, Halse Hall, Clarendon. Coco Tea says shows like Summer Sizzle and his show, Dancehall Jam Jam attract a large following despite the fact that they are in the 'country'. - NATHANIEL STEWART
SO THE ANNUAL Christmas tree-lighting ceremony held in the town square has passed, and the new year is like any other, because all the parties are in St. Andrew and there is nothing to do.
"We nuh really have nutting fi do down here more time. Is the same little club them down here we go all the time. Sometime when them advertise a show in Mobay or something during the holiday, that's where we go," said Shauna, a Lucea resident.
Not many can dispute what Shauna says. During the holidays, shows are scattered over the three major tourist regions: Ocho Rios, St. Andrew and Montego Bay. However, for the remainder of the year, they are concentrated in St. Andrew.
MORE PROFIT
According to the promoters, there are two major reasons for this: there are not enough party venues and they are not guaranteed a profit if they go elsewhere.
Andrea Davis, a promoter of East Fest, said most promoters focus on Kingston because having a party there is more profitable.
"The population centres are the ones that offer the most in terms of recuperating our investment. Apart from that, there are limited venues in these areas so that contributes to the limited shows that happen in the country," said Davis.
Davis says shows like Rebel Salute held in St. Elizabeth and East Fest, held in St. Thomas, cater to this frequently ignored group.
"Shows like this have a good following because they have anchored themselves in the country instead of the town and they draw people from all over, including Kingston. East Fest was the vision of the Morgan family. That (St. Thomas) is where they are from. It has grown in such a way that it is seen as a festival. It has grown beyond being a show to give back to the parish," she said.
DIFFERENT CULTURE
Gyete Ghartey, an event planner made points similar to Davis'. He said promoters keep shows in Kingston and St. Andrew mainly as a precautionary measure. "We live in the Corporate Area, and we hear that in certain parishes they only support events put on by their natives. Most of us are comfortable in our zones, so we know what the people here want.
"With most of those places you would have to take the time out to study the place and the people and get to know what they want. Right off the bat, you don't know if they will like beach parties or anything like that. The culture is completely different in each parish," he said.
Coco Tea, the founder of "Original Dancehall Jam Jam" says while the promoters' have valid concerns, that is not enough of a reason to ignore the rural areas.
"It's true that you have to look at the economic climate and look if money is at the people's disposal...If you have a flood of shows then the people are going to look and choose the one that they think was promoted well," he said.
Coco Tea's show is entering it's fourth year. It is held in Clarendon annually on December 31 and he says so far, the support has been overwhelming. "It has been good, bordering on excellent...The people in these areas have no more than three shows for the year. You have Beenie Man's 'Summer Sizzle' , the Fame Road Party and you might have Byron Lee pass through. Apart from that, they have to be travelling to Kingston for every show."
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