by Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

When the first Reggae Academy Awards takes place in February 2008 in Jamaica, reggae and dancehall will have separate categories.

Lloyd Stanbury, chairman of the Reggae Academy, whose voting members will decide on nominees and winners, said on Monday evening that there will be about 15 categories for reggae and 13 for dancehall, with gospel getting seven categories. The public will vote on two People's Choice Award categories.

Stanbury noted the strong music industry presence among the many gathered at the Club House, Caribbean Business Club, New Kingston, for the launch of the Reggae Academy and the Reggae Academy Awards, chaired by IRIE FM's Elise Kelly. "It is ours. It is for our benefit and all of Jamaica," he said.

The awards will be the climax of three days of activities and at each staging there will be inductions into the Reggae Academy Hall of Fame.

Cleveland Browne of the Recording Industry Association of Jamaica (RIAJam), the parent organisation of the Reggae Academy which in turn handles the Reggae Academy Awards, said, "the success of the awards rests heavily on the participation of the reggae fraternity."

"I urge you to put some love into what you do; make some good music so we will have a good awards in 2008."

RIJam currently has 26 members, with over 2,000 persons from 30 countries expressing an interest in the academy through its myspace account. This puts the organisation well on the way to its first year target of 200 members.

Kirk Kennedy, executive director of Markets at Jamaica Trade and Invest, paid homage to the musicians "for transforming the island from a mere geographical location to a mecca of creativity".

And guest speaker, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, also remarked on that global reach, saying that one of the best experiences as a Jamaican is to be in a faraway part of the world and hear "the sweet strains of reggae". She said that the gathering was possible "because reggae has positioned our small island as a powerful force in the global marketplace."

"It is historically and politically correct for the awards to be located in Jamaica. This is where reggae was born," she said.

Simpson Miller said she had given instructions for her team to examine the construction of "a first-class, First World, cultural and performing arts centre in Jamaica". And as for the inaugural Reggae Academy Awards, she said " ... will be there as Prime Minister of Jamaica - and I am not a prophetess."

Serena Constantine was the good voice, expressive face and lively body before a band of Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts students, the music coming before and after the speeches.