A prominent cultural advocate is issuing an urgent appeal for Jamaica to recognize its reggae music pioneers while they can still appreciate the honor. Dr B, founder of the New York-based DARC Foundation and organizer of an annual awards ceremony, emphasizes that too many musical trailblazers have passed without receiving proper recognition from their nation.
The Kingston-born pan-African activist leads an organization dedicated to honoring black individuals who have made substantial contributions to music, arts, sports, and community development. In a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer, Dr B articulated his philosophy with poignant clarity: “We should give these people their flowers, an’ mek dem smell these flowers before they die. Too many of our artistes an’ musicians are honoured in eulogies, an’ dat’s not right.”
This call for timely recognition addresses longstanding criticism of Jamaica’s national honors system, which has consistently faced accusations of neglecting key figures in Jamaican music history. Numerous artists and producers, including the legendary Dennis Brown and influential producer Duke Reid, received their honors only posthumously.
The DARC Foundation’s most recent Ethiophile Banquet and RasTafari Meritorious Awards celebrated ten distinguished recipients. The honorees included reggae icon Marcia Griffiths, renowned guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith, Steel Pulse frontman David Hinds, musical pioneer Ras Michael, and broadcasting veteran Garfield “Chin” Bourne.
The foundation also recognized international figures such as Thomas Sankara, the assassinated former prime minister of Burkina Faso; Rastafarian elder Daughter Dean; educator Dr Yvette Morgan of the Morgan Heritage family; philanthropist Andre McDonnell; and cannabis advocate President Scherill Murray-Powell.
Dr B noted the evolution of their recognition criteria: “When we started out we honoured Rastafarians, but over the years we have expanded to include American athletes like John Carlos and Bob Beamon who were revolutionaries in their own right.”
The foundation’s work began in 1994 when Dr B, originally from Vineyard Town in eastern Kingston, first organized a ceremony in Brooklyn, New York, that honored Rastafarian achievements, recognizing figures like Sam Brown of the Rastafarian Movement and reggae legend Burning Spear.