The Global Reggae Conference 2008 will be a combination of seminars with different contributors, addresses by individual speakers and live performances.

After tomorrow's opening ceremony, Tuesday morning opens with two sessions, also at the Assembly Hall, where 'Routes to Popular Jamaican Music 1 - The Role of Jazz' will be explored at 9:00 a.m. before 'Religious and Spiritual Transformations Through Reggae'. 'Routes to Jamaican Popular Music 2 - Bringing It All Back Home' comes in the 3:30 evening session at the Assembly Hall, while Ellen Koelings of Riddim magazine is among those who will analyse reggae in Europe, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Sexuality gets good treatment at the conference, as at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, in the Old Dramatic Theatre, Sociopolitical Narratives of Gender and Sexuality in Reggae and Dancehall will be discussed. And on Thursday, 'Badman, Bad Gyal an' Batty Bwoy: Gender, Sexuality and Dancehall in the Global South' is slated for the 9:00 a.m. session at the Assembly Hall.

topics of interest

At 12:30 p.m. on the same day, 'Musical Messages from Women in Reggae and Dancehall' is up for discussion at the Old Dramatic Theatre.

The business of music gets heavy treatment on that day, 'The Record Industry - New Business Model, New Paradigm', 'Music Marketing on the Internet' and 'Digital Rights Management - Caribbean Impact' among the topics to be discussed.

On Friday afternoon, 'Reggae in Film' is on at the Multifunctional Room of the Main Library, documentaries on the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and Lyn Tait among those to be screened, starting at 3:30 p.m.

closing ceremony

On Saturday, the conference makes its strongest moves off the university's campus to the Hilton Hotel in New Kingston, where 'Reggae in Film' will be at the Jonkanoo Lounge beginning at 10:00 a.m. The closing ceremony will also take place at the Hilton, starting at noon, where Eddy Grant will give the closing address on 'The Artiste as Philosopher' and Professor Carolyn Cooper will officially close off.

And performances, which continue through the week and include a tribute to poet Mikey Smith on Thursday evening, hit the big stage as the 'Smile Jamaica- Africa Unite' concert in St Ann is on the 'to-do' list for Saturday night.

- MC