Reggae superstar Gramps Morgan is urging his fellow Reggae and Dancehall artists to uphold the highest standards of representation for Jamaica on the international stage, as they play a critical role as cultural ambassadors for their homeland.
In an interview with DancehallMag on Wednesday during the 10th Diaspora Awards ceremony, Gramps emphasized that the ambassadorial role of artists is akin to that of politicians and other members of the diplomatic corps.
“We are some of the ambassadors other than the private sector and the business owners and the politicians that go and represent our country. I think that it’s considered pop culture in Jamaica. Someone like a Popcaan, someone like the Buju Bantons, the Masickas, the Capletons, the Shaggy’s, the Sean Pauls – these are the ambassadors that go through the airport and represent our country,” Gramps said.
“So I implore to my artiste friend dem: make sure to represent oonself at your best because you are a representation of our culture and our people. Suh yuh nuh waan guh behave bad an dem seh: ‘ohh, those Jamaicans, man, oh my God, I don’t want to hang out with the Jamaicans’. It cannot be that. So I think it’s very important that we represent ourselves in a light that we want to shine,” the Wash The Tears singer added.
At the beginning of his performance of his hit song People Like You at the Diaspora Awards ceremony, Gramps had told Governor General Sir Patrick Allen that he has been coaching some of his musical compatriots on the importance of integrity and responsibility in the global representation of Jamaican culture.
“Your Excellency, excuse me sir but for many many years artists have gone around the world I always encourage my colleagues that remember we are ambassadors of our country, and most importantly and to understand that we have a moral duty to our society and our communities,” he had stated.
“I’ve been talking to many of them to encourage them that know the words that come out of your mouth – for I grew up in the church where my grandmother say ‘word penetrate flesh’, so the power of words are important,” he added.
Gramps was among five recipients of the Governor General’s Diaspora Awards For Excellence 2024 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Wednesday.
The Positive Vibrations artiste was recognised during the awards cermony, held during the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, for his philanthropy and preservation of Jamaican culture.
He was also described as one whose “efforts embody the Governor General’s Programme for Excellence”, and as as “a distinguished figure in Reggae music and humanitarian efforts and who, as a member of Morgan Heritage has “promoted unity, love, and social justice”.
