Kam-Au Amen

31/05/2026

On Thursday, May 28, 2026, the Entertainment and Cultural Enterprise Management (ECEM) program at the UWI, Mona, had the pleasure of hosting the Minister of Tourism, The Hon Edmund Bartlett, and his team, on campus at the launch of our new short courses offering. We are currently offering Event Planning and Design and Artist Management, and we’ll be bringing on others in the near future. In this effort, we have partnered with the Ministry’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and the Tourism Linkages Network (TLN). Stay tuned for more as we're excited by what’s ahead for this partnership. The Minister, on this occasion, also announced his “Tourism 3.0” initiative, aimed at expanding the tourism economy to include even more local culture and entertainment. We're here for it and stand ready to deliver the management training needed.

Bartlett reiterates need for tourism pivot

16/05/2026

Microsites aren't new. In fact, I remember being introduced to these years ago, and I think it might have been when I was attending Full Sail University's Entertainment Business master's program. The challenge will always be finding good ways to use them. This Expedia and IShowSpeed partnership is brilliant https://speed.expedia.com/explore, I like the site. Beyond this, I can see other ways Jamaicans offering experiences could use it.

15/05/2026

Strong points. Ultimately, her argument is not even about the lyrics so much as it is about how readily accessible and available lewdness and crassness are to all and sundry. The accessibility and open, unimaginative practice of the lewd and crass is a problem. Her's is not so much a question of morality, or policing morality, as it is a call for our society to establish and respect spaces where we foster the flourishing of higher standards of creativity and human decency. I do not disagree.

Veteran broadcaster and cultural commentator Fae Ellington is urging Jamaicans to take a closer look at the music and messages being promoted online and in d...

13/05/2026

Such a classic…

The monumental soundtrack of Perry Henzell’s film, starring Jimmy Cliff, powered the best musical of 2025. Its creators discuss bringing their hit back after the reggae giant’s death

13/05/2026

Ready to level up your skills in the creative industries? The Entertainment and Cultural Enterprise Management Programme at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, is bringing you an exciting series of 2-day and 3-day short courses this May and June 2026—and you won’t want to miss them!

🌟 What’s on offer?
Two dynamic, hands-on courses designed to boost your expertise and ignite fresh ideas:

- 🎉 Event Planning and Design
- 🎤 Artist Management

Led by experienced UWI lecturers Dr. Dennis Howard and Kam-Au Amen, alongside top industry professionals, these sessions promise real-world insights, practical strategies, and insider tips to help you stand out and succeed.

💡 What you’ll gain:
By the end of your course, you’ll walk away with:

- A UWI Certificate of Participation
- At least two practical ideas or strategies you can immediately apply
- A renewed sense of confidence in your craft

🗓️ When?
- 3-day sessions: Wednesday–Friday
- 2-day sessions: Thursday–Friday
- ⏰ Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily

🔗 Register here:
- Event Planning and Design:
https://www.mona.uwi.edu/short-courses/course/SCHE1038

- Artist Management:
https://www.mona.uwi.edu/short-courses/course/SCHE1079

📲 Need more info?

- WhatsApp: (876) 772-0583
- Email: [email protected]

⚠️ Spaces are limited, so secure your spot early! And don’t keep the opportunity to yourself—share it with someone who’s ready to take their creative career to the next level.

✨ Learn. Create. Elevate. See you there!

13/05/2026

Here’s some helpful research that should inform the discussions. The roots of this discussion run deep…

04/05/2026

Here’s something to think about…

Reggae made billions for the world but not for the people who built it. I am not saying that to stir emotion. I am saying it because it does not add up when you look at it closely. Think about what Reggae actually is. Not just music. A global presence. Tourism. Merchandise. Publishing that still pays, decades later. You can go almost anywhere in the world and hear it, see it, feel it. Even the colours, the philosophy, the imagery have been lifted, repackaged and sold in places far removed from where it came from. The value is real and it is not small.

Now here is the part that should make you pause. Many of the artists who created that value did not see returns that matched what they built. They laid the foundation inside an industry where control of ownership, publishing, masters and distribution already leaned away from the artist. This is not a simple story. Some artists made money. Some had moments where deals worked in their favour. The pattern is clear enough to ask a serious question.

How does something create this much value and return so little ownership to the people who made it possible? The answer is not complicated. Contracts signed without protection. Masters held by labels. Royalty systems tilted toward infrastructure instead of the creator. Agreements that outlived the artists, continuing to generate income for others long after they were gone. The system did what it was built to do and it did it well.

Now here is where it becomes uncomfortable. Reggae has spent decades talking about systems, extraction and Babylon. It taught people to recognise it, question it and resist it. Inside the industry distributing that same music, similar patterns were still operating. That is not a failure of the artists. They were working with limited access, protection and leverage. It is a conversation the culture cannot keep avoiding. The structure has not changed enough. The music is still being made. The value is still being created. The decisions about who owns that value are still happening in rooms where the artist is not always fully protected so here is the question. Has the culture done enough to protect the people who carry it forward because Reggae made billions for the world and that question is still unanswered.