Jamaica’s premiere music festival, Reggae Sumfest, is being criticised for what some believe is the exclusion of certain artistes, particularly those who offer more conscious music, resulting in concert-goers missing out on good quality entertainment.

These recent claims were made by veteran reggae star and producer, Junior Reid.

While speaking at the launch of his own event last week, the “One Blood Family Fest”, Reid said Sumfest must and should do more to include good conscious artistes on such a major show. In response, Skatta Burrell, a key member of the Sumfest organizing committee, addressed the issue through an Instagram post over the weekend. Burrell explained some of the challenges the festival faces, including the significant disparity in costs between entertainers acting as promoters and those solely focusing on organizing events. He, however, lauded Junior Reid for bringing top acts to his upcoming birthday bash, which includes a lineup of reggae artistes.

Skatta however counteracted the view that Sumfest does not book enough conscious acts – he posted a slide show, showing a long listing of reggae acts – some of who will pay tribute to the iconic King Jammy, a special from Freddie McGregor and his sons Chino & Stephen Di Genus – among others. Burrell’s post, while acknowledging the challenges faced by Reggae Sumfest, clarifies that the festival is doing its best to support artistes while keeping the event financially viable. The post also highlights the need for unity and collaboration between artistes and event promoters to keep Jamaica’s reggae culture alive and thriving.