3 days ago
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Singing sensation Alaine is one of the artistes who will be performing on the I Love Jamaica telethon on Sunday, November 23, to raise funds to assist those who have been affected by Hurricane Melissa. Full of compassion for the plight of those who have lost their homes and their livelihood, the singer/songwriter is keeping her spirits up by listening to a song from one of her peers.
“ Resilient by Chronixx has been on repeat,” Alaine told The Gleaner. “It’s a beautiful, seemingly prophetic composition, that captures and expresses the power of love to carry us through anything.”
In Resilient, track 15 from Exile, Chronixx’s just-released, surprise album, he sings: ‘ If I ever forget to hold your hand/I know it can feel like forever we’ve been struggling/Jah love is our strength/Together we’re resilient’.
Chronixx, incidentally, has been getting major props for Exile, which has been labelled, “a divinely-inspired album for this time”.
In the post-Melissa period, the entertainment fraternity has been receiving much praise for jumping out as soon as the hurricane passed and willingly giving of their resources and their time in relief efforts across the western parishes. And, Alaine was quick to add her voice to the chorus of commendations.
“The outpouring of assistance from the music fraternity, both publicised and unpublicised, has been a powerful display of what it means to be our brother’s keepers,” she said passionately.
“We are taking action and I pray that God will continue to strengthen and guide not only us but everyone who’s committed to contributing to the restoration and rebuilding of our precious island,” the Rise in Love singer added.
The I Love Jamaica telethon is a partnership between the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and stakeholders in the entertainment industry. At the official announcement of the series last Thursday, Minister of Culture Olivia Grange said that the initiative “forms part of a series of entertainment and sporting activities aimed at providing funds for those displaced in the affected parishes, and raising the spirit of the entire nation”.
A closed-door event, the telethon runs from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on TVJ, CVM, PBCJ and streamed across multiple local and international digital platforms
Alaine shared that she was “grateful for the opportunity to use [her] voice and talent to continue to draw attention and help to [her] beautiful island home”.
“The telethon will continue the forward movement of rebuilding Jamaica one brick at a time ... one pledge at a time. This road of rebuilding is one we will walk together and we will be stronger and better at the end of it,” was her message of hope.
Minister Grange stated in a press release that “a telethon symbolises what we do best in Jamaica. That is, we use our talent; we use our culture and togetherness to overcome adversity. The I Love Jamaica telethon is a reflection of Jamaica’s cultural strength and resilience. Through music, sport, and togetherness, it gives us the opportunity to show the world that our culture is not just entertainment, but also a manifestation of our power to heal, rebuild, and inspire”.
HOSTS
A professionally produced television programme, hosted by leading media personalities including Dahlia Harris, Ity Ellis and Wendy Phillips, the telethon will be presented by Red Stripe and powered by Digicel as the telecoms provider.
Red Stripe’s head of commerce, Sean Wallace, told The Gleaner that his organisation “wanted to be a part of the relief and recovery initiative”.
“Red Stripe is enjoyed islandwide ... from Negril out west to St Thomas out east ... so anything that affects Jamaicans, particularly things that have expressions of entertainment, sports ... these are things that Red Stripe really wants to be a part of. And we were very honoured and happy to jump on board when the ministry reached out to us and said they were having this initiative. It’s an opportunity to help our people ... our people really need the help,” Wallace said.
During the telethon, donors will call in from all over the world and the programme “will be punctuated by uplifting performances from some of Jamaica’s most beloved artistes”. Among those already confirmed are Tarrus Riley, Chris Martin, Lukie D, Alaine, George Nooks and Masicka.
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