The Jako Prize is awarded to a Vieux Fort artist (author, visual artist, musician, drama, dance, fashion) who has produced the most compelling art during (preferably) the previous year. Last year, the inaugural Jako Prize was awarded to Sherwinn Brice for his album, 3D.
As was the case last year, the Jako Prize award ceremony was held as part of the Vieux Fort Nobel Laureate Literary Night hosted on February 7, at the National Skills Development Center. The nominees, which included Urmain Grey (Imani Models) for Fashion, Tony Wilkinson (South Calypso Tent) for Music, and Dr. Anderson Reynolds for Literature (The Stall Keeper), were introduced by a video presentation highlighting their work and accomplishments.
Following the video presentation, Urmain Grey of Imani Models was announced the winner of the 2018 Jako Prize, presented to her by Dr. Jolien Harmsen, author of three books, including A History of St. Lucia. The Jako Prize entailed a cash prize of $500 and a glass trophy inscribed with the logo of Jako Productions and the following: 2018 / Jako Prize / Awarded to / Imani Models / for Fashion.
Imani Models was a well-deserved winner of the Jako Prize. Founded in 1993, and led by Urmain Gray, it is one of the island’s premiere and longest lasting modeling agencies. The agency both designs and models fashion. Their models have graced the catwalks of fashion shows across the island and were perennial performers at the St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival’s HOT COUTURE fashion show. In 2017 Imani Models performed at Assou Square, Vieux Fort Jounen kweyol, Independence Day, St. Jude’s Pageant, Sound Waz, Post Secondary School pageant, and Vieux Fort Noble Laureate Literary Night 2017.
The Literary Night was undoubtedly a fitting setting for the awarding of the Jako Literary Prize, and it clearly lived up to the high standards of its two previous editions. It was a classy and culturally enriching event, and was graced by the presence of such dignitaries as former minister and ambassador, Mr. Cassius Elias; District Reps Mr. Moses Jn Baptiste and Mr. Alva Baptiste, and deputy Mayor of Vieux Fort, Mr. Jn Claude Amedee. Moreover, even though the Labor Party held a Vieux Fort constituency meeting on the same evening, the Literary Night was well attended.
The event was officially opened with remarks by the deputy Mayor. Cultural Icon, Kennedy “Boots” Samuel, provided introductory remarks that took the audience down a nostalgic Vieux Fort memory lane. Songstress Mina Williams of Vieux Fort Beanefield Secondary held the audience in awe as she serenaded the evening with song. She was followed by a quintet of students of the Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School as they took turns rendering their own poems and those by famous poets. Sports enthusiast and social and political activist, Stephen Marcellin, brought the audience to laughter with his satirical poem on the DSH development. Moses “Musa” Jan Baptiste kept the humor and laughter going with Roadside Poets, an amusing and thought-provoking poem that suggests some of the utterances of persons living on the fringes of our society are just as poetic as those of our celebrated poets.
Notwithstanding, Dr. Reynolds lecture, The St. Lucia Renaissance, was the main course of the evening. In it the award-winning author first impressed upon the audience that during the 1950 – 1971 period, the St. Lucia Arts Guild led Caribbean theatre and unleashed an unprecedented outpouring of artistic creativity, such that up till today the more notable exponents of that period have remained unmatched in St. Lucia in their respective fields of artistic endeavor. Accordingly, Dr. Reynolds posited that the twenty-one-year period the Arts Guild span can certainly be a candidate for the golden era of St. Lucian Art and literature and can be aptly described as a renaissance. With this said, the author then went on to discuss the forces that gave rise to the Renaissance and its lasting ramifications.
