The term “grounation” is a reference to the Rasta ceremonial event in which verbal exchange, reasoning, and artistic expression is the core of “overstanding.” In keeping with this, the Jamaica Music Museum’s Grounation lecture series promotes academic presentations, encourages audience participation and artistic expression allowing it to become a significant cultural event that promotes core humanitarian values, integral to the creation of a just, vibrant, and sustainable society.
Introduced in 2012, Grounation has become the Jamaica Music Museum’s premier educational outreach programme, and is now considered one of the most significant events on Jamaica’s cultural calendar. With a capacity to accommodate an audience of three hundred, over the past three years, Grounation has attracted a full house resulting in standing room only attendances. Feedback from the general public and from local media outlets, shows that past events were resoundingly successful. In addition, feedback from international presenters, performers and the foreign media, as well as that observed online via social media, were remarkably positive, not only demonstrating the programme’s increasing success, but also helping to elevate the Jamaica Music Museum (and by extension, the Institute of Jamaica’s) institutional visibility locally and internationally.
Below are the Grounations that we have held in the past.
Seeing Sounds and Hearing Images: African Aesthetics In Popular Jamaican Culture
Riddim Across the Atlantic: Di Drum in Africa and its Diaspora
Ungle Malungu Man: Musings on Don Drummond
Mento: Is Ow De Music Sweet So
Garvey’s Ghost: Muse, Cultural Arts, Music, Freedom Sound
As Free as We Want to Be: Dancehall, A Liberating Ethic
Blackhead Chineyman: The Chinese Jamaican Contribution to Jamaican Popular Music