As a Jamaican who has invested considerable time, effort and personal resources in painting our people, writing our stories and promoting Jamaican art and literature throughout the diaspora, I find Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s recent remarks about entertainers waving the Jamaican flag to attract overseas audiences disparaging and disrespectful.
The controversy began after dancehall entertainer Beenie Man, speaking to Britain’s ITV News about the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, questioned the distribution of relief funds and whether assistance was reaching those who needed it.
The Government disputed his allegations, maintaining that relief funds were being directed towards recovery efforts with appropriate checks and oversight.
But in responding to the entertainer during an October 28th address at the reopening of Black River Hospital, Prime Minister Holness went further, accusing someone who benefited from Brand Jamaica of spreading falsehoods about the country.
“It is a lie that was told on Jamaica by someone who benefits from Brand Jamaica,” he declared, before accusing entertainers of waving the Jamaican flag to attract audiences while “tearing down the country”.
The immediate target was apparently Beenie Man, but the implication extends beyond one entertainer. It suggests that creatives who benefit from their Jamaican identity should temper their criticism of the Government out of gratitude.
From where I sit, that suggestion deserves complete rejection.
The Jamaican flag belongs to the people: those at home and abroad, government supporters and government critics, celebrated performers and struggling painters. Its use does not require political approval.
Creatives have helped build Brand Jamaica
There is something particularly condescending about suggesting that Jamaican entertainers simply wave a flag and collect ticket revenue. Audiences do not materialise because someone places black, green and gold on a concert flyer. Artists develop their following through years of writing, rehearsing, recording, performing, travelling and building credibility.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s comments, reggae star Buju Banton reminded the public that promoting Jamaican culture requires considerably more than waving a flag. His intervention speaks to the accumulated contribution of the music fraternity and the labour behind its international success.
Jamaica’s international appeal has been shaped by the work of musicians, writers, painters, actors and other cultural workers. They have carried our language, history, humour, struggles and aspirations into communities far beyond our shores. They have helped make people curious about Jamaica and created emotional connections that endure long after an advertising campaign ends.
Earning an income from that work is a legitimate return on creative labour, investment and risk. It creates no obligation to defend whichever political party happens to govern.
My own contribution takes place through painting, researching and writing books, funding and hosting exhibitions, and engaging with the diaspora.
I paint Jamaican life because I believe it deserves preservation. I write Jamaican stories because our experiences belong in literature. I promote that work overseas because Jamaicans abroad, their children and others interested in our country should encounter the depth of our cultural expression.
Behind every exhibition are materials, framing, shipping, venue arrangements, publicity, travel and countless hours of preparation. Behind every book are research, writing, revision, production and the difficult task of finding readers. Much of this is financed personally, without any guarantee that sales will cover the expense.
Many creatives know this reality. They continue because they believe in the value of their work and its connection to their communities.
Reducing that commitment to waving a flag for paying patrons dismisses the effort involved. It also treats our Jamaican identity as though it were something political leaders had granted us.
For the record, it is ours by birth, belonging and contribution.
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The Diaspora is More Than a Market
For Jamaicans overseas, an exhibition, book launch or concert can provide a powerful connection to home. A painting may recall a district, a market or a childhood street. A novel may preserve speech and experiences that younger Jamaicans abroad have never encountered directly. Music can carry memories across decades and generations.
These encounters also introduce Jamaica to people with no family connection to the island. They encourage interest in our history and communities, extending people’s understanding beyond the familiar tourism images.
This is part of what it means to promote Jamaica internationally. It is not simply a matter of displaying national colours or attracting paying customers. It is about preserving cultural memory, sustaining connections and ensuring that Jamaican experiences remain visible and relevant beyond our shores.
Commercial activity does not diminish cultural value. Creatives should be able to earn from their contribution without having their motives questioned whenever they disagree with the Government.
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Criticising Government is Not an Attack on Jamaica
The Prime Minister was entitled to challenge anything inaccurate in Beenie Man’s interview. If the entertainer misstated how donated funds were handled, the Government should identify the error and publish the relevant evidence.
Explain what was received, what was allocated, what was spent and what assistance reached affected families. Identify completed projects and provide timelines for outstanding work. Those are answers Jamaicans can examine.
The Government has maintained that relief funds are being directed towards long-term recovery and that safeguards are necessary to ensure assistance reaches the intended beneficiaries.
Yet the Prime Minister himself has acknowledged shortcomings in the recovery effort.
Speaking at the September 8th launch of the Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee, Holness expressed frustration with delays in delivering housing to families displaced by Hurricane Melissa.
As reported by The Gleaner on September 9th, 2026, Holness acknowledged that affected families were still waiting for assistance and said he was not satisfied with the pace of recovery.
He attributed some of these delays to bureaucratic processes and the need to maintain accountability. These are legitimate administrative challenges, but they do not diminish the hardship experienced by families still waiting for assistance.
If the Prime Minister himself can publicly express dissatisfaction with the pace of recovery, why should an entertainer’s criticism of that same recovery effort be characterised as tearing down Jamaica?
The Prime Minister’s dissatisfaction with the pace of recovery and Beenie Man’s allegations about the distribution of funds are not identical claims. Nevertheless, both raise questions about the effectiveness of the recovery effort and the responsibility of public officials to account for its progress.
Questioning an artist’s loyalty introduces a different proposition: that criticism of government performance damages the country and should therefore be discouraged.
That is a troubling standard for a democratic society.
A Jamaican’s right to scrutinise the Government does not disappear when an interview takes place overseas. Nor does international success diminish that right. Indeed, someone who has spent decades carrying Jamaica’s name abroad may feel a particular responsibility to speak about suffering at home.
Other entertainers, including Spragga Benz and Tanya Stephens, have since weighed in on the controversy, raising questions about the relationship between patriotism, government accountability and the right to speak publicly.
The Government should answer the substance of the criticism. Attacking the critic’s patriotism leaves the underlying questions unresolved.
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Culture Deserves More Than Recognition
These remarks also raise a broader question about how the Government values culture.
Our creatives are readily celebrated when their achievements generate favourable publicity. Their music, images and reputations become useful expressions of national success. But meaningful respect requires sustained support beyond congratulatory statements and ceremonial appearances.
A serious cultural policy should address financing, arts education, exhibition and performance spaces, publishing, distribution, intellectual property and access to international markets.
For those of us promoting fine art and literature, the practical questions are immediate.
How can Jamaican work reach more galleries, libraries, schools and collectors? How can emerging artists afford to prepare professional exhibitions? What assistance helps writers publish, distribute and market their books?
These are questions of economic development as well as cultural preservation.
Jamaica has institutions and programmes intended to support cultural development, but the existence of such structures does not remove the need to examine whether they adequately serve the people creating and promoting our cultural products.
The visibility given to tourism infrastructure should be matched by a serious commitment to the people whose creativity helps make Jamaica attractive in the first place.
Culture deserves investment in its own right, including work that examines uncomfortable histories or challenges those in authority.
Artists will sometimes be uncomfortable company for political leaders. Their work may challenge official accounts, highlight neglected experiences or express public frustration.
That independence is valuable. A cultural sector afraid to offend political power would serve Jamaica poorly.
I do not expect the Prime Minister to agree with every entertainer, painter or writer. I expect him to recognise our standing as Jamaicans whose contributions and rights survive disagreement with his administration.
Public office carries a responsibility to answer criticism with evidence, restraint and judgment. The Prime Minister should be able to defend his administration’s record without belittling the people questioning it. Respect must remain possible even when agreement does not.
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Our flag, our country, our right to speak
I will continue to paint Jamaica, write Jamaican stories and promote our creative output in the diaspora. I will also continue to question failures of governance where I see them.
The personal resources and commitment invested in that work are expressions of belonging. They do not become less Jamaican because they fail to flatter a Prime Minister.
Our contribution to Jamaica cannot reasonably be measured by our willingness to praise its Government.
We have helped carry this country into the world. We have earned our audiences through work, sacrifice and credibility. We retain every right to speak about what happens at home.
The flag belongs to us too.
