Brent Clough, producer and presenter at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National, will deliver a lecture entitled, “Reggae in the Pacific:  Roots Beyond the Reef” to mark the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence.  The lecture takes place on Thursday, August 9 at 6:00 p.m. at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1) in the Faculty of Humanities and Education, UWI, Mona.
 
  Mr. Clough’s lecture is based on a digital exhibition on “Pacific Reggae” which he co-organised with Maud Page, Curator of Contemporary Pacific Art at the Queensland Art Gallery. The exhibition responds to the vital connections that musicians from Port Vila to Auckland and Honolulu to Honiara make with reggae culture.
 
 Much Pacific Reggae maintains key structural similarities to Jamaican roots music including: ‘one drop’ drumbeats, steady bass lines and chopping guitar, while the introduction of log drums, bone flutes, ukulele and electronic beats contribute to reggae’s unique sound across the Pacific.
 
 The “Pacific Reggae” digital exhibition is currently on view at ‘Festival Jamaica’ in the UK to celebrate Jamaica 50. The lecture is hosted by the Department of Literatures in English, UWI, Mona which offers a popular course on titled, “Reggae Poetry”.
 
 Admission to the lecture is free and the public is invited to attend.