‘Put your pen to paper’ - Hope calls on disgruntled fans to participate in National Awards nominations

Following a number of debates on social media about the qualifications of some recipients at Monday's National Honours and Awards Ceremony, Professor Donna Hope is encouraging persons to take that same energy to the nomination booths.

Her comments come on the heels of discourse over whether dancehall artiste, Wayne Marshall, should have been awarded an Order of Distinction for his contributions to entertainment.

"I've been seeing this conversation online and everywhere, almost as if people are campaigning against Wayne Marshall. But my question is, who are they campaigning for? If you think someone else should have got the award, then nominate them," she said.

The national awards are determined by the Chancery of the Orders of the Societies of Honour, and the public is invited to nominate persons to be considered when nominations open in January and close at the end of March each year. While Hope admitted to being unsure of the criteria for the selection process, she believes Wayne Marshall's catalogue must have been fit enough to warrant the award.

"In all of this, I am just happy that people from that generation are being highlighted," she added. Hope was referring to dancehall artistes who emerged between the late 1990s and early to mid-2000s.

"When you hear about these recipients it is always persons from an older generation. So like the Shabba Ranks, and the Daddy U-Roy's get already," she said.

When asked who she may be interested in seeing get nominated and awarded in the future, Hope opined that long-time rivals Bounty Killer and Beenie Man could be great fits.

"Bounty Killer, with his pedigree and the many artistes he has brought forward, I think he is long deserving of an award. Him and Beenie Man. I think they brought dancehall to the forefront and they still continue to do so," Hope said. International superstar Shaggy also shared similar sentiments in regards to Bounty Killer.

"Mi a fight fi him get a Order of Distinction or supmn due to the fact that this guy has started a whole heap a people career, Mavado, Kartel, Wayne Marshall, you name it, dem man yah. Him nuh ramp fi bring people pan stage," he said.

Beenie Man also jumped in on the conversation during an interaction with entertainment minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange in February, asking the senior politician "when yuh ready fi gimme mine?"

"Perhaps for the next round of nominations, persons can put out a call for who they want to see. This means that people will have to make a decision on their teams to put their pens to paper and do the work," Hope said.