J’Calm to perform at inaugural AfroJam festival

AfroJam Jamaica is set to kick-start a weekend-long celebration of music and festivities, fused with a diverse mix of African and Caribbean cultures, cuisine and fashion.

The event, which is scheduled for August 22-25 in Negril, Westmoreland, will be topped off with performances by entertainers such as fast-rising pop-reggae sensation J'Calm. The entertainer said it's a refreshing feeling to be part of AfroJam's historical first staging.

"It feels innovative - like I'm a part of something new, something fresh. I feel like an inventor or a part of a new revolutionary movement. [With the event] being a collaboration between two black cultures, it feels revolutionary in a sense," he told THE STAR. With his style of music which incorporates dancehall with an international sound, J'Calm said AfroJam patrons can expect something "different". He said fans might also be surprised with a new Afrobeat single, as one of his main goals is to "experience different types of cultures and that's gonna be implemented in my music".

AfroJam's promoter and travel agency owner is Susannah Salmon, a first-generation Sierra Leonean living in Jamaica for 10 years. She said this concept has been a long-standing passion that she wanted to explore, to highlight the great history and similarities that Jamaican music, lifestyle and culture share with West Africa.

"I see that Jamaicans really started to love the [African] music, being that even Burna Boy was here last year. So I just want to bring more exposure to a lot of the things that African culture share with Jamaica and the Caribbean on a whole. For instance, African food will be at all the events. For the beach brunch [the dress code] is African attire for the swimwear and just different features of the event infused to let people know the different roots that they have with the different cultures in West Africa," Salmon told THE STAR.

AfroJam's first two events are 'Neon Glow Party' on August 22 and 'Retro Bash' on August 23. The 'Brunch Beach Party' is scheduled for the following day, with J'Calm performing. A "glamourous night of elegance and sophistication" will bring the curtains down on August 25 at Waves Beach. A surprise African Afrobeat star is to be announced soon, among other entertainers.