Iconic names from the world of music, art and literature have been announced for the Out of Many Festival in what is believed to be the biggest Jamaica 60 celebrations outside of Jamaica. 

The Out of Many Festival runs in Leeds until February 2023, bringing together art, film, literature, music and heritage to highlight the impact Jamaican culture has had on the city, the UK and the world. 

Festival highlights include Road to Trojan, an incredible evening charting Jamaican music history from ancestral roots through to ska, rocksteady and the golden age of reggae popularised in the UK by famed label Trojan Records in the 1960s and 70s. 

Road to Trojan takes place on Jamaican Independence Day August 6, with legendary singer Freddie McGregor, pioneer DJ Dennis Alcapone, the roof-raising 17-piece Jazz Jamaica All Stars History of Trojan spectacular featuring Brinsley Forde (Aswad), Noel McKoy and vocal trio Dem Three along with the Out of Many Community Choir led by Paulette Morris and choreographed by Donald Edwards as well as a National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica digital performance for the ultimate Jamaica 60 celebration. 

The festival has been organised by the Jamaica Society Leeds; its name reflects Jamaica’s national motto Out of Many, One People which was formally adopted on April 3 1962 ahead of independence from Britain ushered in on August 6 1962 after 307 years of British colonial rule. 

The Festival builds on the Society’s acclaimed 2019 Eulogy Project which focused on first-generation Jamaicans during the 1940s to 60s, with the Out of Many Festival exploring the lives of the city’s second-generation West Indian community in the 70s and 80s.  

Out of Many Festival Director Susan Pitter said: 

“The festival has been a good three years in the making for while we were delivering the Eulogy project in 2019, which focused on the lives of first-generation Jamaicans, we started planning for this year and this moment. 

“I think what makes this festival so special, is that over two years we have undertaken consultation, focus groups, surveys, with the Jamaica Society membership, with the community, with audiences and asking this question ‘If we were to celebrate 60 years of Jamaican independence with a festival of culture, arts, heritage and vibes what would you want to see in that?’  

“I can tell you that this festival, as much as it includes some icons and some global stars it is informed by the thoughts and the wishes of a local community who know what they want, who know what has been missing in the cultural landscapes of our cities in this country and who know what they want to see. 

“This isn’t just a festival for the people, it’s by the people.” 

Other Out of Many Festival highlights include: 

1) Rebellion to Romance – a major exhibition at Leeds Central Library plus a stage production of the same name at Leeds Playhouse showcasing how Jamaican culture, style and music was woven into the everyday lives and activism of second-generation West Indians in 1970s and 80s Leeds. The exhibition will feature gathered keepsakes and photos of the day, sitting alongside recreated contemporary portraits by famed artist and ‘Godfather of Black British photography’ Vanley Burke. His portraits will capture a generation that can firmly say: “We are Black, we are British, we are West Indian and we are Leeds.” The stage production stars icons of Black British culture coming together for one historic night showcasing reggae music as the soundtrack to 1970s and 80s Black Leeds and Britain, including live performance from Brinsley Forde (Aswad) and Dennis Bovell (dub producer and lovers rock creator) who will provide a dub playlist of 80s activism and uprisal including tracks from the famed Babylon film soundtrack, whilst ‘Queens of Lovers Rock’ Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson sing the era’s anthems of love and women’s empowerment. 

2) Out of Many Lit – a five-day literature festival featuring local and international award-winning authors and poets of Jamaican and wider African and Caribbean heritage, including multi-award-winning dub poetry pioneer and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson in conversation with journalist and broadcaster Gary Younge.  

3) Join two acclaimed Poets Laureate, Jamaica’s Olive Senior and the UK’s Simon Armitage, for an extraordinary evening of literary excellence and conversation. A Jamaica film season as part of Leeds International Film Festival, including The Harder They Come and Babylon.

The Out of Many Festival is made possible thanks to National Lottery players and The National Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England, as well as other funders, sponsors and partners including Jamaica National Bank UK and JN Money UK.

For more information and the full programme of events, visit www.jamaicasocietyleeds.co.uk