Morgan Heritage To Return To The Stage For Central Park Show

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. May 20, 2024: The surviving members of Morgan Heritage will return to the stage this August, six months after the sudden passing of their sibling and frontman, Peter ‘Peetah’ Morgan.

Morgan Heritage

The group will perform an evening of reggae music at Rumsey Playfield in historic Central Park on Saturday, August 10, 2024. This event is part of the summer concert series organized by CTBC Music Group, VP Records, and Central Park Summer Stage. The evening will be titled “Morgan Heritage Family & Friends – A Tribute to ‘Peetah’ Morgan.” The surviving members, their family, and friends will gather with New York music fans for an uplifting roots reggae music celebration, honoring the life and legacy of this talented artist.

The year 2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of the Grammy-winning group’s formation. Peetah Morgan passed away suddenly in February.

Morgan Heritage has been associated with VP Records for nearly 20 years, from 1995 to 2013, releasing nine studio albums and a ‘best of’ compilation in 2009. During these years, the group became a cornerstone of the ‘new roots’ reggae movement and a mainstay of the VP Records roster. The group has toured internationally for decades, spreading roots reggae music far and wide. Morgan Heritage holds a unique place in the reggae genre, having performed at the 1999 Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies alongside Shirley Caesar, Sugar Ray, Kirk Franklin, and Stevie Wonder. They also participated in the Vans® Warped Tour (2001 and 2002) and headlined festivals in the US, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn, the members of Morgan Heritage have a special connection with the New York music scene, making Central Park Summer Stage a fitting location for this memorable occasion.

Caribbean Heritage, British Artist Presented with Damehood at Windsor Castle

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News Americas, LONDON, England, Weds., May 22, 2024: Black Caribbean heritage artist Sonia Boyce has been presented with her damehood at Windsor Castle by the Prince of Wales.

British-Caribbean artist Sonia Boyce poses with her medal after being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) following an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, southern England, on May 22, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Following the investiture ceremony, Dame Sonia spoke to the PA news agency, expressing her desire to use her elevated profile to continue advocating for the arts. Born in Islington, north London, in 1962, to a Guyanese father and a Barbadian mother who met and married shortly after arriving in the city, Dame Sonia was honored for her services to the arts in the King’s New Year Honours list in 2024.

Reflecting on the moment she received the news of her damehood, she said, “It was very hard for me to reconcile when I got the letter saying, ‘We’d like to offer you the damehood’. I was like, really? Trying to put myself in what I imagine a dame to be. It took a while for me to reconcile that yes, I could take that on somehow.”

Dame Sonia made history in 2016 as the first black woman elected to the Royal Academy of Arts and is a professor of black art and design at the University of the Arts London. She commented on her damehood, saying, “It’s a recognition of work that not only I have done but has been done over the decades to acknowledge and, I suppose, reward the contributions that many have made. So I feel very privileged – slightly shocked still – to be in this position and also to be an advocate for the arts. We so need that at the moment – the arts are just incredible, they’re not an add-on, they’re integral to everyday life.”

Dame Sonia emphasized the importance of the arts, stating, “The arts are really about if you’ve got something to say, or you’re envisaging something, you’re in a dialogue with everybody about it. So it really is about ‘Come and take part, come and add to the conversation, come and dream your dreams’.” She also noted the evolving inclusivity of the Royal Academy of Arts, saying, “The Royal Academy of Arts is becoming much more inclusive, and people have fought very hard to make that possible. Of course, it needs to open the doors to a really diverse group of artists who are in a renaissance at the moment. There is so much creativity going on.”

Discussing the broader cultural landscape, she added, “In the UK, we’ve still got a long way to go, but in the same way that British culture is always slightly quirky and often ahead of the curve, the creative industries are punching above their weight.”

Exxon Looks To Expand Wells In Guyana

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. May 22, 2024: ExxonMobil’s drilling program in Guyana for this year and beyond includes plans to further appraise two well sites to assess the commercial potential for gas in the Haimara gas field off the shores of Guyana.

In 2019 and 2023, ExxonMobil drilled at the Haimara-1 and Haimara-2 wells with varying degrees of success. The company is now preparing for additional appraisal drilling at the Haimara-3 and Haimara-4 gas wells. According to the company’s insurance contract, the two wells will be part of ExxonMobil’s exploratory program.

Other planned drilling activities include oil wells Lau Lau-2, Trumpetfish-1, Bluefin-1, Hatchetfish-1, and Redmouth-1. In the Stabroek Block, approximately 17 trillion cubic feet of gas have already been discovered, with the Pluma and Haimara wells confirmed as gas fields.

The announcement comes as Exxon CEO Darren Woods recently told CNBC that the dispute with Chevron over Hess Corporation’s assets in Guyana could drag into next year. Exxon is claiming a right of first refusal on Hess’ assets in Guyana under an agreement that governs a consortium developing the country’s oil resources. Chevron has rejected Exxon’s claims that the agreement applies to its pending all-stock deal to acquire Hess, valued at $53 billion.

The Guyana Government, however, says it aims to develop this gas through the Gas-to-Energy project, which includes the construction of a 300 MW power plant and a Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant. The pipeline and transmission infrastructure are expected to be completed this year, with the power plant and NGL facility becoming operational next year. This could potentially reduce electricity rates by 50 percent.

Last year, the government released its draft Gas Monetisation Strategy for public feedback. Earlier this year, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced that the administration is incorporating the feedback into the final strategy. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has described the monetisation of Guyana’s gas reserves as the next wave of economic opportunity for the country.

Meanwhile, according to Professor and Former Ambassador Dr. Kenrick Hunte, the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between Guyana and ExxonMobil, along with its Co-Venturers Hess and CNOOC, stipulates a 2% royalty on all petroleum produced and sold. However, ExxonMobil has been paying only 0.5%. Hunte noted in a letter to Kaieteur News on March 3, 2024, that the company has been paying Guyana out of its profits, thus reducing the country’s already limited revenue from royalties.

Dr. Hunte also highlighted that ExxonMobil has been deducting 75% of the monthly earnings from the Stabroek Block to recover its investments, in accordance with the Petroleum Agreement. Guyana receives 50% of the remaining 25%, equivalent to 12.5% of total revenues. ExxonMobil then provides Guyana with a share of its earnings, valued at 2%.