Reggae stamp criticised

According to Black Britain, "The Royal Mail has been criticised by a music industry expert over a new stamp collection designed to portray different musical styles in the UK for failing to acknowledge the wide influence of black music over other musical styles enjoyed in the UK."

Commenting on the way the stamps had been presented with the African drummer and reggae guitarist portraying black music Mykaell Riley, founder of the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra is quoted in the article as saying, “It’s almost saying that African and Caribbean music has nothing to do with jazz and blues and that African and Caribbean music has nothing to do with Latin America – but the origins all go back to Africa and African music.”

The article goes on to say, "The stamp issue came about as every year a large number of post offices throughout Europe agree to do a stamp issue called ‘Europa’ on a particular theme. This year’s theme was cultural diversity. But the term diversity has been portrayed through a very narrow interpretation which is not an accurate representation of how these different musical styles came to be in Britain."

To read the entire article, click here.