Mavado supported the Help Jamaica charity show. - Photo by Sheena Gayle

Disappointment was evident in the voice of Birte Timm as she reflected on the poorly-attended show.

Last Saturday, Help Jamaica foundation staged what was to be the first of a series of charity events aimed at raising funds to construct a library in the Cassava Piece community of St Andrew.

The all-day event was held at Weekenz on Constant Spring Road. In the afternoon, the children were treated to a fun day, which included performances from dancers Tippa and Hiyah Style.

A stage show in the night had a strong line-up of past, present and upcoming dancehall and reggae acts billed to perform, but hardly anyone turned up for what could have been a remarkable show. The line-up included Mavado, Cocoa Tea, Leroy Sibbles, Bugle, Sizzla and Ken Boothe.

"I really don't know what caused it. What I did realise though is that a lot of events were on for the same night. And to make matters worst, these were established events," Timm told The Gleaner.

Keeping positive

Despite the let-down, she remained confident that the next event would be successful, and as such, showed no signs of quitting. In fact, the soft-spoken German, vowed to draw an extra gear and start promotions earlier next time.

"In promoting this event, we reached out to some of the entities a bit too late, so it was too much of a short notice for them to come on-board. We will ensure that we give notice in advance next time around," she said.

She added: "Maybe persons were sceptical of the event, seeing that we had such a line-up on our flyer and no noticeable sponsors. This may have led to them questioning the legitimacy of the event."

Large support base

Help Jamaica has been actively involved in the improvement of some inner-city communities by building reading centres.

"We have raised money for the Trench Town reading centre. Along with our parent group in Germany, we have a large support base so we want to ensure that this movement spreads islandwide," she added.

Despite the first stage show falling way below expectation, Timm said she was still grateful.

"Even though the event didn't go as planned, we want to thank the handful of supporters and the artistes that came out and to the individuals encouraging me not to give up on the cause," she said.

Among the established acts that turned up were Ken Boothe, Mavado and Burru Banton, who agreed to perform free.

Timm said interested persons can learn more about the foundation at www.helpjamaica.org.