While Jamaicans were busy following the Jamaican women on Monday in Berlin, Germany, some may not have remembered it was the 122nd anniversary of the birth of Jamaica's first national hero, Marcus Garvey.

The Universal Negro Improvement Association won't let anyone forget though and its president Steven Golding and lady president, Enid Courtney were patrons of the first annual Marcus Garvey Awards and Charity Event on Monday night. Guests heading to The Jamaica Pegasus gardens heard the sounds of the M'Bassikolo Jam African Ensemble on entry. Their pulse-pounding, high energy performance was complemented with dance and the type of vibrant expression that sang of freedom and triumph.

Proceeds go to various initiatives including remedial classes for street youth, a dispensary and computer skills centre, an agricultural re-socialisation programme and training for young women in nursing to give back to their communities. The award categories covered all the disciplines that Garvey mastered including education, art and journalism. Notable winners included Queen Ifrica for music and senator Warren Newby for governance.

But there was also fine African food to be sampled from Morocco, Jamaica, Egypt, and Nigeria plus South African wines. The event provided a potpourri of goodies including on the entertainment front. Reggae artistes Perfect and Lymie Murray got some good applause with their pieces as did History Man for his biography of the great Garvey.

Guests out included Ibo Cooper, Dr Sonja Stanley Niaah, Pat Watson, Tony Rebel, Deacon Alfred Brissett, Al Powell, Peter Watson and wife Dr Heather Little-White, Paulette Dunn-Smith, Lee Clarke and Miriam Maluwa.

Members of the M'Bassikolo Jam African Ensemble give an energetic dance before the start of the awards.

Veteran musician Ibo Cooper presents Queen Ifrica with the Marcus Garvey Award for music.