David Rodigan awarded Order Of Distinction by Jamaican government

David Rodigan has been awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government.

The British DJ has been made an honorary member of the Jamaican honours system order for his promotion of Jamaican music worldwide.

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On Twitter, he said: "I have been awarded the Order Of Distinction! I’m overwhelmed that the Jamaican government have seen fit to award me with such a highly distinguished honor.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine this happening, and the fact that I’m not Jamaican resonates with me even more.”

In an interview with The Gleaner, the Jamaican newspaper raised the issue of cultural appropriation and noted that Rodigan could be perceived as doing this. In response, he said: “I do have issues with that term [cultural appropriation] because I fail to see why someone’s genuine love and appreciation of a particular culture, art, or music should be seen as an appropriation of it simply because they are not from the culture that originated the art form.

“But I do strongly object to individuals and organisations that misuse a culture by hijacking for monetary gain and then discarding it. That’s totally unacceptable, but it has always pervaded the world of business and commerce. The arts, in all their truest forms, from music to dance, etc, are created by artists, and it’s morally wrong for the world not to be allowed to appreciate it.”

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In 2012 Rodigan was awarded an MBE by the British government.

Rodigan will be honoured with the Order of Distinction at Jamaica’s National Honours and Awards ceremony on National Heroes’ Day, October 19.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Features Editor, follow him on Twitter