Group exhibition to honour retired JBDC boss Valerie Veira

VALERIE VEIRA is regarded in certain quarters as Jamaica’s ‘mother of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises sector’ because of her indefatigable efforts in pushing for the development of the said sector. She retired recently from her chief executive officer job at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) where she worked for 23 years.

And from December 7 to December 20, there will be a group exhibition, called ‘Conversation on Jadire’, in her honour at The Regional Headquarters of The University of the West Indies, along Mona Road in St Andrew, under the theme, ‘Migration of Southwest Nigerian Textile Culture to Jamaica: An Initiative of a Technical Aid Corps (TAC) volunteer’.

That TAC volunteer is Alao Luqman Omotayo, a Nigerian cultural diplomat, who has introduced Jadire to Jamaica and has been training Jamaicans in the art of tie-and-die/batik since 2017, and Jadire since 2020. The term Jadire, also known as Jamaican adire, was created by fusing the Yoruba word adire (which means tie and dye textile) with Jamaican symbols. Adire is an indigo cloth produced by Yoruba women in southwest Nigeria using a variety of resist techniques.

Among these techniques are Adire alabela (wax resist), Adire eleko (starch resist), Adire alabere (stitching method), and Adire onipatan (silk or batik painting). Jamaica has adopted the tradition by starting its very own Jadire cottage industry, with the base being the JBDC, where Omotayo has worked under the leadership of Veira for seven years.

“Her support for locally made fabrics triggers several workshops and discussions, orchestrated by Omotayo, on how to achieve sustainable textile development and to create value chain in the economy of Jamaica,” the organisers of the exhibition said.

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Part of a November 25, 2024 article, Cheers to Miss V: ‘Mother of Jamaican MSMEs’ on the JBDC website, says, “The JBDC’s Incubator & Resource Centre came alive with laughter, tears, and memories as people celebrated her remarkable 23 years of legacy as the ‘Mother of Jamaica’s MSMEs’ on October 31, 2024. The event was a heartfelt tribute, an opportunity to acknowledge the deep impact she has made on the lives of countless entrepreneurs and the development of the country’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

“Throughout her tenure, Veira’s leadership transformed the JBDC into a crucial institution for nurturing the island’s entrepreneurial spirit. The programmes she championed helped to uplift numerous local businesses, offering them the resources, training, and guidance necessary to thrive in an increasingly globalised economy. Under her direction, the JBDC not only supported start-ups. but also helped to enhance the resilience and competitiveness of established MSMEs.”

The upcoming exhibition is another way of showing appreciation for the hard work and achievements of Veira. “This exhibition will celebrate the impact of Nigeria’s cultural diplomat, the pioneer of Jadire cottage industry in Jamaica with some of the leading textile artists, while honouring the former CEO of the JBDC, Ms Valerie Viera, one of the protagonists of Jadire textile production in Jamaica,” the organisers also said.

“Through her enthusiasm for textile culture with a Jamaican identity, she encourages Jadire cottage industry as a model of the Nigerian Adire cottage industry which has been passed on from one generation to another for many years ago. She gave a great support for locally made textile, not only production, but showing leadership by example.”

On show, will be the fabrics, and attires made of Jadire fabrics created by Omotayo’s former students, such as Jacque Mason, Nella Stewart, and Amsale Maryam, and Omotayo himself. The official opening is on Thursday, December 5 at 5 p.m., while the show itself is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.