Dear Editor,
Many buildings are still draped in our national colours, but in true Jamaican style, we've already moved on. The 50th anniversary of our Independence was nothing more than another holiday. Some street hustlers picked up spare change selling flags to the periodically patriotic, and the rest of us just got drunk by the beach.
Succeeding governments have been directly responsible for the state of Jamaica's national treasures of our colonial past. For those unaware of the sustainable tourism thrust, it is an evolving form of tourism which places emphasis on those aspects of the culture and the physical environment which should be developed and protected. Paramount is the preservation of culture and the physical infrastructure as part of the national patrimony to be enjoyed into future surviving administrations.
Succeeding governments have been directly responsible for the state of Jamaica's national treasures of our colonial past. For those unaware of the sustainable tourism thrust, it is an evolving form of tourism which places emphasis on those aspects of the culture and the physical environment which should be developed and protected. Paramount is the preservation of culture and the physical infrastructure as part of the national patrimony to be enjoyed into future surviving administrations.
The Coke Methodist Church, the Ward Theatre, Port Royal, Emancipation Square, Colbeck Castle, and the old Attorney General's Chambers in downtown Kingston, just to name a few, are grand examples of colonial landmarks of our rich architectural past and examples of the beautiful landscape. They tell the stories of our immediate past: stories good, bad and indifferent. Not only are they imposing in sheer size, but also in beauty and the stories they bear.
As appalling as this assault on our built heritage is to conceive, it is but a single chapter in a long history of obliteration which cannot be blamed on any one person or Government. It is a reprehensible burden we must all bear as Jamaicans.
The basic argument which may be proffered for the fate of these national treasures is the "lack of funds and resources". Part of the problem stems from a lack of public education on the value of our heritage assets. The ministries of youth and culture and tourism must dedicate some of their limited resources to multiculturalism and arts, while partnering with the Ministry of Education to inculcate a sense of national pride in our past -- and not just our African past, but also our European, East Indian, Chinese, Syrian and Lebanese.
Those few public institutions dedicated to conservation have consistently failed in their mandates and seem quite happy to continue on their losing streaks while our past is trampled and lost. Jamaica unfortunately has no national museum to showcase our religious and cultural diversity. It pains me exceedingly to see the vast potential for public education and the deficiency of interest which is shown in preserving Jamaicans rich Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Maroon, Rastafarian, and Baha'i heritage.
There is a Protection of National Monuments and Sites office, and the Heritage Research and Information Department within the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, and the Development and Promotion of Cultural Programmes within the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. Had I not been aware of their presence I would have been as stunned, as most people, to learn that such high-minded departments could exist within the wreckage of our civil service. One only has to look at our architectural treasures and documentation of ethnic and religious minorities to see the impact of the departments on the landscape. The lack of zeal or even public acknowledgment of historically relevant events, such as Indian Arrival Day, Diwali, Eid al-Adha, Jewish Passover, et al, from successive governments towards preservation is really a reflection of a national mentality which frowns on minorities.
Our first culture minister in independent Jamaica and former prime minister, Edward Seaga, was, most ironically, an anthropologist, and is credited for groundbreaking research, promotion and preservation of Jamaica's folk heritage to the detriment of other minority groups. Yet, amid the muddle of destruction and ignorance, there are beacons of hope. For over a century, a small band of dedicated Jamicans calling themselves Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Maroons have been striving against gigantic odds of political obstacles and majority religious fundamentalists to raise the national consciousness of our heritage and to preserve their traditions and identity. We need to do more than just preserve stories about supernatural folk creatures. We need to archive our herbal remedies, all our religious ceremonies and customs from birth to death. There should be concerted efforts to make sure we keep the memory of old sayings, of traumatic events, of hardship and turmoil, and of regional variances.
The Sunday Gleaner on April 21, 2013, in an article entitled 'Jamaica, Guyana Top Sustainable Tourism Award' stated, "National Trust of Guyana took home the Heritage Protection Award for its work in preserving and promoting the nation's patrimony in protection of the country's heritage." Those of us familiar with Guyana admire and laud the people's and successive governments' appreciation and commitment to not only the promotion and preservation of national treasures, but also exposure of its citizenry to its religious and cultural diversity. Beyond collecting and preserving the narrative of our past, we should also be proud of it. As a former colony, we have a tendency to look outside. This is powerfully demonstrated in the way we treat our environment and minorities, and how we interact in our communities.
I appeal to the relevant authorities to take a vested interest in preservation, lest all be lost too soon.
Andrew King
abking020@gmail.com
Jamaica 50, now what?
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Many buildings are still draped in our national colours, but in true Jamaican style, we've already moved on. The 50th anniversary of our Independence was nothing more than another holiday. Some street hustlers picked up spare change selling flags to the periodically patriotic, and the rest of us just got drunk by the beach.
Succeeding governments have been directly responsible for the state of Jamaica's national treasures of our colonial past. For those unaware of the sustainable tourism thrust, it is an evolving form of tourism which places emphasis on those aspects of the culture and the physical environment which should be developed and protected. Paramount is the preservation of culture and the physical infrastructure as part of the national patrimony to be enjoyed into future surviving administrations.
Succeeding governments have been directly responsible for the state of Jamaica's national treasures of our colonial past. For those unaware of the sustainable tourism thrust, it is an evolving form of tourism which places emphasis on those aspects of the culture and the physical environment which should be developed and protected. Paramount is the preservation of culture and the physical infrastructure as part of the national patrimony to be enjoyed into future surviving administrations.
The Coke Methodist Church, the Ward Theatre, Port Royal, Emancipation Square, Colbeck Castle, and the old Attorney General's Chambers in downtown Kingston, just to name a few, are grand examples of colonial landmarks of our rich architectural past and examples of the beautiful landscape. They tell the stories of our immediate past: stories good, bad and indifferent. Not only are they imposing in sheer size, but also in beauty and the stories they bear.
As appalling as this assault on our built heritage is to conceive, it is but a single chapter in a long history of obliteration which cannot be blamed on any one person or Government. It is a reprehensible burden we must all bear as Jamaicans.
The basic argument which may be proffered for the fate of these national treasures is the "lack of funds and resources". Part of the problem stems from a lack of public education on the value of our heritage assets. The ministries of youth and culture and tourism must dedicate some of their limited resources to multiculturalism and arts, while partnering with the Ministry of Education to inculcate a sense of national pride in our past -- and not just our African past, but also our European, East Indian, Chinese, Syrian and Lebanese.
Those few public institutions dedicated to conservation have consistently failed in their mandates and seem quite happy to continue on their losing streaks while our past is trampled and lost. Jamaica unfortunately has no national museum to showcase our religious and cultural diversity. It pains me exceedingly to see the vast potential for public education and the deficiency of interest which is shown in preserving Jamaicans rich Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Maroon, Rastafarian, and Baha'i heritage.
There is a Protection of National Monuments and Sites office, and the Heritage Research and Information Department within the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, and the Development and Promotion of Cultural Programmes within the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. Had I not been aware of their presence I would have been as stunned, as most people, to learn that such high-minded departments could exist within the wreckage of our civil service. One only has to look at our architectural treasures and documentation of ethnic and religious minorities to see the impact of the departments on the landscape. The lack of zeal or even public acknowledgment of historically relevant events, such as Indian Arrival Day, Diwali, Eid al-Adha, Jewish Passover, et al, from successive governments towards preservation is really a reflection of a national mentality which frowns on minorities.
Our first culture minister in independent Jamaica and former prime minister, Edward Seaga, was, most ironically, an anthropologist, and is credited for groundbreaking research, promotion and preservation of Jamaica's folk heritage to the detriment of other minority groups. Yet, amid the muddle of destruction and ignorance, there are beacons of hope. For over a century, a small band of dedicated Jamicans calling themselves Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Maroons have been striving against gigantic odds of political obstacles and majority religious fundamentalists to raise the national consciousness of our heritage and to preserve their traditions and identity. We need to do more than just preserve stories about supernatural folk creatures. We need to archive our herbal remedies, all our religious ceremonies and customs from birth to death. There should be concerted efforts to make sure we keep the memory of old sayings, of traumatic events, of hardship and turmoil, and of regional variances.
The Sunday Gleaner on April 21, 2013, in an article entitled 'Jamaica, Guyana Top Sustainable Tourism Award' stated, "National Trust of Guyana took home the Heritage Protection Award for its work in preserving and promoting the nation's patrimony in protection of the country's heritage." Those of us familiar with Guyana admire and laud the people's and successive governments' appreciation and commitment to not only the promotion and preservation of national treasures, but also exposure of its citizenry to its religious and cultural diversity. Beyond collecting and preserving the narrative of our past, we should also be proud of it. As a former colony, we have a tendency to look outside. This is powerfully demonstrated in the way we treat our environment and minorities, and how we interact in our communities.
I appeal to the relevant authorities to take a vested interest in preservation, lest all be lost too soon.
Andrew King
abking020@gmail.com
Jamaica 50, now what?
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