Memories of Jamaica's 60th Anniversary celebrations.

I understand those persons who thought that in Jamaica on August 6, 2022, we were making too big a thing out of the celebrations to mark our 60^th anniversary from British rule.

 That is because successive governments since independence have been so corrupt and such failures.

But, while I sympathize with that outlook, we must consider how horrible it would have been if we were still being ruled by the British who had enslaved our ancestors, enriched their crown and country through the free labor of our people who they brought in chains from Africa, then oppressed us further during the colonial period!

Yuck, that  concept is so terrible that the very thought causes shivers to run down my spine.

So yes, successive governments have not done half as well as they should have but at least we have our freedom and our dignity, even if technically we have not yet removed the queen of England as the head of our country.

I really don’t know what we are waiting for.😖

Despite failing governments, we Jamaicans has built quite a reputation for ourselves all over the world, through the individual achievements of our artists, cultural icons and sports people.

We are so respected worldwide that even Niagra Falls in Canada took on the colors of our flag😊

And our Caricom sister Guyana, had a member of their Defense Force parachuted into the arena carrying our flag. https://youtu.be/S31XRe0usCo

Good going.

And while it has mainly been though individual effort, our Sunshine Girls Netball team which has been consistently outstanding for decades, gave us a special boost just before this years celebrations, by 

winning gold and the title of Caribbean Champions at the inaugural Caribbean Games.             No wonder they are honored with this well-deserved monument in front of the National Arena.

Anyway I stray, for I set out to comment on the impressive celebrations for our 60th Anniversary.

I visited the Independence Village on the National Arena grounds and it was really well done, not only in terms of decor, displays but the mini stage shows and general entertainment as well.

. 

I have a problem with the colors of our flag though.

They are supposed to be black, green, and gold but clearly many people do not know this as black, yellow and green were all over the place, even at some government establishments! 

I actually like the yellow but we have to make up our minds, is it supposed to be yellow or gold? 

Whatever we decide on, we should stick with it shouldn’t we ? 

Anyway, all over Jamaica the celebrations were in full force. I loved the spirit reported in Treasure Beach in my home parish, where many boats went out to sea carrying our flag

https://youtu.be/HQJ_QSBJYg4

I was in Kingston but avoided the Grand Gala at the National Stadium, as I wasn’t about to take on the large crowd. Luckily maybe, for as it turns out, they had printed far more tickets than they had seats for, so many people were turned away.

Overhead view of the National Stadium where the grand gala was displayed

But I watched the excellent videos on You Tube including the drone exhibition which was really exceptional.

Part of the drone exhibition

Instead, I visited my close friends in Lauristan St. Catherine, where they had a small celebration, mostly for the children.

 Lauristan, often gets a bad rap in the press, especially since the “Clansman Gang trial.” But those gangsters do not live in Lauristan which is a very nice area, but instead, on the fringes where squatters have basically captured the gully bank. So, I have never had any fear going into that community. In fact, I had spent many early Christmas mornings going Carol Singing at people’s gates, over the years.

You see, my friend Audley Nain is the President of that Citizen’s Association there and the time and effort he and his wife Marcia have spent making that association work well is just phenomenal.

With the Nain family

For independence, they organized to have popcorn/icicle/soda stations, food, bounce about and other rides for the kids. I was especially intrigued by the merry go round which was operated manually, something I had not seen since I was a child!


The adults were also treated to free food and drinks, all donated by community members.

Where I got in my element however, was when the entertainment started. This was provided by a youthful revival band which brought me to my feet instantly.

You know, I would probably be religious today, if I had been brought up in the Pocomania religion. As a child I was dragged to boring church services, but was always distracted and motivated hearing the pulsating revival music piercing the quiet Malvern atmosphere, as members of that religion who worshipped nearby, have always taken the charge in the bible to “make a joyful noise,” literally.

But I was deprived, as I was born during the colonial period when Afro-Centric religions we maligned as being somewhat satanic.

So, I was never allowed to attend their church and now as an adult, every time I hear their music it lifts my spirit.

This Afro based music consolidates our real distance from Britain and put me inna mi element. 😊. 

I enjoyed our 60th Anniversary celebrations everywhere. 

 MEMORIES OF OUR 60TH

Some former athletes who originally made Jamaica respected overseas

JCDC displays Independence Village

Link; https://youtu.be/6z4_SAuiUZU
 

Blame the victim yes!

There is a highly developed strategy which was initiated and perfected by the police decades ago, to take pressure off them for none-performance. It has been so successful that I see it is now being adopted by other agencies, the latest being the National Road Safety Council (NRSC.)

It’s called; BLAME THE VICTIM.

In case you never noticed, the moment someone of little or no influence or wealth is murdered in Jamaica, the police immediately issue a statement without providing  any evidence at all, claiming the victim had been involved in some kind of illegal activity. 

And it has worked wonders for them, as unless the victim is an affluent person or social influencer, no pressure is put on them to solve the murder, so they get away with doing very little or nothing.

This morning, I heard Dr. Lucien Jones, vice chairman of the NRSC spewing the same crap on RJR radio news. (Saturday 13th August.)

 The news item surrounded the fact that three pedestrians had been killed during the week. His brilliant contribution to the news was to condemn pedestrians for not being more careful and dressing properly!

I wonder what is Dr. Jones’ experience as a pedestrian? I suspect none, for if he had any, he would realize that most of us value our lives and limbs. (except for the random drunk or those who like to fly high).

More often, it is the motorists who drive as if it is ok to wipe us off the face of the earth.  

I suppose Dr. Jones thought he could deflect blame from the real culprits by his intervention, for the real delinquents are often not the pedestrians, but government, (local and central) as well the NWA and NRSC. 

Yes them too, for what educational programs do they really provide?

As to government, one would think that in a country barely able to import fuel, they would be more caring towards those who have to use the ‘ten toe turbo.’ 

But no sah, a nuh suh it guh at all.

Look at this latest initiative from our caring government!

According to the JIS; “The import duty on electric vehicles has been reduced from 30 per cent to 10 per cent and purchasers will not have to pay motor vehicle license fees over the next five years. The measures, which took effect on July 14, are supporting Jamaica's transition from a high dependence on petroleum for motor vehicles by making it more affordable for Jamaicans to acquire electric vehicles. This was made possible when the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the Customs Tariff (Revision) (Amendment) (No. 2), Resolution, 2022, and the Road Traffic (License Duties) Order, 2022, and Resolution to give effect to the measures. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, informed that the lower duty rates and the elimination of the fee requirement apply to electric vehicles that are three years old or less at the time of importation.”

Ever wonder who drives electric vehicles? The rich of course. 

In the meantime, the very poor who often can’t even buy a bicycle because of the high import duty, must continue to endanger their lives by walking on roads which have no sidewalks. And where they exist, they are designed to harm you not help you, as they are often full of holes or have huge cracks on which you are bound to buck yu foot and bruk summen.

A perfect example is the essential West Avenue corridor, which runs from the busy Constant Spring Road to Dunrobin Avenue in Kingston. 

This road is used daily by hundreds from Queens School and a number of basic and kindergarten schools nearby. Yet, on this road, not only are there very few patches of sidewalk which are not overtaken by grass and weeds, but also where you see any, they are they are in such a bad condition that pedestrians have no alternative but to walk in the road.

Tribute to the Sunshine Girls outside the arena. They are often under-appreciated, but have consistently keep our flag flying high.

Yes, we need to celebrate our 60 years of independence from Britain for our sports men/women and cultural icons have made our country well known and respected  throughout the world.

However successive governments have given us nothing to celebrate considering our high crime rate, poor educational achievements (read Bruce Golding’s recent analysis) poor transportation system, high level of poverty, the constant dangers under which we have to exist, be it from police, gunmen, or inconsiderate and dangerous road users.

  

Jamaica independent? Really?

Thanks to the performance of the Jamaican women's 4x100 metre  team on  Independence Day Friday 6th August 2021, we really had something exceptional to celebrate.

These ladies, Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson also clocked a national record 41.02 seconds for Jamaica's first gold in that event since 2004. So, building on the other gold medals won  by Parchment and the ladies in the 100 metre, plus the silver and bronze medals brought home by the other star performers in the previous days, our athletes once again wowed the world and made us so proud.

What a wonderful gift for our struggling nation on the 59^th anniversary of our ‘independence’ from Britain!

While I, like everyone else, was overjoyed by the performance of those who medaled, I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate all the elite athletes who represented Jamaica at the 2020 Olympics, whether they medaled or not.

For just qualifying to reach the top of their careers by qualifying to compete in the Olympics is an outstanding feat. While we tend to only see the final results, their success did not come by accident but it took years of dedicated training and discipline to qualify.

 I am therefore personally proud and thankful for all our young athletes who mek Jamaica tek shame outta wi yeye as we celebrate another year of ‘independence’.

For apart from the prowess of these disciplined individuals year in year out, when one reflects on the counter-productive political shenanigans which landed us with economic disasters like FINSAC and the violence ridden society that we have built since independence, there is not much else to celebrate.

Look at the per capita income in US$’s of some other Caribbean islands which got independence after us; Bahamas- 23,671, Barbados-16,237, Antigua $16,176, Trinidad 15,459, Dominica 7,091, Jamaica $4,934.

Fact is, we have the lowest per capita income of all the former British colonies in the Caribbean!

So here we are, though blessed with a myriad of natural resources, yet we have really failed to gain a modicum of economic independence and social stability during those 59 years.

Apart from the economic and social failures, the question I keep asking is how can we be called independent when we, the first English speaking Caribbean country to declare ‘independence’, remain so steeped in mental slavery that we insist on retaining a foreign head of state?

And not even a good foreign one either, when we consider the brutality with which Britain treated our ancestors during slavery and colonialism!

This unacceptable situation remains although both parties, JLP and PNP, which have alternated in government since independence, have at one time or the other promised to enact the necessary constitutional change to correct that unsavory situation. But guess what they say is holding up the process?

The PNP wants an executive president while the JLP wants a ceremonial president. In the meantime, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and soon Barbados, (once known as Little England) have not dithered on the issue.

One the other hand, as if to entrench this love for the racist British monarchy, our own prime minister Andrew Holness in July 2021, accepted appointment to the British Privy Council!

All this is the midst of Caricom now taking a decisive and cooperative approach in demanding reparations from Britain for their brutality, rape, murder and exploitation of or ancestors during slavery and colonialism and their continued oppression of our people during what is now proven to be the Windrush scandal!

My dislike of the current relations​​hip with Britain has nothing to do with the present queen who has been quite unobtrusive and benign. However, she will not live forever and the thought of a foreigner with Charles' reputation and character being the head of state of my country, is even more intolerable.

Anyway, regardless of who it is that sits on the racist British throne, 59 years is just too long for us to claim to be independent while that situation prevails. 

https://youtu.be/oCqHflj4SNE