A WEEKLY GLEANER SPECIAL
MESSAGE
Connect with your families and your roots M
Y FELLOW Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica, I warmly greet you and the congregation participating in this special service of praise and thanksgiving in celebration of the 52nd anniversary of Jamaica as an independent sovereign nation. This celebration of Jamaica’s Independence calls us both to a reflection on the past 52 years and to visionary contemplation of the years ahead. As we celebrate this milestone, we give thanks to the Almighty for steering us through the challenging times, and stand in proud recognition of our many and varied accomplishments. As Jamaicans, we are blessed with an indomitable spirit and in spite of the chal-
lenges; we will not give up nor lose hope, but will continue to work diligently towards building a better Jamaica for all our people. This year’s Independence celebrations will be particularly special, as the first ever a National Family Day has been included. This will take place on Saturday, August 2, 2014. The event serves to reinforce the importance of the Jamaican family, which we believe is the most important unit in the development of our society. Let me use this opportunity to encourage the entire Jamaican community in the United Kingdom to celebrate this Day by connecting with their families and their roots back home. The Diaspora community in the United Kingdom is coloured by an appreciation
of the long connection between the land of your birth or country of descent and the United Kingdom which is home to thousands of Jamaicans and their descendants who have played an outstanding role in the development of the British society and economy. The years and distance separating us have not diminished the strong affinity and attachment embedded in your heart and your soul for your dearly beloved homeland which you continue to support from this distance with your generosity of spirit and tangible acts of kindness. Indeed, the substantial contributions in cash and kind by the entire Jamaican Diaspora to the development of the Jamaican society, and to the quality of life of their
brothers and sisters at home cannot be discounted. This truly demonstrates how goals can be achieved when we are united as a people. The Government of Jamaica looks forward to continuing its partnership and strong bonds of friendship with the Jamaican community in the United Kingdom as it seeks to engage all Jamaicans living overseas, as well as friends of Jamaica, in its thrust to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business, in line with the National Development Plan: Vision 2030. There are many challenges facing us at this time, but we are confronting them with the courage, determination and
File Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller the discipline necessary to regain the confidence and achieve the level of development desired for the peace and prosperity of the nation. I sense a greater feeling of hope among our people and a willingness to invest in the future - espe-
cially for the advancement of the younger generations. We will continue to need your prayers, your involvement and your active support. May the courage, patriotism and the vision of our National Heroes and Heroine inspire us to greater levels of achievement as we pursue our mission to make Jamaica the country of choice to live, work, raise families, to do business and to retire. As you join hands and hearts in praise and thanksgiving for 52 years of proud nationhood, I pray God’s blessings on us all and on Jamaica land we love. God bless you all. Portia Simpson Miller Prime Minister
Birth of Jamaican Independence FROM SAVANNLA-la-Mar to Morant Bay, from Above Rocks to Port Maria, as the clock struck midnight on August 5, 1962, the strains of our national anthem were heard for the first time while Union Jacks were lowered and the Jamaican flag unveiled. Ceremonies took place in parish capitals across the island. In many cases, fireworks lit up the skies punctuating the August 6 birth of the Dominion of Jamaica. At the National Stadium, then Prime Minister Sir Alexander Bustamante, decked out in formal wear, presided over what was described as a stirring event. “The entire evening was just tremendous,” said statesman Hector Wynter, Who enthusiastically recounted the shared excitement and delight that reverberated through the packed Stadium where over 20,000 people proudly joined in the celebration of movement from colonialism to self-government. Four employees at Jamaica’s Government office in Britain sort through 5,000 Jamaican flags, sent from Jamaica for the Independence celebration. Kingston and all other parish capitals were resplendent with flags and bunting, and many civic and social events took place, including dancing in the streets, maypoles in town squares, jonkonnu, bonfires, float parades overflowing with beauty queens, as well as tree planting and religious ceremonies.
MEMORIES Lola Ramocan, recalls how as a teenager she, like many of the people in her home parish of Clarendon, dressed in the colours of the flag and
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crowded into the town centre to celebrate. There were treats for the children and the elderly, and commemorative cups and plates were distributed. “What wonderful souvenirs these made,” Ramocan said with a smile, “having one was like holding onto a piece of history.” Theodore Sealy was appointed Chairman of the Independence Committee which was charged with choosing the island’s national symbols, flag, and anthem. Hector Wynter, who, like all sitting senators at the time, had the opportunity to serve on this committee, remembered that experience as a smooth process in which all were united by enthusiasm. As it turned out, Wynter recalled, “The colour choice and design for the flag proceeded quite smoothly. The only hitch was that our initial design was apparently very similar to that chosen by Tanganyika. So we made our gold saltire cross broader.” Wynter added, “it may remind you of the Union Jack in design as both have saltire crosses, but our vibrant colours – the gold set against black and green triangles – made it our own.” Our anthem married the words of The Reverend Hugh Sherlock to the music of The Honourable Robert Lightbourne, both of which were chosen out of many anonymous entries submitted in a public contest. The 300-year-old coat of arms was retained but a new motto – “Out of Many, One People” – a reminder that the nation is composed of people
Please see BIRTH, 14 A float participating in the independence Parade. JULY 31 - AUGUST 6, 2014 • 13
independence feature BIRTH Continued from 13 of many races who have long lived and worked in harmony, was added.
THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT On August 7, 1962 - which had also been declared a holiday - the first session of Jamaica’s Parliament took place. Princess Margaret, wished Jamaica well on behalf of her sister, the Queen, and handed over the constitutional documents to Sir Alexander. She said she was proud to be associated with this event and welcomed the new nation to the Commonwealth family. Bustamante, responding to Princess Margaret and addressing Jamaicans at home and abroad as the island’s first Prime Minister, cautioned on that same August 7 morning: “Independence means the opportunity for us to frame our own destiny and the need for us to rely on ourselves in so doing. It does not mean a licence to do as we would like. It means work and law and order. Let us resolve to build a Jamaica which will last and of which we and generations to come will be proud, remembering that especially at this time the eyes of the world are upon us.” Bustamante’s message was also carried in a special supplement in the
Here, this farmer sends the message to future generations from an Independence Day parade in August 1962. New York Times commemorating Jamaica’s Independence. Norman Manley, then Leader of the Opposition, also reminded the nation: “We stand here today surrounded by an unseen host of witnesses who, through all our history, strove to keep alight the torch of freedom and what of the future? We have come to Independence prepared and ready to shoulder our new responsibilities, and united I believe in one single hope that we may make our small
country a safe and happy home for all our people.” The themes of both of these addresses and those of many others given that day and on countless anniversaries can aptly be summed up in the words of our National Anthem – described by Sherlock and Bennett (1998) as “a prayer of a small, newly independent nation for guidance and protection for themselves and for the island they love.”
Sir Alexander Bustamante witnesses a parade on the occasion of Jamaica’s Independence.
- From The Gleaner archives
Princess Margaret wishing Jamaica well during her handover speech in Parliament., August 6 , 1962.
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independencefeature
The Road To Freedom “T
he hour is at hand, the Monster is dying...in recounting the mood in his church that night, he said. “The winds of freedom appear to have been set loose, the very building shook at the strange yet sacred joy.” – William Knibb, non-conformist Baptist preacher and abolitionist, at the dawning of August 1, 1838. Freedom can be said to have arrived in two stages; the first being the early morning of Friday, August 1, 1834. On that day many slaves were said to have walked up hills and climbed trees so as to clearly witness the literal dawning of their freedom. Around the island, thousands attended “Divine Services” to give thanks and praise. August 1, 1834, marked the emancipation of all slaves in British colonies but it was a case of freedom with conditions. Although the Abolition Act stated that slavery shall be and is hereby utterly abolished and unlawful, the only slaves truly freed were those not yet born and those under six years of age. All other slaves were to enter a six-year ‘apprenticeship’ during which they were to be
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Association of Jamaican (UK) Trust Independence dinner and dance THE ASSOCIATION of Jamaican (UK) Trust will be hosting their annual Independence dinner and dance on Saturday, August 2 at the Grand Palace Banqueting Suite, 242 High Road, Woodgreen, London N22 starting at 7 p.m. Special guests of honour will be representatives of the Jamaica High Commission and the mayor of Haringey. The evening’s activities will include a
‘apprenticed’ to the plantations.
APPRENTICESHIP The tenets of ‘apprenticeship’ stated that the exslaves would work without pay for their former masters for three-quarters of every week (40 hours) in exchange for lodging, food, clothing, medical attendance and provision grounds in which they could grow their own food during the remaining quarter of the week. They could also, if they chose, hire themselves out for more wages during that remaining quarter. With this money, an ex-slave-turnedapprentice could then buy his freedom. Overall, though apprenticeship proved confusing for the ex-slaves – they were told they were, free but they were not really free. Indeed, for many, the quality of their lives had not undergone any great change. In smaller islands like Antigua and Bermuda, there was no need for a system of apprenticeship as all of the land was under cultivation, so the slaveholders knew the ex-slaves would have no choice but to work
four-course dinner followed by the annual community awards presentations, entertainment and a grand raffle prize draw. Guest artistes will be international singer Johnny Orlando and award-winning comedian Charles Tomlin. Spinning the dance music will be the popular Mr Fix It. Tickets for dinner and dance are £65 and bookings are available from: 0208 8015004.
on the plantations. Apprenticeship ended two years short of its intended six-year term on August 1, 1838. This marked the second stage of freedom, – the day all slaves were made free. In Jamaica, on that “full free” August morning, peaceful demonstrations and celebrations occured across the island. A hearse containing shackles and chains that had been used to shackle rebellious slaves was driven through the streets of the capital Spanish Town, and ceremoniously burned. The road to full freedom was a long one, paved with rebellions and sermons by anti-slavery missionary preachers in the colonies as well as debates and the passage of crucial reforms in Britain.
Please see FREEDOM, 17
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independence feature
Dancers deliver a special dance of praise in honour of Jamaica’s Independence Thanksgiving Service at the Emmanuel Centre, London.
Thanksgiving service starts Independence celebrations
T
HE ANNUAL Service of Praise and Thanksgiving to mark Jamaica’s Independence celebrations were held at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster, London on Saturday, July 26. The packed centre, which was being used to house the annual event for the first time, consisted of UK Jamaicans who came from London, Birmingham and other areas to worship and give thanks for the island’s 52nd anniversary as an independent nation. Leading the celebrations was Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the UK,
Beverly Lindsay from the Jamaica Nationals Association Birmingham with chief G.O. Igbinedion, Esama of Benin Kingdom. Aloun Ndombet Assamba who gave an Independence message and also delivered the specially prepared message for the Diaspora from
Photos by George Ruddock The Jamaican flag is brought into the Emmanuel Centre by members of the Jamaican Ex-Soldiers Association.
Jamaica’s High Commissioner Aloun Ndombet Assamba is greeted by well wishers at the Service of Thanksgiving.
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. The sermon was given by Rt Revd Delroy Powell, National Presiding Bishop of The New Testament Assembly England, who encouraged UK Jamaicans to rededicate their allegiance to their homeland and assist in its development. The Rev Rose HudsonWilkin, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons and Chaplain to the Queen, opened the service of Thanksgiving and also gave the blessing. The National Pledge was performed by the children and staff and friends of the High Commission. A special dance of praise was performed by dancers selected and choreographed by celebrated dance tutor Jackie Guy. Here are some highlights from the service.
What’s your view? Let us hear from you. Email: theweeklygleaner@gvmedia.co.uk
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independencefeature
FREEDOM Continued from 15 Indeed, once full emancipation came into effect and free villages began to be established, the plantation system began to fall apart. Wealth was increa singly determined by the amount of money a man had and not by the number of slaves a man owned.
WHAT LED TO EMANCIPATION The tide was changing, struggles to keep down the number of runaway slaves and slave revolts (famous Jamaican revolts included Tacky’s 1760 Rebellion and Sam Sharpe’s 1831 Rebellion) seemed harder, and the ripple effect of the successful 1789 slave revolt in St Domingue (what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) was impossible to ignore. Public opinion began to shift in Britain, heavily influenced by the work of abolitionists like Granville Sharp and William Wilberforce. Sharp tirelessly circulated the proceedings of the 1781 case of the Liverpool slaver, The Zong, in order to bring the evils of slavery into full view. Wilberforce, the leader of the anti-slavery movement in Britain, carried the fight into Parliament, year after year moving resolutions to abolish the slave trade, and slowly but surely the support of the British people was won. Britain abolished the slave trade on January 1, 1808. Abolition of the slave trade was only the first step towards full emancipation. By the 1820s, British Parliament began to send planters directives specifically concerned with the amelioration of the slaves’ working conditions. These included forbidding the use of the whip in the field, the flogging of women and allowing slaves religious instruction. Jamaica, governed by an Elected Assembly, refused to follow these directives and news of this soon spread to the slaves. Numerous instances of civil unrest followed as slaves felt they were being denied certain benefits that had been con-
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ferred on them in Britain. Anti-slavery sentiments were increasingly expressed in the colonies through the work of nonconformist missionaries, particularly Baptists such as William Knibb and Thomas Burchell, who were arrested for inciting slaves to rebellion. In Jamaica, the strongest example of unrest as a result of the fervor to put an end to slavery was the Christmas Rebellion of 1831. Also known as Sam Sharpe’s Rebellion, it began when slaves in the western part of the island, led by Sharpe, believing they had been freed in England but kept enslaved by the planters in Jamaica, conducted a peaceful strike. Sharpe, a Baptist preacher, was literate, unlike many of his fellow slaves. He had read many anti-slavery
bulletins from Britain and communicated their messages to his followers. Yet Sharpe’s peaceful protest soon turned into the largest slave rebellion in the island’s history. Great houses and cane fields in the west were burned and hundreds of lives lost. This insurrection, however, became pivotal to hastening the process of Emancipation. Sam Sharpe, now a Jamaican National Hero, was hung in 1832 for his role as organiser. Soon after, the British House of Commons adopted a motion calling for a Select Committee to be appointed to put an end to slavery throughout the British Empire. One year later, in May 1833, the British House of Commons stated unequivocally that the British nation must, on its own initiative,
suppress slavery in all British Dominions.
EMANCIPATION TRUTHS Emancipation did not mean the beginning of good times. According to Sherlock and Bennett in The Story of the Jamaican People (1998): “Emancipation gave them the right to free movement, the right to choose where and when they wished to work, but without basic education and training many were compelled to remain on the plantation as field hands and tenants-at-will under conditions determined by the
landlord, and for wages set by him.” Yet, in testimony to the impact of freedom, Joseph John Gurney, a friend of American statesman Henry Clay, who visited Jamaica in 1840, wrote letters to Clay contrasting slaves in the southern US and the freed slaves in the West Indies. Gurney was arguing for the benefits of freedom in economies of scale as well as in moral, religious and political terms. Particularly impressed with what he saw in Jamaica, Gurney described ex-slaves as working well on the estates of
their former masters, their personal comforts having been multiplied, their moral and religious lives strengthened. He exhorted Clay that with freedom “the whole population is thrown on the operation of natural and legitimate principles of action, every man finds his own just level, religion spreads under the banner of freedom, and all its quietness, order and peace. Such is the lot of the British West Indian colonies: and such, I humbly but ardently hope, will soon be the happy condition of every one of the United States.”
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Surya Foods now exclusive distributor of Dalgety products
D
ALGETY TEAS, the largest black owned tea company in the UK and Europe, has awarded Surya Foods exclusive distribution rights to Dalgety product lines. Established over 20 years ago, Dalgety is one of the most successful Caribbean brands in Europe – selling over 25 million tea bags every year. Its 100% natural, strong tasting herbal tea infusions, renowned for their quality and purity, can be found on the shelves of most supermarkets and specialist food stores across the UK, with export markets stretching from the USA to China. Dalgety Teas offer rich flavoured herbal teas grown by a selection of small tea estates around the Caribbean, which are refined and blended in the UK. Founded by award-winning entrepreneur Mark Dalgety, the tea’s unique flavours and taste, inspired by the intense flavours of the Caribbean, are packaged in distinctive colourful boxes. With no artificial flavours or chemicals added,
Dalgety’s herbal tea range features a variety of zesty blends – commonly used throughout the Caribbean as natural health enhancers to ward off infections and diseases – including Instant Ginger, Lemongrass, Lemon and Ginger, Honey and Ginger, and Cerassie. Dalgety brand owner Mark Dalgety, one of the UK’s most prolific black entrepreneurs, said: “Surya are a dynamic, forward-thinking company and I am very excited to have joined forces with them to bring the Dalgety Brand to the next level. I am particularly excited about exploring ways we can extend the Dalgety range through new product development.” Mark attributes the huge success of the Dalgety brand to his launching a quality product at the right time, adding: “On a trip to London 20 years ago, I read that the UK tea industry was going through a transformation, and that more and more consumers were opting for the healthier option of drinking herbal teas. I found, however, that while most of the
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tea available at the time had a good smell in the packet, once infused in water it lacked any zest or body. Having grown up with delicious, full-flavoured Caribbean teas, I just knew the time was right to introduce these unique infusions to the UK.” Dalgety’s factory is the only black owned tea factory in the UK and has a production capability of 1.2 million tea bags per day. Established in 1993, Dalgety blazed a trail for
Caribbean teas and natural products and was inspired by Mark Dalgety’s Guyanese aunt, who regularly drank herbal teas to counteract her ailments. Surya Managing Director Harry Dulai said: “We are continually looking to add high quality, well-known brands to our portfolio of 100% authentic world food products. Dalgety teas are a great fit for us, with our already extensive portfolio of Caribbean ranges, including Cawoods dried, salted fish and our home brands Island Sun, Jamaica’s Pride, Reggae Kitchen and Big Up energy drink. “We feel privileged to be working with such a longestablished, highly successful Caribbean brand and are excited to have the opportunity to build on its already enormous success.”
How Jamaicans in the UK plan to celebrate Jamaica’s Independence On Wednesday August 6, 2014 Jamaica will celebrate 52 years of Independence. The Gleaner asked Jamaicans living in the United Kingdom how they plan to commemorate the event. Harris Daley, Public Relations Manager: “I will be hosting a BBQ if the weather permits it. I will be having a nice day out with close friends and family. Cooking all our local dishes: curry goat, fry fish, jerk chicken and of course rice and peas. We will all be wearing Jamaica colours as well.” Daddy Ernie, Radio DJ: “I will be celebrating with Jay Ray & His Nephew on Sunday, August 3 over in Crystal Place. Then on the day at the Rum Kitchen in Ladbroke Grove. Probably pop into the High Commission as well.” Kyle Spence, Assistant Manager: “Most of my family members live all over England so Independence Day is like a family reunion for us. We will be visiting a popular Caribbean Restaurant in Brixton. We will have dinner there, after which we will go to my aunt’s house and watch Jamaican celebrations online. We will also call a few of our relatives and friends in Jamaica and wish them a Happy Independence Day.” Dwayne Palmer, Sales Assistant: “I will be spending the day with my girlfriend and son. We plan to visit my relatives in Birmingham where they will be having a small function with Jamaican food and rum. I want to go to the Jamaica High Commission for the celebratory events they will be having in the evening as well so it will be a long happy day for us.”
Jamaica Independence Grand Gala 2013 held at the National Stadium
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independencefeature Message
Jamaicans have excelled A
UGUST 6 will mark another important milestone for Jamaica – that of our 52nd anniversary of the birth of our nation. Our journey has been one of opportunities and challenges, success and failure, great joy, and in some instances, disappointment. Whatever the circumstances, we can look back and still remark at the significant strides that we have made as a country. From slavery through emancipation, self-rule, Universal Adult Suffrage, and the championing of the rights of workers, the journey continued in earnest, and today we celebrate Independence as the seminal outcome. Some of us will remember the pride we felt in 1962 when the Union Jack was lowered, and the Black, Green and Gold hoisted. We remember the elation we felt when the first strains of the Jamaica National Anthem were heard. This year, our commemoration takes place against the backdrop of two other world-wide anniversaries – the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, and the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing in Normandy, which was a key phase of the Second World War.
OUTSTANDING Jamaicans played a significant role in both major wars of the twentieth century. In fact, some of our most outstanding citizens made contributions to the war effort throughout the period. Our
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Aloun N’dombet Assamba National Hero, the Rt. Excellent Norman Washington Manley, did his duty for his country during the First World War. When the Germans attacked British colonies in Africa, it was the British West India regiment that was sent to fight them. In the Second World War, approximately 300 West Indians served as aircrew, and some 90 men received decorations. This included seven Distinguished Service Orders. This, in addition to thousands more who were recruited to provide less glamorous support services in Britain itself while its men were away fighting the Germans. Before and after Independence, Jamaicans have excelled, not only on the field of battle, but in track and field. That tradition of international success started with the
London Olympic Games of 1948, where Arthur Wint won the 400m, and continues in Britain this summer, with our athletes running against the best in the former British Empire, in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Consider the amazing feats of our young people who are blazing a trail of excellence in sports and education and other areas too numerous to mention here. Our young people in high schools and universities rank among the best in the world in law, Information Technology, track and field, and other areas. We cannot sufficiently thank their teachers, coaches and professors for the invaluable time invested in them.
Jamaica’s development. This is an 18-month project and, therefore, we expect that it will be fully functional and operational by June of next year, when we expect that 500,000 Jamaicans would have registered. The Information you provide will be held in strictest confidence. You do not need to be concerned about unauthorised persons getting your information. I encourage Jamaicans everywhere in the world who have an interest in returning and/or giving back to their country, in even some small way, to register. Your contribution can make a world of difference. You, our citizens in the UK Diaspora, have for generations contributed to this country through
your hard work, commitment and selflessness. You have also continued to be dedicated to your families and various communities back home in Jamaica. You have used your self confidence, creativity and determination to make a home for yourselves here, while not forgetting your homeland. The spirit that inspired us to achieve independence, the belief that we are a people who can accomplish great things, must never be allowed to die, for it is the spirit that will propel us to make up the lost ground and achieve the goals that our founding fathers laid out for us. Aloun N’dombet Assamba High Commissioner for Jamaica
DIRECTION In order to properly utilise the efforts of Jamaicans abroad, the High Commission would like to encourage members of the Diaspora to sign up to a survey which aims to capture the location, interest and skills of persons, which will result in the establishment of a database to support the Government of Jamaica’s policy direction and interaction with members of the Diaspora. It is important for us to know what skills exist in the Diaspora, so that we can all avail ourselves of the opportunities that will present themselves, both in Jamaica and outside of Jamaica. To this end, the Diaspora Mapping Project will allow you to be a more active partner in
File photos
Jamaica Independence Grand Gala 2013 at the National Stadium on Tuesday, August 7, 2013.
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