Today Friday February 17, 2012 is being celebrated as Jamaica Day in Jamaica. Now I personally disagree with that notion considering that we live in Jamaica, so there's no need for a Jamaica day. On the flip side the day is indeed needed to help fix a dying culture, that I do support. But I also believe that in order for us to preserve our culture we need to start from inside the schools at the basic/kindergarten level.
Before I get down to the "nitty gritty" of the matter take for example majority of Jamaicans live in what is know as the "rural areas" and also there is a percentage who live in urban areas in what are known as 'Ghetto" or "garrison areas". Now for many of us who grew up in these areas, as a true Jamaican Kid you would run up and down outside. For males we made "box trucks" and tied a string on it and pull it till the wheel drop off or something. Sometimes you would also make a wheel from the hose and run that on the road. How could we forget the marble and rubber-band games??? There's also other childhood games that both males and females would play such as "dandy shandy" otherwise known as "sightings", also the popular "stuck and freeze" shorten in Jamaican terms as just "stucky". Girls would also play "Chinie skip". But seriously do we see our Jamaican children playing these games anymore? Maybe its just based on my location why I don't see these games any more. I recently made a visit to a rural part of Hanover and none of the games listed earlier were present.
Another dying art in Jamaica is the telling of "Duppy" and "Anansi" stories. I had an encounter with some children the other day and they've never heard those kids of stories that were pasted down from generation to generation. I have the greatest admiration for Jamaica's National Pantomime that annually showcase plays about our heritage, talent and creativity. The current play that is being staged is entitled "Anansi and the Goat head soup". If you've never been to one, then you should go and bring everyone in your household. it amazes me to see 10 year old kids on Facebook. I thought Facebook had an age limit to join. Is it that we don't want our kids to go outside anymore and socialize???
I have to ask myself and others, how many of us know the National Anthem and Pledge? Sad to say not many of us do. Every Jamaican should know the National Anthem, the National Pledge, as well as "Jamaica Land of Beauty" and "I Pledge My Heart".
Surely we have lost our way and who do we blame? We cannot blame other nations for feeding us their product. We have ourselves to blame as we openly accept these things and shut our culture out. Is it really at a point that we've become so foreign minded that we need to to have a "Jamaica Day" to remind us that we are truly Jamaicans??? Think about it. We talk about protecting brand "JAMAICA". Hear this, I am brand Jamaica. I was born, raised and still living in the Jamaica (the last time I checked was a few seconds ago). I eat Jamaica, I breathe Jamaica, I talk Jamaican. Believe it or not I've met a few Jamaicans who's never used their teeth to eat a mango but peel it with a knife. I met Jamaicans who only drink a coconut jelly using a straw. Never placing the coconut at their face to drink it.
Earlier this morning I read an article in the Jamaica Observer and this statement grabbed my interest "We are a foreign-minded, consumerist nation. What do we make? Could we survive if the Zim container did not come? So we do white rum, Red Stripe, Blue Mountain Coffee (nice colours) and our cocoa is "sooo good", but all some white man's work from a long past age and the stuff nature gave us is wasted as we do not drink coffee." Think about it....Finish thinking yet??? We need to wake up to the reality that we need a culture shock, we need to see what we have become. Our national heroes, heroine and activist fought so we could be our own people not be somebody else. Jamaicans are one of a kind, call me biased but I don't think their is any place like Jamaica. People want to be like us yet we trying our best not to be ourselves.
Surely we have lost our way and who do we blame? We cannot blame other nations for feeding us their product. We have ourselves to blame as we openly accept these things and shut our culture out. Is it really at a point that we've become so foreign minded that we need to to have a "Jamaica Day" to remind us that we are truly Jamaicans??? Think about it. We talk about protecting brand "JAMAICA". Hear this, I am brand Jamaica. I was born, raised and still living in the Jamaica (the last time I checked was a few seconds ago). I eat Jamaica, I breathe Jamaica, I talk Jamaican. Believe it or not I've met a few Jamaicans who's never used their teeth to eat a mango but peel it with a knife. I met Jamaicans who only drink a coconut jelly using a straw. Never placing the coconut at their face to drink it.
Earlier this morning I read an article in the Jamaica Observer and this statement grabbed my interest "We are a foreign-minded, consumerist nation. What do we make? Could we survive if the Zim container did not come? So we do white rum, Red Stripe, Blue Mountain Coffee (nice colours) and our cocoa is "sooo good", but all some white man's work from a long past age and the stuff nature gave us is wasted as we do not drink coffee." Think about it....Finish thinking yet??? We need to wake up to the reality that we need a culture shock, we need to see what we have become. Our national heroes, heroine and activist fought so we could be our own people not be somebody else. Jamaicans are one of a kind, call me biased but I don't think their is any place like Jamaica. People want to be like us yet we trying our best not to be ourselves.
Finally, the work is up to us to reclaim our culture, don't just wait until "Jamaica Day, Heroes Day, Independence Day or any other special day" to remind us that we are Jamaicans. Everyday is a Jamaica Day, everyday we should celebrate our proud history. Despite the challenges and obstacles we face we should be proud. In 2005 the movie "V for Vendetta" was released. "V" made sure the British parliament saw that the country needed a change in direction as they had lost their way. In the movie every British person who was able put on their mask and made their way to parliament and gave them a 5th of November that would never be forgotten. Maybe on the 6th of August we the Jamaican people need to march to parliament and let both the government and opposition know we are tired of the direction the country is heading. The Ministries that cover education, youth and culture needs a wake up call. As I said earlier many will agree and many will disagree. Majority of those who disagree im sure will have a bunch of none Jamaican products in their house. If we should limit foreign important on products I'm sure we would have a gas riot similiar to that of the 1990s. Our oral traditions need to be preserved as well. History is both "tangible and intangible". If we are really going to become a "Republic" and truly be independent then we need to face the reality. There are many more aspects of our culture that's being lost but time wont allow me to explore that but I'm sure I've said enough and God bless the few who read this to the end because it's a know fact that us Jamaicans don't love to read. But really do we are care about JAMAICA, "A Dying Culture"???? FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!!!
S.B. Stanberry
