A month ago on March 6, the African nation of Ghana celebrated 50 years of political independence. Never mind the fact that eleven years later its first president, Kwame Nkrumah, had been overthrown while attending a conference outside of Ghana. That anniversary is important to Jamaicans for many reasons.

First, it signalled to Jamaica that our own independence was one step nearer. This was so even as Norman Manley lamented the fact that Jamaica had started the fight for independence before Ghana, yet Ghana achieved it before Jamaica. At the time Norman Manley was premier of Jamaica.

Second, the historians state that most of the African slaves that came to Jamaica (read "most of our ancestors") came from Ghana, which is situated on the west coast of Africa. Never mind the fact that the Europeans called the place the Gold Coast. The original name, however, was restored when Ghana gained political independence.

Third, Ghana's father of the nation, Kwame Nkrumah, was so impressed by Marcus Garvey that the Black Star, a symbol of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, is in the national flag of Ghana.

Fourth, Norman Manley as premier of Jamaica attended the opening ceremony. He flew to Ghana in the same plane as US civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King, and would mention this at the time of King's assassination 39 years ago on April 4. It was on that flight that both the elder Manley and Dr King got to know each other. Both would have nothing but complimentary things to say about each other for the rest of their lives.

It was not just the political independence of Ghana that was an important signal that independence was near for Jamaica. The political independence of India on August 15, 1947 was hailed all over the English colonies as an important step.
That was due to the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu lawyer who decided to live like the people of India in order to understand their plight and to fight the cause better. Gandhi was imprisoned several times and was assassinated in 1948.

The fight for Jamaica's political independence, which got into high gear in 1938, has to be seen in the context of what was happening in other parts of the world such as India. But more important, the end of the Second World War created problems in Great Britain although it had been victorious in the war.

Building back a country that was torn by war meant that financial and manpower support for colonies was now burdensome. That was probably the single most important factor, coupled with the fact that political leaders all over the British Empire such as Gandhi in India and Norman Manley in Jamaica were clamouring for such independence anyway.

This past Tuesday, April 10, was the 45th anniversary of the general election of 1962. The Jamaica Labour Party won that election which was called to determine which party should rule Jamaica in independence. And yesterday, April 11, was the 40th anniversary of the death of Jamaica's second prime minister in political independence, Sir Donald Burns Sangster. April 11 also marked 40 years since Hugh Shearer became Jamaica's third prime minister.

The year 1967 was the year of three prime ministers. Sir Alexander Bustamante had been prime minister up to February 22, the day after the general election, which the JLP won. On that day after the general election Donald Sangster was sworn in as Jamaica's second prime minister in political independence. Forty-eight days later, Sangster died and Hugh Shearer was sworn in as Jamaica's third prime minister. This means that as Ghana received political independence Jamaica wondered when would be its turn - and it came five years later in 1962. But 10 years later in 1967 Jamaica had already had three prime ministers in political independence.

In 1944, 63 years ago, Jamaica had its first election to the House of Representatives under universal adult suffrage. In 1947, 60 years ago, the system of universal adult suffrage was used for the first time in local government elections. In those days, indeed up to 1977, 30 years ago, the councils, although elected for three years as is still the case (except when there is a postponement), elected the mayors each year.

And in 1947, 60 years ago, Alexander Bustamante, the leader of the majority and minister of communications was elected mayor of Kingston, defeating the People's National Party's William Seivright by one vote. The first thing Bustamante said after the vote was, "I told you that I was going to be elected mayor." It was William Seivright who wrote the words of the PNP's anthem, Jamaica arise, while Granville Campbell wrote the music.

This fact is important because Jamaica arise was under consideration to become Jamaica's national anthem in 1962. But the JLP won the election and they had other ideas, so another anthem was created by Hugh Sherlock, Robert Lightbourne and Mapletoft Poulle - all three now deceased.

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