ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – Colonel Fearon Williams of the Accompong Maroons has vowed to protect and preserve the lands of the Cockpit Country.

His announcement, which was made Friday at celebrations in Accompong Town, here, to mark the 279th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty between the Maroons and colonial Britain, adds to calls by environmentalists and stakeholders of the Cockpit Country to resist bauxite mining in the area, as it poses a threat to biodiversity and the fresh water that the area provides to the island.

“For the past few years, the government has set its sight on mining in the Cockpit, and I want persons here to listen keenly to me. As the colonel, I vow to protect and preserve these lands. A lot of these lands that our fore parents sacrificed their lives for, are being taken away,” he said.

Williams pointed out that he intends to have the Cockpit Country, which he said were given to the Maroons by the British in the peace treaty, returned to the Maroons and preserve what’s left of it.

“These lands cannot and will not be sold or given away to outsiders, but remain as it is stipulated that all Maroon lands are for the born and the unborn, and this I will ensure remains that way,” he said. “I will lead the charge. I only want my fellow Maroons to follow and I know that Jamaicans outside will follow us, especially when water is life and 40 per cent of the water in Jamaica comes from this very place that we are on now.”

At the same time, Williams used the opportunity to appeal to the younger generation of Maroons to be proud of their heritage and maintain, protect and preserve it.

“The older generation of Maroons must ensure that the culture and tradition is passed down to the younger generation. Again I will appeal to senior persons like my deputy, Melvin Currie, to not go away with the culture when the father says we should, but leave it with the younger ones,” he said.

Kimberly Hibbert