AS the nation continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary of Independence, the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) invites the public to its annual Research Symposium, under the theme 'Embracing Our History, Culture and Heritage' to be held in the IOJ's Lecture Hall tomorrow starting at 9:30 am.

"The researchers and curators at the Institute of Jamaica will be exposing the public to the wealth of information unearthed by the IOJ, through oral and poster presentations of their research activities within the past year," informed Tracy Commock, Chairman of the Researchers and Curators Committee.

Dr Erna Brodber, sociologist, historian, and literary artist and former UWI Mona Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of teh West Indies, Mona Campus will be the guest speaker at the symposium, announced Commock.

Dr Brodber pioneered the academic acceptance of oral tradition as a relevant source of information for Caribbean researchers. She has earned an enviable reputation in the field of sociology for collecting the oral histories and the stories of elders in rural communities of Jamaica.

"It promises to be a very exciting and informative session for all who attend," Commock enthused.

The oral presentations include:

* Playing the 'Race Card': Pre-Independence Black Nationalism in Jamaica

* From British to Folk: Recalibrating Identity through Folk Museum

* Is Revivalism the New Pentecostalism?

* Objects of Power: Some Preliminary Notes on Late 19th Century Obeah Figural Carvings from Jamaica.

The Institute of Jamaica is the island's leading cultural institution with research being conducted in areas such as history, ethnography, cultural retentions, biodiversity and artistic expressions.