Was it innocence, ignorance or design? This is the million dollar question being raised about the bold display of the Nazi symbol, the swastika, made famous during Adolph Hitler’s reign over Germany, by several school boys at last month’s VMBS Boys and Girls Athletic Championships at the National Stadium.

Demonised by the Israelis for the last 60 years as a symbol of genocide, but still used illicitly by members of the white supremacist New Nazi cults, sometimes called “Skinheads, the swastika was displayed against the backdrop of the purple and white flag of Kingston College (KC) and at least two other school flags – St George’s College and Calabar High.

Not unexpectedly, the leader of the Jewish community in Jamaica, Ainsley Henriques, declared the action as a travesty that should not be repeated. “In the 20th Century, it (the swastika) became the symbol of a horrendous travesty, and so it is contaminated and tainted forever. It cannot be cleaned again,” insisted Henriques, recalling the claim that millions of Jews were killed by Nazi Germany.

But for the school boys vigorously waving the flags in the frenzy of Champs celebrations, and some members of the academic community here, the swastika has a place in Jamaica, after being “stolen” by Nazi Germany from Africa where, they said, it had positive symbolism.

“When I first saw the design I liked it, then our communications teacher told us that it originated in Africa and that Hitler stole it, so I didn’t feel bad using it as a design, since it is African,” said Brian Maragh, a lower sixth former at St George’s College who made a flag with the swastika in its centre.

“It is associated with the holocaust, but it goes beyond that to ancient beliefs,” added Rohan Lamb, also a St George’s College sixth former.

His classmate, Dwayne Mills, agreed with Lamb but explained that their principal was against any display of the flag. “We had a flag with it, but the principal threatened to confiscate it. But we know that it goes beyond Hitler,” said Mills.

Giovanni Ashman, a 13 year-old KC third former, already had an idea of one of the swatch’s origins before his high school life. “It is originally a Hindu good luck symbol,” he says. This he discovered while researching for a religious study project back in preparatory school.

“Maybe the youths know why they had it on their flags,” said Mutabaruka, current folk philosopher at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and radio host. He holds the opinion that the swastika is originally a Ghanaian sun symbol and that the Germans tarnished it.

“We should reclaim it, because it is not a negative thing,” Mutabaruka argued. “An Ethiopian church window has the swastika on it,” he added.

According to Cecil Gutzmore, an outspoken UWI lecturer: “The swastika did not start as a Nazi symbol. Hitler borrowed it from the Indians, and so people are entitled to use it in the original context. People are always trying to get things banned that should not be banned.”

Though the school boys interviewed by the Sunday Observer identified the swastika with Africa, several websites offer evidence detailing its use in India, Greece, China, Japan, Tibet, Mexico and the rest of the Americas for cultural and religious reasons – all in periods predating Nazi Germany’s adoption.

One website, www.luckymojo.com, describes it as the oldest cross and emblem in the world, forming four Ls, for luck, light, love and life. Even within this definition lies controversy, since the Greeks say it was four Gs, and to the Hebrews it was four Ds. The site also says that the symbol was found in ancient Rome excavations, Grecian sites, on Chinese coins dated 315 BC, on Mayan amulets in Mexico and was known as the emblem of Ganesh, the Hindu god of good luck.

Identified for centuries as mainly a good luck, cultural and religious symbol, and found in many religious inscriptions in churches and cultural sites from Ethiopia to Canada, the swastika actually rose to prominence in Germany before the Nazis and Hitler adopted it.

Another site said that by the late 19th century, the swastika was the official emblem of the German Gymnasts’ League, and by the 20th century it was commonly associated with German nationalism.

Seeking a symbol that he thought would adequately express their sentiments, Hitler latched onto this already popular symbol, which he associated only with the Aryan people, disregarding its other cultural significance. In 1919, when Germany’s National Socialist Party was formed, the swastika became their insignia, and on August 7, 1920 at the Salzburg Congress it was officially announced as the Nazi party’s official emblem.

Judging from the definition found on the Jewish Virtual Library website, the Jews themselves have an idea of the original meaning of the swastika. Says the website: “While commonly associated with Nazi Germany, the swastika symbol is more than 3,000 years old. The term swastika was originally the name of a hooked cross in Sanskrit.”

Despite this, Henriques insisted that the symbol should be retired. “It should not be used, regardless of its origin. You cannot try to excuse anything on the basis of history. It doesn’t hold any water. It doesn’t!”

KC’s principal, Ivan Johnson, said he did not expect the boys to have a far reaching knowledge of the swastika’s origins. “I suspect they have no idea what it means, and we would be lucky if they understand who Hitler was,” he said.

His pessimism was shared by political philosophy lecturer, Clinton Hutton. “I would not even credit the youth for knowing the meaning of the swastika beyond Nazi Germany. I bet they associate it with badmanism. Although it is a traditional African motif, it is now known throughout the world as one of the most evil things ever.”