THE Moore Town Maroon community in Portland, which has been declared one of the world’s 28 ‘Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage’, is to receive US$900,000 (approximately J$54.9 million) from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to fund community initiatives that are expected to safeguard the musical heritage of the Maroons in the parish.

The presentation ceremony for the handing over of the original proclamation will be held this morning at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston. Minister of Education Maxine Henry-Wilson will accept the proclamation on behalf of the nation, while Colonel Wallace Sterling of the Moore Town Maroons will receive the proclamation on behalf of Moore Town residents.

The Moore Town project, to be implemented on a phased basis, will include expenditure of approximately US$670,000 to establish a Moore Town Museum, along with visitor cabins constructed in the traditional style and by the traditional methods of the Moore Town Maroons.

Complete with a craft yard and retail shop, visitors to the Moore Town community will be able to inspect historical items and observe firsthand the preparation of artifacts and listen to authentic Maroon songs, the Institute of Jamaica said yesterday.

The Institute said, too, that in order to generate the interest of the younger generation and to apprise them of their role in safeguarding this precious intangible heritage, the music of Moore Town would be integrated into the Jamaican school curricula through Maroon songs and music.

“Due to the inherent secrecy of the Moore Town Maroons as it regards disclosing Maroon practices such as spiritual ceremonies and use of the Kromanti language, the need for special, legal protection of this unique cultural heritage has become increasingly evident and important,” the Institute said.

“Upon the recognition of this urgent need for such preservation, a team consisting of various cultural organisations including the Institute of Jamaica and headed by noted musicologist Dr Olive Lewin, conducted in-depth research into the musical traditions, language and rituals of the Moore Town Maroons and made a formal submission of a proposal and video of the musical heritage of the Moore Town Maroons.”

The proposal was later dispatched to the offices of UNESCO in Paris where the Moore Town Maroon community was among the 28 sites worldwide selected by an 18-member panel nominated by the director-general Koichiro Matsuura.