BY ALESIA EDWARDS

Observer reporter

alesiae@jamaicaobserver.com

SEVILLE, St Ann — The effort by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) to renovate the Seville Great House in St Ann and develop the Seville Heritage Park Exhibition Centre has received a major boost from the Spanish Jamaica Foundation.

The foundation, through the Spanish Ambassador, Her Excellency Celsa Nuño recently donated US$60,000 or JMD$5.5 million to the project, which is expected to be complete in time for the Jamaica 50 festivities.

The presentation was made during a short ceremony at the facility to Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna, under whose purview the JHNT falls.

Hanna, in accepting the cheque, said the donation was timely and welcome. The Youth and Culture Minister noted that the contribution should go a far way in positioning the heritage site as one of the major cultural, educational and tourist attractions in the country.

“Cultural tourism (and) heritage tourism are two of those industries that we must look to for the development and the promulgation of our economy for the next 50 years going forward,” she said.

Added Hanna: “We have to position Seville, not only as an experiential journey for those coming from overseas, but we have to present it and preserve it, so that persons locally and those from the Caribbean and from the Diaspora, can even utilise the venue for events and that the JNHT can also position it as a hallmark for what is best, as a part of our heritage.”

She said the exhibition should be a catalyst for similar projects showcasing the country’s history.

The Spanish ambassador, meanwhile, said that the donation was the fulfilment of a commitment which was made back in 2009 to support the installation of a modern exhibit in the refurbished great house.

“I am particularly proud to be here today to realise that commitment by symbolically handing a monetary contribution of over $5.5 million to the Minister of Youth and Culture, the Honourable Lisa Hanna,” she said.

“The Spanish-Jamaican Foundation, which as you know is fully funded by the Spanish companies with investments in the island, is fully convinced of the huge potential of the rich Jamaican heritage.”

The ambassador pointed to one of its first projects — an islandwide heritage trail launched in 2006 in which a number of signboards in historically significant sites were erected.

The exhibition, when completed, will boast attractive multimedia designs with the objective of becoming a major cultural, tourist and educational attraction. It is poised to become a ‘must see’ for locals, including students, and visitors who want to sample the richness of the Jamaican culture.

JHNT curator, Dr Jonathan Greenland, and lead architect, Ann Hodges, are responsible for the refurbishment of the Great House which is expected to feature technological designs to make it one of the most attractive historical museums in the wider Caribbean.