MINISTER of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna permanent secretary and staff of the ministry and its culture agencies have extended condolence to the family and people of Charles Town on the passing of Colonel Frank Lumsden who served as colonel of the community for more than a decade.

Minister Hanna hailed Col Lumsden as a man of vision who believed in representing his ancestors and caring for his people to the fullest. “We are deeply saddened by Colonel Lumsden’s passing. His leadership of the Charles Town Maroons brought wide exposure to the significant Windward Maroon heritage, including the vibrant cultural assets of music, dance and food traditions.” Minister Hanna added that Colonel Lumsden remained true to the dream of sharing the Maroon Heritage with not only Jamaicans, but the international community. It is to this end that even during his illness, Colonel Lumsden worked vigorously to ensure that the seventh staging of the International Maroon Conference, the only initiative of its kind in the region, was held in June this year.

“We are heartened by the dedication that propelled the creation and yearly staging of this event which attracts scholars from all over the world, such as Australia, Canada, United States, Suriname, Mexico, and the Caribbean.”

“Col Frank Lumsden will be remembered for his passion along with the Charles Town Maroon Council in protecting Maroon lands and heritage through work with the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank and the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office. His involvement in the world heritage process for the inscription of the Blue and John Crow Mountains as Jamaica’s first World Heritage Site cannot go unmentioned.