Having gained political independence in 1962, Jamaicans, instead of working tirelessly to achieve economic independence and social equality, have spent a great deal of time playing the blame game. This is especially so when it comes to the over 80 per cent of the population which is of African descent who, for the most part, have been subject to persistent poverty, injustice, brutal crimes, ignorance, and self-hate.

One area in which much of the blame has been placed is slavery. This perennial obsession, like a flame, has been fanned, particularly, by our privileged and overly qualified scholars in the halls of academia, who — some armed with their PhDs and other trappings of higher learning — have persisted in ramming it down our throats that whatever beset us is not really our fault; it is slavery, that dehumanising act of subjecting one set of people to become the unwilling (or willing) property of a seemingly superior being.

As a result of brainwashing us with that particular mindset, many Jamaicans, deep down, see themselves forever as mere Children of Sisyphus — a scenario based on Greek mythology which tells about Sisyphus, who was condemned to the eternal task of rolling a large stone to the top of the hill, from which it always rolled down again. What has set in, therefore, is a great deal of self-pity and that feeling of “wha fi do?”, not to mention self-flagellation, which ultimately leads to a self-defeating way of life.

Yes, slavery was very cruel to our forefathers in many ways, inclusive of causing us to lose our true identity and to be beset by an inferiority complex that has spawned skin bleaching and the crab-in-a-barrel mentality. In this context, much of the blame has been attributed to a letter purportedly written by William “Willie” Lynch in 1712 advising slave owners how to control their “properties” by setting them against one another. But this was over 300 years ago!

In the meantime, slavery has been portrayed, for the most part, as a particularly racist practice primarily used to subjugate and exploit the black race. Of course, historically, this is not so. Marcus Garvey, known and revered for decades as a staunch and unrepentant defender of the black race, once declared that, “Slavery is not a condition confined to any one age or race of people. Slavery has been since man in the different distribution of himself, scattered here, there, and everywhere; has grown and developed, wherein one race will become strong and the other remains weak. The strong race has always reduced the weak to slavery, it has been so in ages past, it is so now in certain parts of the world, and will be so until the end of time.” He cited, for example, that the British who enslaved our African forebears was once a race of slaves. The Romans captured and brutalised them, taking many of them to Rome, but in time the Briton went back to his country (Britain) and built up a civilisation of his own, and by his self-reliance and initiative, he forced the respect of mankind and maintains it until today.

There is also every evidence that slavery was being practised in Africa long before the Europeans went there, as was the case in much of the rest of the ancient world. So, from a psychological perspective, it is disingenuous to project an image which would suggest that only black people were singled out for slavery, and are therefore the only ones the worst off for it.It is time we pick ourselves up, dust off that shameful episode in our past and face our current circumstances as men, not as mice!

These words of civil rights icon Dr Martin Luther King Jr are most timely: “As I stand here and look out upon the thousands of Negro faces and the thousands of white faces intermingled like the water of a river, I see only one face — the face of the future.”

That is why in his own visionary way, Garvey started his “back to Africa” movement, because he was committed to the belief that black people needed to secure financial independence from white-dominant society. Much to his credit, in this regard he launched several businesses in the United States, including the Negro Factories Corporation and Negro World newspaper, followed by his magnum opus — the establishment of the Black Star Line shipping and passenger company. But, alas, the system soon set about to destroy his dreams, and when he ultimately returned to his homeland, Jamaica (deported), he was to find that the so-called Willie Lynch syndrome was alive and well. Disenchanted because of the level of ridicule and rejection he suffered at the hands of his black brothers and sisters in Jamaica, he relocated to London, where he died of a broken heart in 1940.

Yes, slavery has dealt us a bad hand, but must we as a people continue to wallow in self-doubt, self-pity and self-hate? Even as Black History Month is once again being observed, where is the beef?

In my last article in this newspaper I wrote about the critical role black families need to play in the Jamaican economy, but are sufficient numbers of Jamaicans of African descent convinced that it is time we release ourselves from the shackles of mental slavery and stake our claim in the overall scheme of things? Needless to say, the fight for reparation is most integral in this struggle. It must be remembered that after slavery ended there was no total freedom. Former slaves received no compensation and had limited representation in the legislature, while the slave owners were handsomely recompensed by the British Government. Indeed, Africans, for the most part, struggled to own land and create their own communities.

In this vein, it must be stressed that the Africans, in many instances, fought boldly for their freedom from oppression and suppression. Against this backdrop, it is my view that this nation has not fully honoured the memory of Tacky, whose rebellion in the 1760s preceded many that were to follow, culminating in the Sam Sharpe uprising in 1831. Without a doubt, he deserves to be accorded the accolade of national hero, thus welcoming him to the pantheon of heroes whom we celebrate each year.

Even as we continue to ignore the teachings and philosophy of Marcus Garvey, much to our peril, this admonition by him is most timely and significant: “You, at this time, can only be destroyed by yourselves; from within and not from without. You have reached the point where the victory is to be won from within and can only be lost from within.” Enough said!

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 44 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica, where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.