SILOAH, St Elizabeth — The unveiling of a 12-foot monument titled Lest We Forget, bearing 128 names representing some of the enslaved people who worked on the Appleton Estate during slavery, is being hailed as a revolutionary step by J Wray & Nephew (JWN).

The rum company, a member of the Campari Group, consulted a team from the Centre of Reparations Research of The University of the West Indies (UWI) in selecting the design for a monument paying tribute to the enslaved people.

The unveiled monument, conceived and built by Glenmuir High’s visual arts teacher Trishaunna Henry, shows the relationship between sugarcane and the socio-cultural and economic development of Jamaica. The names of some slaves, who worked on the plantation during the ownership of the then slave-owning Dickinson family, have been incorporated in the monument.

Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange said “the monument pays homage to our enslaved ancestors whose unpaid labour was at the root of the Appleton Estate success story”.

“Our blood, sweat and tears are parts of this experience,” she told her audience at the unveiling ceremony for the monument at Appleton Estate on Monday.

“… Some might say, it is long in coming, but let us acknowledge this as a demonstration to the world that the company is aware of the contributions of our enslaved ancestors to its success and is commemorating the effort of those enslaved ancestors,” added Grange.

The culture minister said she will be lobbying for the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) to declare Appleton Estate as a heritage site.

“To date, JNHT has declared over 300 heritage sites as national monuments and interestingly enough this is a heritage site, but it is not yet declared and with all the important things that are happening and us really connecting and closing that circle as the minister responsible for declarations, I am not only inviting J Wray & Nephew and Campari to ensure that this property is declared, but I will instruct the JNHT to do so,” she said.

She added that the Appleton railway station was declared a heritage site in 2003.

“The Appleton Estate, which has played such an important part in the history of Jamaica, must also be declared,” said Grange.

Managing director of JWN Limited Jean-Phillipe Beyer said following the research and the publication of the Appleton History Book, there was a need to incorporate the monument into the heart of the tour at the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience (JSAERE).

“We knew we needed to go further in ensuring that we acknowledge the contribution of the enslaved people to the history of this brand. The monument is placed on a pedestal bearing the name of the enslaved people identified and allows visitors to recognise and pay tribute to those who laid the foundation for the Appleton Estate brand. The monument and the research into the history of Appleton Estate will add greater depth, more historical facts and increase cultural authenticity and sensitivity to the JSAERE,” he said.

The team from the Centre of Reparations Research of The UWI, Mona was led by Professor Verene Shepherd and supported by Ahmed Reid, Gabrielle Hemmings, and John Shorter. JWN also received support from Miriam Hinds and Susan Lee Quee of the Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts in the production of the monument.

Professor Shepherd also commended the Campari Group for its revolutionary step.

“By building this monument. I hope other plantations that can answer the simple question ‘where are the enslaved people in your tour narrative and in your landscape?’ will follow your example,” she said.

She also commended Henry for building the monument.

“We are lucky to have such talented artists like Trishaunna Henry, who can build out our ideas and place them in a tangible way on our landscape,” said Professor Shepherd.

Henry said the monument is a “spiritual piece”.

“I went back in time with this piece, I had to pause. I was afraid of the monument at one point. I saw my ancestors…” she told the audience gathered at the unveiling ceremony.

She explained to the Jamaica Observer the concept of the monument took her six months to build.

“I tried to capture some of the feeling of what I think my ancestors would have gone through. This piece I used the sugarcane as my main subject as a form of prison where you can see the cane trapping the enslaved individuals, you can see the different heads and body part protruding, trying to seek freedom and at the top you can see the free hands and that represents freedom or the hope of freedom,” said Henry.