Dear Editor,

I recall the moment of Independence in 1962, I could barely pronounce the word and I had no idea of the meaning.

It may have been my first year in primary school at Seaforth where we attended a function. We were treated with ice cream and given cups as Independence souvenirs.

In addition to hearing the men in the village speak on what was happening, the newspaper published a comic strip in colour, illustration a history of Jamaica from 1655 to 1962. It was my first encounter with the history of Jamaica; it provided me with a glimpse that something big was happening.

So, Jamaica became independent, we had our own Government, national anthem, national flags, national pledge, and other national symbols as representation of this new country. However, Jamaica’s sovereign remained with the British monarchy. There is a thinking that the type of independence given to Jamaica was described in the 1960s by a great African leader as “flag independence”.

It is important to discuss the idea of Independence in the context of the definition of both colonisation and decolonisation. Did the event of 1962 put Jamaica on the road to decolonisation? At most, what we had in Jamaica was “flag independence”. As we are at another milestone discussing ideas on constitutional changes, to what extent the issue of decolonisation is present in those deliberations?

Colonisation is a multifaceted concept and practice with major features in politics, economics and culture. Kwame Nkrumah, the thinker and political leader of modern Ghana, offers important lessons on the nature of “flag independence” and the necessity to embark on a clear path of decolonisation, not just the limited political freedom with new national symbols, but the deeper concerns about the colonial economy, philosophy and culture.

We are celebrating our 61st anniversary of Independence but to what extent have we embarked on the path to decolonisation of the colonial entity of Jamaica? What profound changes have there been in transforming the colonial economy, the colonial philosophy, and the colonial approach to culture?

In the immediate post-Independence years it was Norman Manley who said it was the duty of the generation after him to take on the challenge of economic independence. While this was a great instruction, there could not be and cannot be any economic independence in Jamaica without the process of full decolonisation.

So, in terms of change, I am making the point that we must make a distinction between appearance and reality; and in real terms much about colonialism is still haunting us in Jamaica. It is important that the celebration of Independence be decentralised; the Corporate Area is not Jamaica. It is important that this moment be activated in all parishes across the country because it has an important role to play in community rebuilding in Jamaica. Strong communities are the foundation for a country strong and free.

Just a plea calling for the discontinuation of the tarnishing of the word “Emancipation” to “Emanci-pendence”; this is a corruption of the word, and it takes away the meaning. The holiday was abolished in 1962 and reinstated in the late 1990s, now there is this corruption of not just the word but its definition.

Louis E A Moyston, PhD

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