TODAY, October 11, Stony Gut in St Thomas — birthplace of National Hero Paul Bogle — will be the venue for heightened celebrations as Jamaica will, for the first time, observe Paul Bogle Day.

This follows the day’s proclamation by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen which, significantly, will be observed annually on the day of the Morant Bay War.

In a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange said the day was declared at her behest.

The day’s celebrations will be led by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission in collaboration with culture clubs.

“I am pleased to be able to proclaim Paul Bogle Day, even as some of the dreams of Paul Bogle for better working and liveable conditions of the people of St Thomas are coming to pass. The story is told that the Jamaica House of Assembly passed a resolution in 1865 to punish the people of St Thomas for their action, determined that the parish would see very little development,” Grange said.

The Government, she said, led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, has broken that curse. “Very soon, the people of St Thomas will have greater access to the commercial centre by way of a new highway. Further, also the development of the Morant Bay Court House into a modern museum will no doubt enhance the quality of life for the people of St Thomas going forward,” she said.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding said he was pleased that Bogle will be commemorated on a special day in his honour.

“I had actually moved a motion in this House on the 26th of July 2022 calling for that very thing… summarising the tremendous courage and leadership that Paul Bogle showed in St Thomas and the ultimate sacrifice that he paid with his life,” he said, noting that he had suggested that the date of commemoration should be the date of Bogle’s martyrdom — October 24.

Golding said he was pleased to see that Jamaica will be commemorating Bogle’s memory in this way because his role in the country’s history is important.

“[The year] 1865 was a turning point, when the landless and oppressed people of St Thomas stood up, and the system of oppression — which gave rise to their determination to fight for their rights in that way — suffered a sort of cataclysmic rejection. Although hundreds of people died in it, it did lead to changes with helped Jamaica to the point where we are today,” he said.

On October 11, 1865 Bogle, a Baptist deacon, led a protest march from Stony Gut to the Morant Bay courthouse, incensed by the poverty and injustice being faced by the people of St Thomas and Jamaica in general.

In a violent confrontation with State forces nearly 500 people were killed and a greater number were flogged and punished before order was restored. Bogle was captured and hanged on October 24, 1865.

The conflict, in the end, brought about changes in the poor social and economic conditions of the peasants, not only in St Thomas but throughout the island. It also brought about constitutional change which abolished the old representative system in favour of Crown Colony Government.

In recognition of his efforts, Bogle was conferred with the Order of the National Hero in 1969.