Jamaica, like other countries, is blessed with people who give national service without seeking personal glory. Those individuals, unsung heroes really, make the kind of contribution that lead to the betterment and development of their countries.

Mr Bernard Jankee, the former director of the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank (ACIJ/JMB), who passed last Wednesday at age 63, was one of those special human beings.

While we suspect that most Jamaicans were not familiar with him, those among us who appreciate and enjoy our culture and its umbilical link to our African ancestry have reason to extend thanks to Mr Jankee, as he was one of those who placed great value in recording and preserving our heritage.

A look at his contributions in that field shows: Production of a television documentary, titled
Living Legends: The Hon Miss Lou, featuring folklorist Mrs Louise Bennett-Coverley;
Poems from Jamaica, a video anthology of poems by noted Jamaican poet Ms Lorna Goodison; Caricom Perspectives, a series for the Caricom Secretariat which highlighted different aspects of the organisation’s work in the region; and Fi Mi Love, a documentary series on Jamaican folk music produced in collaboration with the Jamaican Folk Singers.

Add to all that his role as a member of the technical committee which prepared the documentation for Jamaica’s successful nomination of the Blue and John Crow Mountains for inscription as a world heritage site; and his contributions as chairman of the technical committee responsible for the nomination of reggae music to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Ms Kesia Weise, secretary of the Jamaican Historical Society and senior research fellow at the ACIJ/JMB, was therefore on point in her tribute to Mr Jankee when she described his career and achievements in culture as “illustrious”.

Since its establishment in 1973 as a division of the Institute of Jamaica, the ACIJ has commendably met its mandate to deepen public awareness of African cultural retentions and their relationship to other ethnic groups in Jamaica.

Mr Jankee played a significant role in the organisation’s achievements, especially during his tenure as director from 1995 to September 2022 when he retired.

A measure of his dedication to the preservation and promotion of Jamaican culture is evident in the fact that after his retirement Mr Jankee dedicated his time to serving the Jamaican Historical Society and was elected unanimously as president in 2023. Unfortunately, ill health forced him to resign as president in early January 2024.

That level of commitment to his job, as well as to Jamaica, was not surprising to the people who knew Mr Jankee, especially his high school colleagues at Kingston College (KC), for he was among those who excelled from first form through to sixth.

His penchant for perfection was further honed as a member of the famed KC Chapel Choir, particularly during the years when the choir first attained Royal School of Church Music affiliation.

Outside of all that, Mr Jankee was simply a warm, generous, and decent human being who, as a Freemason for 41 years, embodied one of the guiding principles of the craft — making good men better.

Bernard Jankee served his country and humanity with distinction. We are in his debt.

May his soul rest in peace.