FROM schoolchildren in the country’s colours to packed cultural events, Trinidad and Tobago’s new High Commissioner Deborah Thomas-Felix says the unapologetic pride Jamaicans display in their identity is one of the things that has impressed her most since taking up her post.

Having lived in several Caribbean countries, Thomas-Felix said Jamaica’s expression of national pride stands out to her because of how openly it is displayed in everyday life, from the workplace to sporting and cultural events.

She was particularly struck by the way Jamaicans embrace national occasions, including Jamaica Day, when people turn out in the country’s colours, adding that the celebration of national identity extends beyond the traditional observances of Independence and Emancipation.

“You all have a national day — schoolchildren, big people going to work in Jamaica colours. I was so struck by that when I experienced it… Don’t get me wrong, because Trinidad and Tobago has a deep sense of pride and love, but it’s the way, the open way in which it’s displayed in Jamaica,” she expressed during the a Jamaica Observer Press Club at the newspaper’s Beechwood Avenue, St Andrew, headquarters last Friday.

For Thomas-Felix, the pride is also visible in how Jamaica celebrates its culture, with Reggae Month — commemorated in February — providing an entire month of activities centred on one of the country’s most recognisable cultural exports.

She said that visible enthusiasm has helped her better understand Jamaicans in the Diaspora.

“Everywhere you go within the country, they say, ‘Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica,’ and I think that is so encouraging, and it gives me a better understanding of the Jamaicans I know who don’t live in Jamaica,” she said.

Thomas-Felix, whose parents are Grenadians and who has lived in St Vincent, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago, stressed that she was not suggesting that Trinbagonians lack national pride, but said she was particularly impressed by how visibly Jamaicans express theirs.

“There’s this open display of pride, and I think you all should keep that. I think that is just an excellent way to let [future] generations inherit that and continue with that, because I really, really like that,” she said.

Her comments come as Thomas-Felix seeks to strengthen ties between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago across areas including trade, culture, and people-to-people relations.

She said the relationship between the two countries extends well beyond governments, pointing to Trinidadians who have built lives and careers in Jamaica and Jamaicans who have done the same in Trinidad and Tobago.

For Thomas-Felix, those personal connections are part of the Caribbean relationship that she wants to strengthen during her tenure.

“So the relationship is way beyond government to government, it’s really about people, and we interact through music, we interact in terms of culture, and so I want to really strengthen those bonds,” she said.