That Emancipation Jubilee experience
Dear Editor,
I wish to congratulate the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport Olivia Grange for commencing the Jamaica 60th anniversary celebrations on a positive note.
I was able to attend a few events, and from the experiences I have had so far, I must say that we are definitely moving in the right direction.
My first experience was my attendance at the Emancipation Jubilee, which was held in St Ann on Sunday, July 31, 2022. I have been attending these events for the past 10 years — excluding the years when the novel coronavirus was prevalent — and I must confess that this year was the most successful one from all observations.
I was quite elated by the performance of the Maroons as usual, but what stood out for me was the fact that the master of ceremonies did a marvellous job in educating the patrons of the existence of the various Maroon settlements. I must admit that I thought there were only three settlements, and I am now learning that there are more than six .
The performances of the other cultural groups were also quite astounding, especially the Jonkonnu dancers. I also enjoyed the traditional drinking of the hot chocolate tea, which was boiled in a large pot over wood fire, and the smell emanating from the venue reminded me of when my grandmother used to serve us this hot drink in the country. I was also quite delighted by the fact that our young people were also partaking in the drinking of this beverage, which is a positive development as our culture should be preserved.
The event was also in keeping with the theme ‘Reigniting the African spirit’, which was quite appropriate for the occasion as our Nigerian counterparts were able to participate. I wish to elaborate here that the performances by the Nigerians were quite exemplary as the audience was able to learn about the different tribes, culture, music, and especially the marriage traditions of the different Nigerian tribes. The recitation of the poem by the Calabar student with Nigerian roots was truly inspirational.
The master of ceremonies for the Nigerian segment of the festivities was also quite entertaining, and I must admit that I now yearn to learn more about the Nigerian culture. The Government of Jamaica should use this opportunity to fuse our cultures by forging partnerships with them, and other African nations, to promote education, health, tourism, etc as was stated by the Nigerian High Commissioner Maureen P Tamuno.
The other performances by Marcia Griffiths and Tony Rebel were quite outstanding, not to mention Sister Pratt, who closed the show in the wee hours of morning.
I attended the Independence float parade the next day and the floats were extremely colourful and educational.
I look forward to the event next year.
Daniel Morgan
dmorgan239@gmail.com