Kristen Gyles | More needed for Jamaican legends

In my column last week titled ‘Not popularity that makes a hero’ I highlighted that from observation, the rationale many persons express for wanting various Jamaican legends to be awarded with the Order of National Hero is the wealth of international accolades they have achieved and their world-renowned status as icons. I also suggested that an icon is not necessarily a hero.

With that said, we do have a problem. Our national awards system appears to fall short of sufficiently recognising many modern-day national icons because the awards that have been conferred upon them in some cases do not give them the recognition they deserve. On one hand, their contributions might not necessarily have been heroic or nation-saving, calling into question the basis for naming them national heroes, but on the other hand, the other currently existing national award categories do not do them justice.

Last week I spoke briefly about some of Bob Marley’s many accolades as a Jamaican musical legend and social change-maker. Like Bob, there are other national icons who have not been adequately recognised on the local stage for their national contributions.

Jamaica’s cultural ambassador at large, Louise Bennett-Coverley (affectionately called ‘Miss Lou’), for example, lived a life that was dedicated to promoting Jamaican culture. She was a Jamaican poet and folklorist, whose works creatively highlighted the realities of society using the common vernacular. At a time when the bourgeoisie of society would turn their noses up at the very use of patois and at a time when classism was the order of the day, her consistent and creative application of the Jamaican language to inspire pride in our culture was admirable.

Miss Lou taught drama and would often give lectures across various countries, on Jamaican folklore and theatre. She received numerous awards during her lifetime, including the Order of Jamaica in 1974 and eventually, the Order of Merit in 2001, for her distinguished contribution to the development of arts and culture.

JAMAICAN LEGEND

Usain Bolt is another Jamaican legend, who we can perhaps say is now the face of the Olympics. He is regarded not only as the fastest man alive, but the fastest man who ever lived, since he holds the world record for both the 100m and 200m events. He also won gold for both events at the Olympics three years consecutively. Adding the 4x100m relay title to his outlay of achievements, and considering that he also won gold for that event three years consecutively, gives him the title of ‘triple triple’ Olympic star. Usain also holds 11 World Track and Field Championships titles. His work on the track has not just benefited himself but has helped to establish Jamaica as a sprint factory and athletic hub.

In 2009, Usain was given the award of Order of Jamaica. He has also earned numerous international awards for his athletic prowess since the beginning of his athletic career. (They are far too many to name here.)

Having considered all that, we have to ask whether our national awards system appropriately captures and recognises these national contributions.

Jamaican stalwarts such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Professor Rex Nettleford and Miss Lou have all been awarded the Order of Merit, which is given to persons who “have achieved eminent international distinction in the field of science, the arts, literature or any other endeavour”. Notwithstanding, in the ears of many Jamaicans, the Order of Merit just does not sound all that … meritorious.

Our national awards naming convention is kind of funny. The order of merit is the third highest national honour. Ranked fourth and fifth in the order of precedence are the Order of Jamaica and the Order of Distinction, which intuitively, both sound to be more prestigious and esteemed than the Order of Merit.

AWARD SYSTEM

To make the point, many universities have an award system that categorises academic degrees into ‘pass’, ‘merit’ and ‘distinction’ categories. If you get a ‘pass’ degree, your family members and friends applaud you for crossing the finish line, but if you are awarded a distinction, the entire graduation hall cheers you on for ranking with the crème de la creme. Somehow, the order is reversed at the national level.

Perhaps this is why it is felt that many of our most distinguished national icons have not been appropriately awarded for their service in their respective fields. The award which is meant to extol their national contributions might actually have the effect of downplaying them.

Further, much of the controversy surrounding the granting of national awards stems from our interpretation of the awards system. It is easy to think of each national honour as a step on a five-tiered national awards ladder, but it is also clear from the description of the various awards that different awards are intended to award different types of contributions. The Order of the Nation, for example, is reserved for governor generals and prime ministers, while the Order of Excellence is reserved for foreign current and former heads of state.

Interestingly, both awards are ranked second in the order of precedence, above the Order of Merit which many of Jamaica’s most outstanding achievers currently hold. Acts of national heroism rightly sit at the helm of the awards hierarchy, but it is hard to justify the relegation of Jamaica’s legends to a standing that automatically sits beneath the contributions of political figures and heads of state, however distinguished.

There are some whose extraordinary achievements have gone beyond the traditional standards of the Order of Merit. Do we need an Order of National icon?

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com