Imani Tafari-Ama | The heat is on!

It is not just your imagination. These days are way hotter than they were five decades ago. And although President Donald Trump demonstrated that climate change denial is a political thing, global temperature increases have exploded the myth that man-made weather adjustments constitute a hoax. Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, paucity of rainfall and increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere have been identified as indicators of the looming crisis of climate change.

You only have to visit Hellshire or Little Ochie to observe the radically adjusted beach space, which announces that there has been a rapid rise in the sea-water level. This has resulted in pleasures like the popular horseback riding treat being a thing of the past. The Ministry of Health and Wellness here in Jamaica has issued recurrent warnings against over-exposure to the sun and advice about the adverse impact of rising temperatures on well-being stability.

Accentuating the anxiety induced by extreme temperatures, weather reporters recorded that so far, July 3 has been the hottest day of 2023. This year has also seen the explosion of all temperature records set in previous years. It therefore stands to reason that people experiencing the heatwave on July 2 would have had similar discomfort to what was recorded on July 3. July 2 was the day of the Ardenne High School graduation.

In anticipation of the pomp and circumstance usually engendered by such occasions, patrons gathered in the cool Olsen Hall, thinking that would be the venue for this event. No such luck. The announcement came around 4 o’clock, half an hour before the scheduled start, that the ceremony would be held in the open-air space at the front of the school. The accompanying disclaimer was that there was insufficient space in the hall to accommodate all patrons. Why wasn’t a portion of the $16,000 paid by each graduand not apportioned for the purchase or rental of a marquee to cover the melting mass?

Murmurings of annoyance were heard all around as well-wishers and students alike decried the absence of tent or even umbrella covering, to provide protection for patrons from the onslaught of the merciless sun. Sitting under the shade provided by the lignum vitae tree, it was possible to overhear the complaints from youths and elders, male and female, who were hesitant to expose themselves to the unrelenting heat. Eventually, all complied and assembled in the designated area.

Angry woman

Just before the official start of the formal procedure, I was standing beside a woman who shouted her annoyance in the direction of the officials seated on the platform, which was conveniently shaded by the decorated backdrop wall. The angry woman, who was echoing more muted complaints, insisted that the show should not go on before an apology was issued to the discomfited audience. Instead of complying with the apology demand, the principal rose to the microphone and doubled down. She explained that it was the school’s tradition to have an open-air function. She elaborated that, as in previous years, the ceremony was planned to be held outdoors to accommodate more persons than the school hall could hold. She rationalised that people should be patient and await the coming of clouds and dusk, which would cool down the open-air space.

The dismissal of the public’s discomfort did not fix the annoyance being expressed sotto voce by several attendees. However, not wanting to put a damper on the joy of the graduates, they decided to suck it up and endure the discomfort of the relentless heat. The well-wishers had to sit through three hours of this distress before the cooling dusk descended.

STICKING POINT

Another sticking point was the inconvenience of the seating arrangement for the service. The students were sitting in the front rows so patrons seated behind them were unable to get a clear view of the subjects of their pride. It was also mystifying that considerable time was spent announcing students who had received special awards for scoring over 85 per cent in a subject or for achieving averages above 75 per cent in their mock examinations. This meant that, despite fulfilling the requirement of pursuing a minimum of eight subjects, most students did not hear their names called. They also did not have the consolation of being handed their diplomas. They were all obliged to collect these symbols of completion at the school a week after the graduation exercise.

Future planning of this ritual should consider the enduring impact that can result from invisibilising those considered ordinary performers among their more outstanding peers. The ceremony should not have ended as it did. Some students were elated at being singled out for awards for high achievement while those who did not rise to that register, although they fulfilled the requirements for graduating, left with nothing. A few parents sitting close to me commented on this gap, noting that although they did not have a problem with some students receiving special awards for high achievement, as was the case with the outstanding Valedictorian, it should have been arranged that all students could have benefited from being in the spotlight on their special day.

An irate parent who was clearly displeased because her child was not rewarded for the hard work she put in to be among those graduating ranted that, in the future, the organisers should ensure that on the day of the graduation all students and parents should get a chance to feel the pride that results from witnessing the students walking up to the platform to collect their piece of paper. As she said, one bad moment like this could undermine the value that the students had gained from completing five years of study, at what, she added, was considerable expense from the pockets of parents and guardians.

The heat that blazed from the sun on the exposed bodies was matched by the lava-like disquiet that verbally erupted. But the warning it sounded should be sufficient for future-proofing against such volatile dissatisfaction.

Imani Tafari-Ama, PhD, is a Pan-African advocate and gender and development specialist. Send feedback to i.tafariama@gmail.com