Remove Nanny as a national hero

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Since Chief Richard Currie wants to spew his divisive rhetoric to divide Jamaica, he should know that many people who consider themselves Jamaicans aren’t fans of the Maroons. If it were up to the Maroons, Jamaica would still be in slavery. I don’t see Maroons of other countries in the Caribbean being so divisive. Jamaican politicians deserve what they get because they’ve been spoon-feeding the Maroons for years by trying to keep the peace, when some of them don’t even call themselves Jamaicans. Not all Maroons supported Cudjoe’s treaty with the British. Some Maroons aren’t proud of that part of their history, where they capture and killed many slaves. It was the Maroons who killed Tacky and captured National Hero Paul Bogle, who was later killed by the British. They also played a role in the death of National Heroes Sam Sharpe and George William Gordon.

If Jamaica turns a republic this year, the Maroons’ flimsy argument of the Queen is null and void, because then we will be an independent nation. I don’t see Maroons in other nations trying to pick fight with their own people, or disassociating themselves from their fellow countrymen.

It pains my heart to question the appointment of Nanny of the Maroons only because she’s a woman and the climate of feminism we are in now. But I don’t see any evidence that Nanny existed on the Earth. Of our seven national heroes, she alone is a Maroon, female, and doesn’t have any documented evidence of her existence; it’s pure word of mouth. So clearly, the politicians in Jamaica wanted unity with the Maroons by giving them a national hero. Fast-forward to now, it’s clear that some Maroons don’t want to be a part of our society.

Tacky should’ve been a national hero; Mary Seacole and Miss Lou, as females, can be national heroes. If Richard Currie decides to continue his divisive rhetoric, I believe the Government should probably remove Nanny as national hero.

TEDDYLEE GRAY