St Thomas to be unveiled
Published:Thursday | October 4, 2018 | 12:00 AMShanna Monteith/ Gleaner Writer
MORANT BAY, St Thomas:
Steadfast on the journey to debunk the negative stereotypes associated with St Thomas, at least one youth has decided to utilise his time and resources to bring some much-needed attention to his parish.
Twenty-four-year-old Deron Douglas is the conceptualiser and lead of a project called 'Unveiling St Thomas' which, according to him, is geared towards highlighting the goodness of the parish.
"For years, we have been exposed to the indisputable shortcomings of the parish through various media, to the point that it has been dubbed as 'forgotten'. However, this project aims at projecting the unpopular view that St Thomas is indeed extremely beautiful and exceptionally resourceful. From the people's culture to its natural resources, everything that makes up the parish of St Thomas makes it unique," Douglas said, adding that the initiative was brought to life out of his own awareness and calling to contribute what, and how, he can towards building and uplifting his home and subsequently the island of Jamaica.
Douglas, who is a self-employed freelance photographer and cinematographer operating under the business title Capture 876, told The Gleaner that the project's scope will take into account the various sites and hidden gems of his parish.
"St Thomas is one of Jamaica's most historically significant parishes, boasting some of the country's most meaningful heritage landmarks. Unveiling St Thomas carries a mandate to highlight these sites in its presentation. Bringing awareness to the history and meaning of these landmarks could cause St Thomas to become a great contender in the Heritage Tourism market.
"Two sites from a non-exhaustive list of 13 have already been partially covered, namely the Morant Point Lighthouse and the Morant Bay Fort," he said, as he noted that funding the project has been a major setback in fulfilling its aim.
The professional content creator revealed that at the completion of the 'Unveiling St Thomas' project, an actual 'unveiling' event is planned, which will feature a documentary film and an exhibition of photos taken throughout the project.
According to him: "The plan is to also auction the photographs in an effort to start a foundation that gives back to the parish, more specifically in the educational sector, as I believe that the way towards having sustainable growth and development is giving equal opportunities to education."
ONLINE PETITION
Acknowledging the magnitude of such an undertaking, Douglas began The Unveiling St Thomas online petition, which he explained serves to sensitise the citizens of the parish and also garner their support in making the project successful.
To date, more than 1,600 persons have signed the petition in support of the project's mandate.
Douglas admitted that though the support has been overwhelming, it was expected as St Thomas parishioners have always embodied the true patriotic spirit of Jamaicans.
He said: "Along with the 1,600-plus signatures, scores of people have shared their personal reasons for signing the petition, many with the same cry, that St Thomas lacks the proper representation that will present the parish with the exquisite profile it truly deserves."
Douglas explained that he hopes other sponsors and supporters will come on board the project as he aims to bring to fruition the final presentation, The Unveil, in January 2019.