Monument recommended for slaves massacred in 1831

A recommendation has been made by historiographer and former mayor of Montego Bay, Shalman Scott, for the creation of a monument to honour the 200 enslaved Africans massacred in Lima, St James, consequent to the Sam Sharpe Revolt of 1831.

Delivering the inaugural Flames of Freedom Lecture at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre on December 22, Scott said that National Hero Sam Sharpe not only toppled the status quo of plantocracy in Jamaica, but with his orchestration of the country’s first organised industrial action, he also triggered the abolition of slavery in the entire British West Indies by the Act passed in the British House of Commons in August 1833.

The figures showed that 50,000 enslaved Africans participated in the revolution. Inquisitions were hastily convened, thereafter, and more than 500 enslaved Africans summarily executed or punished in various other ways. Some 39 plantations were burnt and 14 white people killed.

Of more than 900 great houses in Jamaica, only 15 remained standing when the ashes settled on February 8, 1832.

According to Scott, the greatest atrocity took place in Lima, St James, where some 200 enslaved Africans – men, women and children – were lined up in the village square and shot to death by the British Militia.

“It is still the biggest mass murder in the history of Jamaica, both under the colonial powers of Spain and England. This must not be forgotten and deserves the erection of a memorial to the sacrifice of our ancestors and the insensitivity of the white planters to slaves as humans,” he argued.

The monument, he said, would be a strong statement on Jamaica’s commitment to viewing its history through forensic lenses and “paying patient attention, following leads and by ferreting and cross-checking information” as the only way to get to the facts and truth.

For his part, minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM West), Homer Davis, said he would be leading the charge for the erection of the monument.

He said that he endorsed Scott’s recommendation and would be making the necessary representation in parliament and to the relevant ministers, in order to make the memorial a reality.

The state minister made a commitment to making the Flames of Freedom lecture an annual event, in honour of the National Hero Sam Sharpe.

Additionally, Davis officially launched the Flames of Freedom Essay and Poster Competitions, with categories for students in primary and secondary schools, and those enrolled at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College.

Winners, he said, would be announced on May 23, 2023 (Labour Day), during the annual Tribute to Sam Sharpe event in Sam Sharpe Square.

Entry forms are available at OPM (West), St James Municipal Corporation, and the St James South constituency office. The deadline is set for February 28, 2023, and winners will be announced.

Meanwhile, plans are well advanced for the official launch of the Sam Sharpe scholarship for tertiary students in his St James Southern constituency.

The launch, Davis said, would take place during the Sam Sharpe Day celebrations in December 2023.