Charles Town Maroon Colonel Marcia ‘Kim’ Douglas passes suddenly

THE MAROON community in Jamaica, and more so the Charles Town Maroon village in Portland, was hurled into deep mourning on the morning of Wednesday, October 16 when Colonel Marcia Douglas died suddenly. She was 48 years old.

Colonel Douglas, who had a long-running heart condition, succumbed while she was on the way to participate in the annual Seville Heritage Expo at Seville Heritage Park in St Ann. She was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital in St Ann’s Bay.

She is survived by her common-law husband Captain Rodney Rose; daughter, Jamokia Rose; mother, Veronica Wallen-Douglas; sisters, Margret Anderson, Elaine Douglas, Suzette Douglas; brothers, Delano ‘Ras Padam’ Douglas, Warren Douglas, Kenroy Douglas; and many more relatives.

Douglas had been acting colonel since 2015 when her predecessor Colonel Frank Lumsden passed. She had been working alongside Colonel Lumsden for years and was an active member of the Charles Town Maroon Drummers and Dancers, and chief tour guide.

Her elevation to the post of colonel made ‘Kim’, as she was widely known, the go-to person, who was also one of the chief organisers of the popular Charles Town International Maroon Conference and Festival, where she was a regular presenter. Her last presentation was in June at the 16th iteration.

Always appropriately dressed, always dancing, always smiling, always embracing and welcoming she was. Her passing has created a void which some people believe can never be filled. Her brother, Delano Douglas, said, “Nothing will ever be the same again. My world has fallen apart.” He is one of the principal drummers of the Charles Town Drummers and Dancers.

Michael Grizzle, of the Trelawny Town Maroons in St James, said, “The Trelawny Town-Flagstaff Maroon community is saddened by this news of the transition of Colonel Marcia Douglas of the Charles Town Maroon Community. She will be sadly missed. She is a matriarch of the Maroon community at large. SIEP (sleep in eternal peace), Marcia, as we know you will join the realm of our great ancestors”.

On its Facebook page, the Charles Town Maroon Council writes, “It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the transition of our beloved colonel, Marcia Douglas, affectionately known as Aunty Kim ... As our leader of the Charles Town Maroon community, Aunty Kim was a beacon of strength, wisdom, and dedication. Her leadership and contributions to the preservation of our Maroon heritage and culture will never be forgotten. She impacted countless lives, both within our community and beyond, and her loss will be deeply felt by all who knew her.”

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange, too, commented on Facebook. She says, “Colonel Marcia Douglas was a guiding force within the Maroon Community ... As a guiding force within the Maroon community, Colonel Douglas dedicated her life to safeguarding and promoting the rich heritage and traditions of the Maroons, particularly the Charles Town Maroon community in Portland ... Her visionary leadership at the Charles Town Maroon Council, and her stewardship of the annual Asafu Yard celebrations, enabled Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora to connect with their roots and to take pride in their heritage. My deepest condolences to Colonel Douglas’ family and to the Charles Town Maroon Community. May her soul rest in eternal peace.”

A nine-day series of activities, starting with a candlelight vigil on Thursday, October 24, is planned to celebrate the life of Colonel Marcia Douglas and the contribution she has made to the development of the Maroon community in Jamaica.

Last year, the Charles Town Maroons were the recipient of The RJRGleaner Honour Award for Arts and Culture. Coincidentally, Colonel Douglas died a day after The STAR published a story about her, under the headline of, ‘Maroon chief Marcia Douglas carries on Nanny’s legacy’.

“As she stood in front of her village’s Asafu Yard and Maroon Museum adorned in pangi, a traditional cloth which symbolises leadership and royalty, Chief Marcia Douglas fully embodied the strength and pride of the Maroon legacy,” the lead paragraph goes.

“‘Being a colonel, I love it. It’s really hard, but I love it,’ said Douglas, adding that what she enjoys most is being able to teach others the history of the Maroons,” a section of another paragraphs goes.

She was indeed a major part of the Maroon legacy, which she shared with people from all over the world, and from every nook and cranny in Jamaica. Now, she has ascended into the realms of the ancestors, and she did so while she was on her way to continue to preserve the Maroon legacy.