Grange: Re-enactment of Christmas Rebellion key to embracing freedom
Published:Tuesday | December 31, 2024 | 12:07 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Olivia Grange, minister of culture, entertainment, gender and sport, says re-enacting the Christmas Rebellion, led by Samuel Sharpe and which ended slavery, is essential to building strong Jamaican families, embracing freedom and positive for cultural identity.
“The memorisation of events like this is foundational to the generation of knowledge of our history that is essential for the promotion of positive cultural identity among our people, upon which we can build a true Jamaican family,” Grange said in a message read by Jo-Ann Archibald, principal director for Culture and Creative Industries in the policy development and monitoring branch in her ministry.
The minister’s message was read on her behalf during a function held to re-enact the Christmas Rebellion through the Sam Sharpe Flames of Freedom Torch Run and the lighting of the thatched hut on December 27, as the country paused to celebrate Samuel Sharpe Day held at Tulloch Castle in Kensington, St James.
A day of great sacrifice
Sam Sharpe Day, held December 27, was proclaimed by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen four years ago as an important day to be observed for all Jamaicans, as it was on December 27, 1831, that the Emancipation War of 1831-1832 began under Sam Sharpe’s leadership.
“This is a day that, as Jamaicans, we must all celebrate. It is a day of great sacrifice and martyrdom as our ancestors chose to die rather than live on in slavery and to secure a free and fair future for all their descendants,” said Grange.
“It’s a day that reminds us of what is possible when we live by the mantra of ‘No One Left Behind’; it is what happens when good men and women make the decision to strike out and even die so that the most vulnerable can be free from misery and pain,” the culture minister noted.
According to her, we, the grandchildren of Samuel Sharpe and his battalion of warriors are now standing on a platform of freedom and self-determination because of their selfless decision to die for us.
“Because they chose to die, we now can choose to live with the knowledge that our living must adhere to the principles for which they fought and died – that their children must never be enslaved and that decent work must be carried out in decent conditions and for decent pay,” Grange stated.
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, who was the keynote speaker at Sam Sharpe Day, called for the country’s youth and community leaders to use the inspiration of the Christmas Rebellion, also known as the Baptist War, to advocate for better services in their communities.
Importance of advocacy
He noted that, as a result of the broader abolitionist movement and the efforts of Baptist missionaries, the Christmas Rebellion shows the importance of advocacy and building alliances with external supporters.
“Sometimes you want to get things done in your community, but you don’t have all the support in the community to do it, so you have to advocate, you have to seek support from other entities and from other communities to get it done,” Vernon said.
In addition to urging the country to continue searching for justice and equality, he also called for members of the society to make full use of the freedoms we now enjoy due to the sacrifice of our ancestors.
“The rebellion was fundamentally about the fight for freedom and human rights. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing need to strive for justice and equality in all aspects of society,” said Vernon, who is also chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation.
“These slaves fought for each other, not against each other. These slaves united for a cause, for betterment, not to tear down each other,” Vernon noted, while pointing out that Jamaicans don’t need to be an oppressed people to work together, as our ancestors died for that cause. He also encouraged Jamaicans to “make the best of what we have”.
He continued, “As we light the flames of freedom, let us honour the memory of Samuel Sharpe, those who fought for justice, sacrificed their lives and paved the way for a world where justice, equality and freedom can prevail.”