Letter of the Day | Honour the memory of our ancestors
Published:Thursday | August 15, 2024 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Recently, a group of academic writers from West Africa, Jamaica, and the USA toured the Seville Heritage Park, the site of Emancipation Jubilee 2024. Managed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT), its mission is “to inspire a sense of national pride ...” However, the visit both inflated and deflated my Jamaican pride.
The tour guide at Seville Heritage Park, undoubtedly well-qualified and passionate about the history of New Seville, delivered an informative and emotionally engaging presentation. His narrative of Jamaica’s history, from the Tainos to the Spanish conquerors, the Middle Passage, Plantation slavery, and Emancipation, was informative and emotional, not just a recitation of facts. The exhibits housed in the Great House were well-maintained and visually appealing, and the graves of the enslaved Africans were respectfully maintained, provoking spiritual and emotional responses and connection with the ancestors.
However, I was disappointed by the stark contrast between the maintenance of the Great House and the housing for the Tainos and the enslaved Africans. The latter areas were poorly maintained and marred by litter and debris, a sight that made me both angry and sad. To compound my disappointment, certain historical relics, such as the water wheel used to operate the old sugar mill, the overseer’s house, and a barbecue, were not adequately highlighted and lacked informative labelling.
PAINFUL HISTORY
Reflecting, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to other former plantation sites, where the history of the enslaved is often commercialised, as in Devon House (Kingston), or even sanitised, erasing the harsh realities of the past. I couldn’t help but wonder if this site is emblematic of the theory of Plantation Economy, which is a throwback to stratified governance of the sugar plantation, with a preference for glorifying the achievements of the privileged while neglecting the stories and concerns of the marginalised.
Is the management of the Seville Heritage Park a reflection of broader governance and societal issues? Does it symbolise the persistent underdevelopment that plagues Jamaica, where the narrative is controlled by the modern inheritors of wealth and power, neglecting the painful history of those who were oppressed?
JNHT must ensure that all aspects of our history are preserved and presented with equal respect and attention. They have a moral imperative to decently and sacredly honour the memory of our ancestors. Correcting the above is desirable and necessary to give Emancipation Jubilee a deeper meaning.
REV FR DONALD CHAMBERS,
JP