| Charles H E Campbell Sunday, April 02, 2006 |
.And the masses took over King's House, adding levity, colour, fun, humour and carefree dancing. Jamaicans crowned our first queen mama, the Most Honorable [Reverend] Portia Lucretia 'Mama P' Simpson-Miller, officially in our own indigenous manner on Thursday, March 30.
If you attended Thursday's swearing-in ceremony and public reception - in keeping with the season upon us - you may well have thought, "hey, is this a carnival event or what?"
When we arrived with our presumed very special 'red strip' invitations, looking first for a uniformed usher, then for seats in the demarcated, supposedly dignified and exalted section, neither was available. It was clear that the public euphoria following Portia's election has produced an unprecedented outpouring of Jamaicans from all walks of life, overwhelming the organisers, facilities and staff.
Initially I felt embarrassed, disappointed, let down. We found our associates, borrowed chairs from another section and joined them. Spontaneity and ingenuity were the order of the day- it was either 'join them or leave them', the latter which Bruce eventually did. Pity he has not yet learnt how to flex.
To miss was to 'dis'. can't stop the progress. Isn't it beginning to seem like Bruce is always leaving somewhere (or something)? There are always two sides to every coin. Yes, the organisers and protocol officers failed.
However, the result was a less frigid, less neo-colonial (is neo-liberalism being challenged here?), uniquely Jamaican atmosphere, filled with warmth, fun and good humour-like the hilarious uproar, momentarily distracting everyone, when KD Knight's image appeared on the screen provided for attendees at the back. Bwoy, if I were KD Knight, I would take a long hike somewhere in foreign.
At all times, however, you could feel the pride of the people, basking in this historical moment, when one of their own has finally broken the glass ceiling. For one afternoon, all the social barriers bruk down - to paraphrase Michigan & Smiley - at King's House. Even Ralph Gonsalves had to stand in the cheese and cracker line like everyone else, and in the process be 'ram jostled'.
Having placed her on the pinnacle of political power, the masses were not going to accept any back seats or relegation of their status to observe her formal installation. We enjoyed the poignant, relaxed atmosphere so much that by the end of the ceremony, rather than stay at the formal reception, we chose to join the sea of humanity in the public reception where we danced to some good classic Reggae music performed by the Bare Essentials until 10 pm. They were great, and along with Lloyd Lovindeer, captured the mood perfectly.
Hon. Aloun Assamba is our new Minister of Culture and she deserves congratulations and a warm welcome to the portfolio. She, however, does not need any introductions, having recently served as chairman of the JCDC. Even after her entry into the political arena, she faithfully continued to attend their events and functions.
What is even more important though is the formal link with tourism, recognising maybe that our culture is in essence what makes our tourism destination and product so uniquely attractive to visitors worldwide. A fuller integration of the two, therefore, can only serve to enhance our ability for growth in these two critical sectors of the economy.
Of course in my view, this development could become merely cosmetic change, unless related subject areas, departments, agencies and statutory bodies currently splintered and dispersed across various ministries, are consolidated and rationalized into one complete Ministry of Culture, under a central administrative structure, rather than the prevailing waste of financial and human resources due to multiple and duplicate administrative bodies. I wrote on this issue one year ago, in the Sunday Observer, March 20, 2005 and I now wish to quote liberally from what I said then.
In the present scenario, "the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture has overall responsibility for Government's cultural policies through its culture division. However, the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), which falls under the Ministry of Commerce, Science and Technology, has a film and an entertainment unit, the Ministry of Industry and Tourism has an entertainment division and the agency in charge of intellectual property also falls under the Ministry of Commerce, Science and Technology.
The Office of the Prime Minister still retains a cultural unit that produces special events along with its main responsibility for state ceremonies and the Ministry of Local Government is allotted funds for cultural-related activities under the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the division of Sport. Yet, the effect of all this is that the state has retreated from active influence and participation in the cultural lives of our communities.
What the sector needs and the state of the country demands is a consolidation of government funds into the Division of Culture. This will facilitate a sustained and extensive community programme all across the country promoting heritage, culture, community animation along with the visual and performing arts to foster an ethos of collaboration, fellowship and harmony among people from all walks of life in the processes of cultural assimilation and development.
National cultural activity should be a culmination and showcase of ongoing, sustained community activity, so that it is self-perpetuating. It should not replace it, as is now the case. So much of the budget that we should be spending in the development of creative talent in the communities is being spent on a plethora of "national" and quasi-state events which have mushroomed over recent years, attended by a rotation of about fifteen hundred people, most of whom can afford to pay for their own entertainment and do not need the sponsorship of the state and otherwise have little interest in popular culture.
If there is an amalgamation and streamlining of these administrations and monies allotted to all ministries and agencies aforementioned, a higher proportion could be spent directly on more useful and socially viable cultural programmes and initiatives, channeling the creative energies of our youth, even profitable careers for some, away from the guns and other anti-social behaviour."
In Queen Mama's maiden speech on Thursday, she placed much emphasis on the symbol of hope expressed in her election, but to quote from Brian Meeks, "nothing has changed in Jamaica. There are powerful expectations of her and there will be intense frustration if Mama.doesn't deliver". (Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2006)
I detected a strong reliance on religion as a source of inspiration in the new PM's speech. She should be careful however, that this does not go overboard to the point of lulling the people like opium into apolitical activity or complacency.
Even though all our elections since 1980 have been peaceful affairs and our change of Governments since have been relatively smooth transitions, the same LA Times article amply exposes the daily diet of negative images that some North American press conjures up for their citizens about Jamaica. It said, "Politics has often been blood sport in Jamaica, where hundreds die in politically-driven gang clashes before each election."
Oft times perception is stronger and persists longer than fact. Please bear this in mind when determining the date to fly the gate.
Most Hon PJ Patterson, I hope you find some peace in your retirement. All told, it was a good, long innings. Walk good. One love.
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