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Understanding Independence through cultural identity
published: Sunday | August 6, 2006
Edward Seaga
Independence is, first of all, the political status of a country which is sovereign, that is, free from political bonds which can exercise domain over its freedom. This status opens the doors of opportunity to enter into the halls of international bodies and sit with other free and independent nations as equals.
Jamaica did all that in the first year of Independence in 1962. But these new positions in global and regional settings did not arouse any deep inner feelings of a new identity, the way the national flag and national anthem did. The international linkages were too remote.
Coming closer to touching the soul of the people was the appointment of the first Jamaican, Sir Clifford Campbell, as Governor-General. This was enough to provide more than a tinge of national pride, but not an emotional explosion.
If Independence was to be truly meaningful to Jamaicans, it would have to be in ways that the people encountered in daily life, ensuring a more sustainable flow of pride.
This pride was the link to feelings of belonging to something and something belonging to them. In other words, it had to evoke an embraceable identity.
Independence created an expectation that some uplifting symbolism to arouse emotions was going to occur to make people feel that they had achieved a different personal, not just national status. Furthermore, because this would be a common feeling, it would bind all Jamaicans in unity, building towards a unified nation of people.
three divisive elections
Jamaicans had experienced three divisive elections in the period of less than four years: the Federal Election (1958); the General Election (1959); the Federal referendum (1961) and the Independence General Election (1962). It was, therefore, crucial to try to put all these political differences in the background and concentrate on the commonality of the people to remind them of a single identity as Jamaicans.
There is no aspect of life, other than tragedy, that pulls people together more than cultural activity.
In the first two years of Independence, an amazing concurrence of deliberate strategy and welcome coincidence of events followed that would create a march of pride.
Strategically, I drew on the previous experiences of intermittent localised festivals held over the years and the work of pioneers in dance, and music. They were limited in scope and dedicated to particular local events. I drew also on the wider repertoire of folk material to which I was exposed during my residence in Buxton Town and Salt Lane in my years of research by residing in the communities. I mixed them all and added further to the mixture, other cultural activities to create the most comprehensive festival in the English-speaking Caribbean and, perhaps, elsewhere.
The Jamaica Festival was born and launched at Independence 1963. It featured competitions in
Song and dance
Drama and literature
pottery and sculpture
painting and photography
food and drink (culinary arts)
Costumed groups, float parade and drum corp parades.
Later, a popular song competition and the Miss Jamaica contest were added.
There were thousands of participants mostly from schools, tutored by their teachers.
The annual Jamaica Festival became the cradle for our folk culture, some forms of which were disappearing. In earlier days, some folk art was no longer attractive spectator events. They had played themselves out by repetition without any imaginative improvements. Festival added the opportunity for creativity which, from the beginning, made folk culture come alive and grow year by year in new renditions. It was now a sou
published: Sunday | August 6, 2006
Edward Seaga
Independence is, first of all, the political status of a country which is sovereign, that is, free from political bonds which can exercise domain over its freedom. This status opens the doors of opportunity to enter into the halls of international bodies and sit with other free and independent nations as equals.
Jamaica did all that in the first year of Independence in 1962. But these new positions in global and regional settings did not arouse any deep inner feelings of a new identity, the way the national flag and national anthem did. The international linkages were too remote.
Coming closer to touching the soul of the people was the appointment of the first Jamaican, Sir Clifford Campbell, as Governor-General. This was enough to provide more than a tinge of national pride, but not an emotional explosion.
If Independence was to be truly meaningful to Jamaicans, it would have to be in ways that the people encountered in daily life, ensuring a more sustainable flow of pride.
This pride was the link to feelings of belonging to something and something belonging to them. In other words, it had to evoke an embraceable identity.
Independence created an expectation that some uplifting symbolism to arouse emotions was going to occur to make people feel that they had achieved a different personal, not just national status. Furthermore, because this would be a common feeling, it would bind all Jamaicans in unity, building towards a unified nation of people.
three divisive elections
Jamaicans had experienced three divisive elections in the period of less than four years: the Federal Election (1958); the General Election (1959); the Federal referendum (1961) and the Independence General Election (1962). It was, therefore, crucial to try to put all these political differences in the background and concentrate on the commonality of the people to remind them of a single identity as Jamaicans.
There is no aspect of life, other than tragedy, that pulls people together more than cultural activity.
In the first two years of Independence, an amazing concurrence of deliberate strategy and welcome coincidence of events followed that would create a march of pride.
Strategically, I drew on the previous experiences of intermittent localised festivals held over the years and the work of pioneers in dance, and music. They were limited in scope and dedicated to particular local events. I drew also on the wider repertoire of folk material to which I was exposed during my residence in Buxton Town and Salt Lane in my years of research by residing in the communities. I mixed them all and added further to the mixture, other cultural activities to create the most comprehensive festival in the English-speaking Caribbean and, perhaps, elsewhere.
The Jamaica Festival was born and launched at Independence 1963. It featured competitions in
Song and dance
Drama and literature
pottery and sculpture
painting and photography
food and drink (culinary arts)
Costumed groups, float parade and drum corp parades.
Later, a popular song competition and the Miss Jamaica contest were added.
There were thousands of participants mostly from schools, tutored by their teachers.
The annual Jamaica Festival became the cradle for our folk culture, some forms of which were disappearing. In earlier days, some folk art was no longer attractive spectator events. They had played themselves out by repetition without any imaginative improvements. Festival added the opportunity for creativity which, from the beginning, made folk culture come alive and grow year by year in new renditions. It was now a sou
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