NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2022 11 Paul H. Williams/Gleaner Writer IT IS 60 years since the British government took down theUnion Jack, and hoisted the black, green and gold flag to signal that it was no longer in charge of the day-to-day affairs of Jamaica, which England invaded in 1655, and eventually wrestled fromthe bosomof the Spaniards who started to settle here in 1510. Fromsettlement to Independence the road was a bittersweet one, paved with slavery and sugar for the most part. Emancipation in 1838 did not do much to better the lot of the working class, and the Morant Bay Uprising in 1865 led to the establishment of the Jamaica Constabulary Force to contain the people who were crying out for social justice. The journey from 1655 to 1838, to 1865, to 1962, to 2022 was very long, but the narratives of the struggles, they seem, were the same, same script, different players. And, on a recent tour of the parish of Westmoreland The Gleaner conversed with people from six different communities to gauge their attitude towards Jamaica’s diamond milestone and what it meant to them. The general feeling is that they are not impressed, and jumping all over the place, clicking their heels. Dr Ajamu Nangwaya is one of those not celebrating, but he has taken off his doctoral gown, put on his ‘water boots’, and has turned to farming to feed himself, to be self-sufficient, truly independent, if you may. And come August 6, there shall be no fireworks to light up the very dark night where he lives in Spring Garden. He said, “Essentially, Jamaica is for sale. Jamaica cannot take hardline stance against big countries because they can squeeze us through economic control. What is there to celebrate? We do not have independence of speech and action on the international front, and domestically there are things we cannot do if the international community say you cannot do,” he stated. At Whitehouse, fisherman WoodrowMurray declared,“Nothing nah gwaan yah … It backward, right yah now the fishing industry backward. It lame out right now!” He was supported by fish vendors Jean McPherson and Donna Hill, who said that Jamaica 60 means nothing to them, especially withThe Queen being“in charge of all of us”. On part of a former slavery-day plantation there is the Abeokuta Paradise Nature Park, the definition of tranquillity, in Dean’s Valley, was where The Gleaner had a sit-down with the owner, Owen Banhan, and his son, Dorojaye, who is a great swimmer and champion half-marathon and 5K runner. Side by side, father and son talked about Independence and its significance. “We don’t independent, we are dependent,” the father asserted, “certain things we don’t have access to, we have to depend on other countries.” There is no reason to celebrate as there is a shortage of factories and other jobs, and young people are not interested in agriculture, but have turned to scamming and other crimes.” Owen also bemoaned the death of private sugar cane farming in the parish“since the Chinese took over”. “Everything pack up and throw away,”he said in reference to the closing-down of private farms that used to supply the sugar factory at Frome. Even some of the lands ownedby the factory are now lying idle. The same cannot be said about his son, who, on the cusp of adulthood, is busy making a name for himself. At age 60, he would become a successful entrepreneur who would have long established his tour company with the use of technology. Unlike his father, he has not totally given up on Independence. “I would say yes and no at the same,” he said, striking the balance at 50/50. “It is my country, so I’m happy, 60 years, but what makes me a bit sad is the crime going on in the country,” the Godfrey Stuart High student shared. He is hoping that it will eventually drop so that people can follow their dreams. When the team cruised into Roaring River we were given a brief tour of the river heads by a man called ‘First I’. Then, he brought us to ‘Sugar’, a Rastafarian/Revivalist healer, who did not hesitate when the subject was broached. “It no really mean much to me,” was the terse response. Born Robert Farquharson, the acoustic drummer of his Kutumba band, continued, “Not really saying yes. Not really independent because we depend on too many different sources to get things from. We should be more creative, make our own things, more farming, more factories, so that our own youths can be independent.” At Seaford Town, retired policeman Fritzroy Chambers does not mind the dark nights especially when the moonshine is“pretty”, but how does he feel about Jamaica’s Independence?“Technically, there is not one country on the face of this Earth that is independent. We all have to dependent on each other for something,”he answered. His niece, who requested that her name not be published, chimed in with,“Jamaicadon’t need to celebrate Independence for we are not independent.Weno independent no time at all. Demstill a borrowmoney from all bout, dem still a tek handouts, so we no need to celebrate that.” They both do not agree with the idea of The Queen still being head of state of Jamaica. JAMAICA AT 60: WESTMORELAND Dorojaye Banhan, along with his father, Owen. NICHOLAS NUNES/PHOTOGRAPHER jamaica at WHAT INDEPENDENCE?
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