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National Heroes Day
10/19/09
National Heroes Day
So today is Officially National Heroes day here in Jamaica and as such I plan to spend everyday this week making posts about our National Heroes. This day is supposed to be the day where we celebrate our Heroes and look back at all they have accomplished in making this island independent, and helping us to reach this point, as a world renowned country that truly encompasses the saying "Likkle but we tallawah".
To all who do not know our National Heroes are: Marcus Garvey, Samuel Sharpe, Nanny of the Maroons, Alexander Bustamante, Norman Manley, Paul Bogle and George William Gordon. I could do a complete write up on their contributions to the island and why they all deserve their Honours, but that is not that purpose of this post. This is to highlight what I regard as the complete lack of true celebrations for our Heroes.
I remember when I was younger and Heroes day meant that I would grow annoyed at the fact that I heard and re-heard the facts about these 7 people all day on Heroes Day. I am sure that by the end of the day I could recite some of the major speeches word for word that Marcus Garvey made, or even tell you the exact height of Sam Sharpe or even speak to the what butt-cheek Nanny used when she was blocking bullets.
However I realize that nowadays I am not hearing anything about my heroes, I write this post while hearing dancehall music on the radio(Taking daaaancing to the world...), and having not heard a single thing about our heroes from I woke up at 7:30 this morning. This has led me to really wonder are we truly celebrating our heroes? I am sure there is some parade or something of the sort going on somewhere... But I could not with any honesty tell you where or what time it will begin and quite frankly I'm disturbed. The one day we set aside for the people who have influenced our island to such a great extent that we made them heroes and yet they are not the major focus of today.
Maybe it is time for us to rethink where we are taking Jamaica, this could be a part of the breakdown in communities that Jamaican's complain about everyday as the lead up to crime in the country. Whatever it is, I refuse to believe that this is the best we can do to celebrate our heroes.
So I end this post with the challenge put forward to anybody who reads this... Teach our children about our Heroes, drill into their brains why we are to love them, and lets see if we can make next year's heroes day celebrations much better than this year.
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Reasons why I love my Jamaican Mom
1. My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait till we get home."
2. My Mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You going get a ass'n when we get home!"
3. My Mother taught me to MEET A CHALLENGE.
"What di backside yu thinkin'? Answer me when me talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"
4. My Mother taught me CONSEQUENCES.
"If yu run cross de road an' cyar lick yu dung, a goin' kill yu wid lick."
5. My Mother taught me THE VALUE OF EDUCATION.
"If yu no go a school, yu a go tun tief or walk an' pick up bottle."
6. My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If yu tun over yu eye lid an fly pitch pan it, it a go stay so fi evva."
7. My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD.
"Is not one time monkey goin' wan' wife"
8. My Mother taught me ESP.
"Yu tink a don't know what yu up to nuh?"
9. My Mother taught me HUMOR.
"If yu don' eat food, breeze goin' blow yu 'way."
10. My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT.
"Come an' tek yu beatin' like man."
11. My Mother taught me about SEX.
"Yu tink say yu drop from sky?"
12. My Mother taught me about GENETICS.
"Yu jus' like yu faada."
13. My Mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Yu tink mi come from "Back A Wall?"
14. My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE.
"When yu get to be as ol' as me, yu wi understan'."
15. And my all time favorite... JUSTICE.
"One day wen yu have pickney, a hope dem treat yu same way."
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