By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
HOTELIERS IN western Jamaica and elsewhere in the island are being urged to form a liaison with the History Department of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and other local tertiary institutions to offer quality heritage tourism packages to visitors and locals.
This challenge was issued by Professor Verene Shepherd of the Social History at the UWI while speaking at an Emancipation lecture in Montego Bay last Sunday.
According to her, Jamaicans are short-changing themselves and tourists by not having a comprehensive and in-depth approach to heritage tourism.
"The hotels in western Jamaica should form a partnership with the History Department at the UWI or other universities in Jamaica, where there are many knowledgeable Jamaican historians, who would assist with training on giving tourists history lessons," stated Professor Shepherd.
Charging that hotel and tour operators sometimes "insult the intelligence" of foreign visitors with romantic tales of Ja-maica's past, Professor Shepherd insisted that while we enjoy the ambience of surviving great houses, we must acknowledge that, "they used to be the site of exploitation and sexploitation of our ancestors".
Professor Shepherd who is advocating the establishment of an emancipation park in every parish, declared that any quality appreciation of Jamaican history should not be confined to ceremonial observances of freedom from slavery, such as emancipation and independence celebrations.
"Build a Wall of Fame in all parish emancipation parks, including the one in Kingston; and use the trial evidence, the confessions and the punishment lists to inscribe the names of the freedom fighters of the 1831/32 and other revolts on these walls," Professor Shepherd recommended.
"Let us gather at these walls of fame on the morning of each 1st of August and honour our men and women, who fought for the cause of Jamaican, Caribbean and Black Diaspora freedom. We know the names of enslaved freedom fighters from the various properties," said Professor Shepherd, who was delivering the 'Emancipation Lecture' at Calvary Baptist Church, in Montego Bay. "These properties should inscribe the names of the male and female freedom fighters somewhere on the properties."
The annual 'Emancipation Lecture' at the Calvary Baptist Church forms a part of the island's calendar of events to mark freedom from slavery and the continuing struggle for freedom from all forms of bondage. This is the seventh year that Calvary Baptist has staged the 'Emancipation lecture', which also featured cultural performances from that church, schools and community groups in St. James.
