Oren O. Cousins
(In a letter to The Editor)
THANKS TO the Inconceivable Supreme, to our leaders, initiators, facilitators and creative participants, we have celebrated our 41st. Independence Anniversary, 2003. with pomp, colour, exquisite show of cultural talent, and of course, the astounding exuberance of our people.
It was a great privilege to welcome Miss Lou, our Most Rightful Queen of Labrish. She was the cultural goddess of the occasion and truly the salt of our Independence pepperpot. The mild furore over the "Redemption Song" bit of sculpture added a little more spice to the celebrations, and like a brief squall in the midst of brilliant sunshine on a summer day, the controversy will soon pass.
Notwithstanding that radio, television and newspapers widely serve the island, we may not deceive ourselves to think that very great numbers of Jamaicans realise that the sculpture, "Redemption Song", exists, or much less, do care whether it is naked or not, or whether it is appropriately symbolic of Emancipation or not. In fact statues, have never started a revolution nor inspired the masses to act.
They are usually erected to commemorate past events or in honour of dead persons and may be torn down as an act of protest or dishonour. In future years after its erection, a statue is hardly ever noticed, except by tourists; or whenever someone feels that a daub of paint is overdue.
Comment from many Jamaicans, especially in the country parts, is that they have more crucial matters to occupy their minds. A Stone Poll may be more revealing than the nude figures in "Redemption Song" as to how Jamaicans feel about this statue.
We, as a nation, do have crucial matters to occupy our minds, matters tougher and more worrying than marble nudes or bronze. When and how will we overcome our political animosity, sexual primitivity, rapid and irresponsible population growth, and other social ills is a trillion-dollar question that boggles the mind.
We are in deep trouble ignoring or departing from the noble ideals laid down by our heroes and by our grandparents. We are in deep trouble when Home, School, Church and State are making little headway against moral degradation, and as individuals we are doing even less to stem the downward trend of our national life. Only ourselves can free our minds.
As individuals, we are not righteous enough, not meaning religious righteousness which is turning out to be commercial bigotry and "ginnalship" practised and enjoyed by the "elect", but a caring for one another. We do not love ourselves enough, therefore we are prone to live carelessly and to hate one another.
We do not work hard enough, therefore we are prone to envy those who work. We are not inventive nor creative enough, therefore our efforts are mediocre. We are not frugal and thrifty enough, therefore we are exploited.
Too many of us have lost the tenacity and ingenuity of our foreparents, and therefore are failing to find ourselves. We now worship superficialities instead of offering our minds and hands on the altar of self-sacrifice, unity, labour and love.
LAPSE INTO HOPELESSNESS
We have to strip ourselves naked, (Isn't that the metaphorical message, the gist of "Redemption Song" and of Emancipation?), not meaning to go without clothes, but shedding the shroud of envy and greed, selfishness, licentiousness, hate, pretence, deception and sloth, in order to redeem ourselves. As rigidly or satirically as the nudes stand in Emancipation Park, we individually need to learn to pause at moments or periods in our lives, not to bemoan our fate, not to lapse into hopelessness and helplessness, but in order to cleanse our minds, to renew our energies, to re-clothe afresh and then to leap into healthy, constructive action, each according to his or her ability or endowment.
We are beset by many ills for which we habitually blame our history, our political systems and our education. There is no time like now to re-examine ourselves, to stand for a moment each day in the healing stream of hope, love, opportunity and labour that ought to be common to us all, and to renew and re-energise ourselves. We can be a truly beautiful people, proud of our bodies, proud of our pure and noble minds, proud of our traditions, proud of our resourcefulness and achievements, proud of our independence.
FAULT
The only fault I find with the sculpture, "Redemption Song", is its location. It should have been sited at the far end of a tree-bordered promenade in the park, and circular seats erected near to it, so that the contemplative, the philosophical, the dreamers and visionaries among us, as well as foreign visitors, may sit and contemplate. Where "Redemption Song ", is now "mislocated", may create congestion at the entrance to the park and is not conducive to admiring the beauty of the statue nor to appreciating its symbolic essence.
Although most of the cultural presentations in this year's Emancipation and Independence celebrations were of a very high standard, too many mediocre items of song, dance, stagecraft and emceeing, indicated noticeable deterioration especially in the performing arts, in the Prime Minister's Gala, in Mello-Go-Round, in the Popular Song Contest, in the Gospel section, as compared to quality in previous years. It is incumbent on those responsible, to see that standards do not get worse, but better, in the future.
The Governor-General's Independence Message 2003, for excellent simplicity and profound inspiration, should be framed and prominently posted in every library, school and church in Jamaica. I can't recall seeing this Message in The Gleaner. Thanks to everybody who, each in his or her own way, each according to his or her talent, made the Celebration enjoyable, meaningful and memorable.
P.O. Box 43, Bog Walk, St. Catherine
