Lance Neita | The Negro’s Jubilee

THE EMANCIPATION Day holiday, as we celebrate it in 2025, can never fully recall the passions and the immensity of the feelings that must have overwhelmed the Africans who, 190 years ago, were to hear the “proclamation of liberty to the captives”, and experience for themselves “the opening of the prison doors to them that were bound”.

The journey had been long and arduous, 300 years of unspeakable and devastating cruelty. Those who endured the passage over the Atlantic were forced on to the plantations to begin their sentences with multiple whippings, torture, and sexual abuse. Many were killed for daring to seek freedom. The enslaved African was considered mere chattel.

So here comes freedom in 1834 from all these ineffable horrors. Their joy was not to be just another Red Stripe beer, a day at the track, or a Sunsplash night at the park. This was genuine, heartfelt, deeply emotional joy and thanksgiving celebrations: that overwhelming feeling of thanksgiving to the Almighty God who had intervened in the machinations of man and had finally “set the captives free”.

And can you imagine how our forefathers and mothers celebrated? And did they not have more cause for natural joy than we have today?

On this day, August 1, 2025, let us spare a sobering thought for what took place in Jamaica on the night of July 31, 1834.

On that night thousands of enslaved Africans flocked to places of worship all over Jamaica to give thanks for the abolition of slavery.

One Methodist parson, the Rev Henry Bleby, described for us what took place in his church that night.

“By and by, the midnight hour approached.” A moment of the highest drama was approaching. “By and by, the clock began to strike: It was the knell of slavery. It was the stroke which proclaimed liberty to 800 souls”.

At the Baptist church in Falmouth a similar procession of time in motion. As the clock started to strike the first chime of midnight, Rev William Knibb said quietly, “The hour is at hand, the monster is dying.” There was silence. Then when the church bell struck midnight, he shouted: “The monster is dead: The Negro is free!”

The former slaves set the pace for grand times to be had by all as they poured out into the streets that night for joyous celebrations and thanksgiving.

And they shouted the hymn which was sung in the church that night:

“Send the glad tidings o’er the sea,

His chains are broken, the slave is free.

This is the Negro’s jubilee…”

Fast forward to Independence 1962. In the weeks preceding August 6, Jamaica was partying like never before with the sounds of Derrick Morgan’s Forward March, Lord Creator’s Independent Jamaica, and Al-T-Joe’s Rise, Jamaica, Rise providing a background beat to the formal and informal functions that marked our transition to full nationhood.

The country was dressing up its main towns and villages with the new colours of black, green and gold making a lasting impression with lights at night illuminating the decorations for miles around.

Sums were provided for a thousand villages to stage Independence Day celebrations in true folk form – the quadrille, the kumina, ring games, greased pole climbing, cricket, dominoes, beach parties, ‘cross the harbour races, and the flag-raising ceremonies.

We were hearing the new Jamaica National Anthem being played on the radio, had heard of a new flag which was to be unfurled at the Stadium on the evening of August 5, and how Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, would be coming, as well as the vice president of the USA, Lyndon B Johnson himself.

The national programme was published and included flag-raising ceremonies, street dances, bonfires, float parades, beauty contests, exhibitions, State functions, and fireworks. Education Minister Edwin Allen instructed his ministry to summon all schoolchildren to assemble at their various schools on Independence Day for the observations.

The excitement was growing. Her Royal Highness arrived on August 3 and was officially welcomed at George V Memorial Park (now National Heroes Park). The following day she unveiled the Olympic Statue and opened the new National Stadium.

Later that night, Saturday, August 4, Jamaica’s Bunny Grant defeated Britain’s Dave Charnley over 15 bruising rounds at the Stadium to win the Empire Lightweight Boxing Championship and give Jamaica its first Independence present.

Things were moving into place for the flag-raising ceremony at the Stadium on Sunday night, August 5.

Over 30,000 people cheered themselves hoarse as the Premier Sir Alexander Bustamante hoisted the new flag, and voices were raised in singing, for the first time, Jamaica Land we love.

The next day, August 6, I found myself at school with other children for flag-raising, an Independence pack of sweets, aerated water, sweet biscuits, an Independence cup, badge, a ball point pen, and a mini Jamaica flag.

Ahead was the opening of Parliament, the State Ball at the Sheraton, and a week set to culminate with a giant float parade through the streets of Kingston and the IX Central American and Caribbean games at the Stadium.

Those celebrations are now history, but there remains the far-sighted message expressed by Norman Manley in his Independence message of 1962.

“Moving into nationhood, we have one great asset in this country, and that is the quality of the people of this land, a people tough and resilient, taught by adversity to endure hardship with patience, given some spirit of loyalty to inspire them in their devotion to the causes they espouse, a people well understanding right from wrong, well understanding decency in government, well understanding justice and the rule of law.

“And those are great assets for a country to start with. And I say what I have so often said, if Jamaica fails it is Jamaica’s leaders that have failed, not Jamaica’s people.”

Our leaders must think on these things.

Lance Neita is a public relations specialist, historian, and author. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com or lanceneita@hotmail.