Letter of the Day | Put Accompong on the map

THE EDITOR, Madam:

My last trip to Jamaica took me to Accompong St Elizabeth to see my father. I was enthralled by the beauty, lush vegetation, flora and fauna coupled with the fresh air and the streams from the Black River passing through on its way to the sea. It’s a hidden beauty tucked away in the backwoods of northern St Elizabeth.

My paternal side of family grew up in the region steeped in the Maroon tradition. My grandfather instilled in his offspring the history and traditions of the Maroon. Through that oral tradition I learned about the exploits of people like Cudjoe and Nanny. These were barbecue and fireside stories that were told to us to empower us and to keep history and culture alive. I was

knee-high but recall how grandpa would hammer into our consciousness the need to fight for what’s right: to live if at all possible at peace with all mankind . He would be quick to tell us though “never let people pee pee in your head and think its rain”. Maroons were cultured to be resilient, to be go-getters and to be peaceful

My grandpa for most of his adult years was in the hierarchy of the local Maroon movement. He especially stood out on January 6, Maroon ndependence celebration, where he was famous for the blowing of the abeng.

I recall how Maroon traditions inculcated peaceful co-existence . Discipline was a hallmark of the community. There was respect for the elderly. Manners were the order of the day. There was support, caring, sharing and it was in this village that grew children.

Accompong was not a place where police frequented because Maroon laws set boundaries, which was respected and obeyed and this has evolved with time. My father is 96 years old, carrying on the tradition of blowing the abeng and rolling the kettle drum in his lifetime he has never had to face a judge or report to a police.

People like him and Colonel Cauley have set high bars in that community. The district school has performed creditable in preparing disciplined and achieving students for the nation but you seldom hear about that.

In that vicinity men and women farm the Crown lands from Accompong to Appleton providing sugar cane, pimento, sundry ground provisions that keep the bread-basket of Jamaica replenished. They grew up off the land that was their industry and as my grandfather would oftentimes remind us “the only woman that never menopauses is Mother Earth”.

I would call upon the authorities not to pick a fight with the people of Accompong. Don’t fix what’s not broken, but rather use your energy to fix what’s broken. For over two centuries these people have self-governed with no threats to Jamaica's democracy or sovereignty.

They should be rewarded for their bravery, their warrior spirit. Their history is well documented and their ancestry should be rewarded. The Prime minister should consider erecting a monument in Accompong in honour of all the brave unsung heroes who fought the colonial masters.

How about upgrading the community school to become a post-elementary centre where skills and creative arts can be taught for those with such skillsets? A Maroon village should be built as a tourist attraction to help boost the economy of the area. This will bring much honour to governance than staging a war that need not be fought with the Maroons over sovereignty.

BURNETT ROBINSON

blpprob@aol.com