Orville Taylor | Heroes and legends

Two terms are often used interchangeably, and sometimes a person is both. However, heroes and legends are very distinct things, and sometimes a legend is not a hero in any sense.

Legends are people who have distinguished themselves from the ‘pack’ and demonstrated such a difference from others that they occupy the public imagination. Indeed, they make such an impression that they become larger-than-life personas.

Of legends, people tell stories, oftentimes embellished with myths, some of which are impossible. For example, Akan Queen Nanny of the Maroons is a legend. A diminutive woman, tough as maths and statistics, she won many battles against the British.

Much of what is written about her is true and corroborated by multiple historical sources. Yet, there are some things which, though believed and amusing, defy possibility. Thus, whatever might have been the dexterity in her gluteus maximus muscles, she certainly did not catch bullets with them. Therefore, in hindsight, despite my believing it as a child, it was simply part of the legend.

Most times, legends inspire admiration and pride. Strangely, they may even be notorious.

On the other hand, a hero might not be a legend, or may become a legend only after his demise. A hero is an individual who has done something great, usually historic, which changes the lives of a large group of people, generally, but not necessarily, those to whom he belongs. It is very possible and frequently the case that a hero does something for people with whom he has no demographic relationship. Nevertheless, his actions make a major difference for them.

WHAT MAKES A HERO?

Being a hero requires altruism, and that means that the person gave up or risked something, put himself in harm’s way, with a real possibility of failure and paying a big price.

Some heroes take on struggles and risks for their group or class but, at the end of the day, they stand to benefit somewhat from the consequences of their actions.

A hero does not necessarily have to succeed in the short term or even in his own lifetime. However, the inspiration derived from the activism and sacrifice inspires subsequent generations and, ultimately, the change for which he fought finally comes.

Without the element of risk and sacrifice, a person, though great and historic, is not a hero.

History is full of people who are inspirational, and whose actions made a major impact. But they are not heroes, although they are clearly legends or even icons.

For a small nation, we have produced more than our fair share of icons and legends. At the top of the list, Bob Marley helped to spread Jamaican culture and increase our visibility, along with myriad sports legends, including Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who built upon the legacies of many others too numerous to mention in this column. Importantly, they stimulate national pride.

Some legends arise in a historic moment when there is a gap in governance and the state fails to fulfil the needs of a large vulnerable population.

Dons become mythical legends who beat the dust, or puffiness, out of other convicts whose nicknames sound too faecal for Jamaicans. The myth is what stimulates, not the truth.

HEROES OF JAMAICA

In my book, Nanny and Sam Sharpe are automatic heroes. The former was a freedom fighter who fought the British to a standstill and made the most powerful army of the time cry, “Cree”!

Both deliberately set out to fight, knowing full well that capture would end in death. Paul Bogle did not set out to fight, but ultimately was caught in a situation where he had to. Though not with the same number of points as the two anti-slavery fighters, he scores enough for heroism.

As stated in other columns, Marcus Garvey risked incarceration, assassination and persecution locally and in the United States because of a deep commitment to uplifting people of African descent.

Measured by impact, sacrifice and the legend surrounding him as a prophet and religious figure, and as one who inspired independence movements in Africa, Garvey is a shoo-in.

Both formerly elected heads of government, Norman Washington Manley and Alexander Bustamante, are not included in the discussion because, as political leaders, they clearly had eyes on the prize and, despite Bustamante’s incarceration, the level of risk versus reward obviates any notion of sacrifice.

George William Gordon, however, had nothing to gain by standing with black people. In criticising the governor from the legislature, his position was unusual. A wealthy deputy “white man”, he had everything to lose, and ultimately he lost his life. Taking up a cause that did not directly benefit him in any way pivots him to the top of the pile.

Two additions ought to be made to the list. There is nothing that Sharpe did that Chief Takyi did not, except that my son portrayed him at school. Being both an overseer and an enslaved African with great influence and privilege, he had a cushy life on the plantation. Like Sharpe, he led a major uprising and ultimately was killed for his efforts. His résumé, when juxtaposed against Sharpe’s, makes him at least as worthy.

Second, last weekend, while speaking with the Nurses Association of Jamaica, Mary Seacole came squarely to my mind.

In the middle of the Crimean War, this Jamaican used her own money and went to the battlefront with no assistance and in direct opposition to the British government. She went to the front line, exposing herself to the same risks faced by the soldiers. British heroine Florence Nightingale was sponsored and protected by the British and provided with resources for a field hospital away from the action.

We should add her to the list. Blessed Heroes Day tomorrow!

Orville Taylor is senior lecturer at Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.