Restore May Pen Cemetery

-
Cemeteries have been around since time immemorial. Our cemeteries serve varied purposes, including being the final resting place or burial area for the dead. In addition cemeteries yield significant information about our society’s social, religious, artistic and cultural heritage. Our cemeteries also serve as outdoor museums and monuments to the past. Additionally, our cemeteries can provide many exciting career opportunities; careers in archaeology, specifically bio-archaeology should be explored by our students.
The May Pen Cemetery in Kingston is one of the oldest public cemeteries in the English speaking Caribbean. However, over the years and despite successive governments, the May Pen cemetery continues to be in a state of disrepair.
In recent times the chapel and other parts of the cemetery have become a haven for the many homeless individuals in and around Kingston. An entire generation of Jamaicans has been brought without appreciating and respecting the space of the dead. In many instances our children play and roam some our corporate area cemeteries. It’s not unusual to see young children playing on or even eating on graves.
The continued deplorable state of the May Pen Cemetery does not augur well for us as a society. The constant eyesore of the May Pen Cemetery serves only to reinforce the economic divide that is present in the society. Which it can be argued that the rich in the society no longer bury their dead in the May Pen Cemetery; many notable Jamaicans are interred there. 
Lets us commit to restoring the May Pen cemetery. Maybe the powers that be should include the May Pen cemetery among the major projects this Labour Day.
As Jamaicans we all have a collective responsibility in ensuring that the May Pen cemetery is restored to a burial site of dignity.   

Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Promoting Literacy For A World In Transition

-
Image
Oftentimes we speak about literacy yet, the practicality regarding targeted interventions to support literacy in many educational institutions is hijacked in the politics of education. In the long term both the students and indeed the society suffer the consequences. Literacy ignities creativity and desire. Literacy is that springboard that must propel all students in order for them to navigate their educational journey successfully. Regrettably, without acquiring the tools of literacy one is imprisoned and those around also are serving this sentence. Literacy is a potent tool to eradicate generational poverty. Literacy also serves as a vehicle for social progress and sustainable development. Unfortunately, many societies do not invest as much in literacy skills as they ought to. The Global South oftentimes is burdened by debt repayment to multi-national lending agencies that cut into the budget that should be set aside as an investment in education. The statistic paints a damning pic
Read more

The Psychology Of Dunce

-
Image
The word ‘dunce’ has always had a fixed address in our local lexicon. The summer holidays are now over, yet the narrative associated with the ‘dunce’ labeled knapsacks has carried over into the new academic year. We often underestimate the power and force of our popular culture to our detriment. Gone are the days when teachers were seen as role models for students; there has been a tsunami-like shift in our values and attitudes over the years and this has given rise to a number of sub-cultures many of which are toxic. Many of the social ills of the society are grounded in our painful past of enslavement and colonialization. Unfortunately, the State has been complicit in the promulgation of some of these social problems. Sadly, as a society we have internalized this trauma and as a result generation after generation have had to deal with social problems of various forms in our post-slavery society. Over the decades we have inherited and we have continued to nurture an elitist educati
Read more

Israel Hamas War

-
Image
“Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”- Psalm 121:4. It appears we have been hearing about the Arab/Israeli conflict from time immemorial. However, it is important that some historical and Biblical context be interjected into the narrative in order for a better understanding of this current war. In the Bible, the phrase ‘Promised Land’ refers to a specific region of land that God promised to his chosen people of Israel. God first gave this pledge of land to Abraham saying, “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River.” This pledge was reiterated to Abraham’s descendants until the time came for His people to claim their inheritance. Abraham knew that he would not see God’s Promised Land with his own eyes. In fact, God made it clear to him that the land would not be given until four generations had passed, and that his descendants would face the hardship of slavery in Egypt before the
Read more