Exodus: Movement Of Jah People
“However long the night, the dawn will break.”-
African Proverb
August 1, is finally here! There is a sense of joy as well as sorrow as we commemorate this day. Some might ask why sorrow, however, when one reflects on the fact that many of our ancestors died before they saw this day clearly there must be a cloud of sadness hanging somewhere. Undoubtedly, August 1 is a time for reflection and celebration. Let us fast forward to 2018, and let us for a moment think about the joy, that unadulterated and comprehensive joy which must have swept over and across the various plantations in the Caribbean on that August 1 1838. Emancipation Day ought not to be viewed as just another public holiday. It is the day which should be revered, not solely because of the value it brings to nationhood and personhood but because of our historical link to the motherland Africa. However, this linkage to which I speak is not given much importance in this Post-Slavery society. It is rather disturbing that History is not a compulsory subject in our education system and as such a significant number of our people only see Emancipation Day through a public holiday lens in which there is no work. It was our National Hero, the Right Excellent, Marcus Garvey who said, “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Lest we forget our fore-parents paid the ultimate price for this freedom we now enjoy as a people. I dare say there should be an overwhelming sense of joy accompanying Emancipation Day (August 1). It is worth mentioning that even after almost 4 centuries of slavery the collective spirit of our people could not be broken. Yes, the Westerners did try; their draconian and barbaric actions towards the African people are well documented. However, no amount of flogging, maiming and inhumane treatment could break the indomitable spirit of a proud race, that of the African race. Emancipation Day has both historical and political significance for the majority of us whose fore- parents were forcibly brought to the Caribbean, as well as to the Americas by the Europeans to work on sugar plantations. The Transatlantic Slavery Trade is perhaps the most inhumane activity which a race of people has had to undergo due to the colour of their skin in the history of mankind. Let us not fool ourselves or become complacent because racism and slavery still exist today in many societies. Have you ever thought about what it must have been like for our ancestors in 1838 when slavery was fully abolished? I am fully aware of the Apprenticeship System in 1834. This four year period was a carefully crafted scam designed to extract more labour from our enslaved brothers and sisters. The Emancipation Act of 1833 came into effect on August 1, 1834. This law immediately freed those enslaved people under the age of 6. It bares thought what would happen to older enslaved people. Those older enslaved were to be “apprenticeship” for up to eight years. The illogical reasoning behind the Apprenticeship System was that the enslaved people had to learn how to be free. My brothers and sisters our kindred folks were free people in Africa, so clearly there was no merit in this “learning to be free” argument. However, the plot to extract more free labour did many things, one of which was to re-energize the anti-slavery movement, which in turn added more pressure for full freedom without Apprenticeship. This was finally realized on August 1, 1838. The various slave revolts were immensely instrumental in ending slavery and this fact should never be discounted. It is noteworthy that in the islands of Bermuda and Antigua the plantation owners freed the enslaved in 1834. In the post slavery period many enslaved people in Jamaica abandoned plantations in search of their own land to cultivate. The emergence of free villages in Jamaica was a direct result of the change in the structure of the society. Free villages were townships established in wake of full freedom and apprenticeship. Sligoville, located about 10 miles north of Spanish Town was the first free village established in 1835. This free village movement was largely spearheaded by the various evangelical (Christian) denominations which operated on the islands. These were namely, The Baptists, Moravians, Methodists and Presbyterians. On this Emancipation Day, we must celebrate and commemorate this momentous occasion. We must at all times remember that the past serves to guide our paths to the future. We must continue to exodus the movement of Jah People. This movement to which I refer is not so much a physical one, but a technological and economic movement of our people. Until we realize economic emancipation we will forever be tied to a plantation type system in which our creative and cultural energies are under-valued. As a people we need to have the backs of our brothers and sisters. There are some of us who hold onto information instead of sharing; this is not what emancipation is all about. Those who seek to do us harm are now locked in a battle to control our minds and thought processes. This is obviously another way to keep us enslaved. As citizens living in a Post-Emancipation society we must continue to strive to find our bearings in a society which has been shaped by the legacy of slavery. We must draw on the resilience of our fore-fathers and resist all forms of bondage as we move ahead as a mighty and proud race. It is ridiculous for us to speak about sustainable development if our minds are not emancipated. God has taken us thus far and we have much to be thankful for. Happy Emancipation Day!
In the profound words of John Henrik Clarke, history is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are, but more importantly, what they must be.
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
#EmancipationDay #PostSlavery #TransAtlanticSlaveTrade #FreeVillages #PostEmancipation #ApprenticeshipSystem
August 1, is finally here! There is a sense of joy as well as sorrow as we commemorate this day. Some might ask why sorrow, however, when one reflects on the fact that many of our ancestors died before they saw this day clearly there must be a cloud of sadness hanging somewhere. Undoubtedly, August 1 is a time for reflection and celebration. Let us fast forward to 2018, and let us for a moment think about the joy, that unadulterated and comprehensive joy which must have swept over and across the various plantations in the Caribbean on that August 1 1838. Emancipation Day ought not to be viewed as just another public holiday. It is the day which should be revered, not solely because of the value it brings to nationhood and personhood but because of our historical link to the motherland Africa. However, this linkage to which I speak is not given much importance in this Post-Slavery society. It is rather disturbing that History is not a compulsory subject in our education system and as such a significant number of our people only see Emancipation Day through a public holiday lens in which there is no work. It was our National Hero, the Right Excellent, Marcus Garvey who said, “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Lest we forget our fore-parents paid the ultimate price for this freedom we now enjoy as a people. I dare say there should be an overwhelming sense of joy accompanying Emancipation Day (August 1). It is worth mentioning that even after almost 4 centuries of slavery the collective spirit of our people could not be broken. Yes, the Westerners did try; their draconian and barbaric actions towards the African people are well documented. However, no amount of flogging, maiming and inhumane treatment could break the indomitable spirit of a proud race, that of the African race. Emancipation Day has both historical and political significance for the majority of us whose fore- parents were forcibly brought to the Caribbean, as well as to the Americas by the Europeans to work on sugar plantations. The Transatlantic Slavery Trade is perhaps the most inhumane activity which a race of people has had to undergo due to the colour of their skin in the history of mankind. Let us not fool ourselves or become complacent because racism and slavery still exist today in many societies. Have you ever thought about what it must have been like for our ancestors in 1838 when slavery was fully abolished? I am fully aware of the Apprenticeship System in 1834. This four year period was a carefully crafted scam designed to extract more labour from our enslaved brothers and sisters. The Emancipation Act of 1833 came into effect on August 1, 1834. This law immediately freed those enslaved people under the age of 6. It bares thought what would happen to older enslaved people. Those older enslaved were to be “apprenticeship” for up to eight years. The illogical reasoning behind the Apprenticeship System was that the enslaved people had to learn how to be free. My brothers and sisters our kindred folks were free people in Africa, so clearly there was no merit in this “learning to be free” argument. However, the plot to extract more free labour did many things, one of which was to re-energize the anti-slavery movement, which in turn added more pressure for full freedom without Apprenticeship. This was finally realized on August 1, 1838. The various slave revolts were immensely instrumental in ending slavery and this fact should never be discounted. It is noteworthy that in the islands of Bermuda and Antigua the plantation owners freed the enslaved in 1834. In the post slavery period many enslaved people in Jamaica abandoned plantations in search of their own land to cultivate. The emergence of free villages in Jamaica was a direct result of the change in the structure of the society. Free villages were townships established in wake of full freedom and apprenticeship. Sligoville, located about 10 miles north of Spanish Town was the first free village established in 1835. This free village movement was largely spearheaded by the various evangelical (Christian) denominations which operated on the islands. These were namely, The Baptists, Moravians, Methodists and Presbyterians. On this Emancipation Day, we must celebrate and commemorate this momentous occasion. We must at all times remember that the past serves to guide our paths to the future. We must continue to exodus the movement of Jah People. This movement to which I refer is not so much a physical one, but a technological and economic movement of our people. Until we realize economic emancipation we will forever be tied to a plantation type system in which our creative and cultural energies are under-valued. As a people we need to have the backs of our brothers and sisters. There are some of us who hold onto information instead of sharing; this is not what emancipation is all about. Those who seek to do us harm are now locked in a battle to control our minds and thought processes. This is obviously another way to keep us enslaved. As citizens living in a Post-Emancipation society we must continue to strive to find our bearings in a society which has been shaped by the legacy of slavery. We must draw on the resilience of our fore-fathers and resist all forms of bondage as we move ahead as a mighty and proud race. It is ridiculous for us to speak about sustainable development if our minds are not emancipated. God has taken us thus far and we have much to be thankful for. Happy Emancipation Day!
In the profound words of John Henrik Clarke, history is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are, but more importantly, what they must be.
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
#EmancipationDay #PostSlavery #TransAtlanticSlaveTrade #FreeVillages #PostEmancipation #ApprenticeshipSystem
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