Jamaica marked 60 years of Independence on Saturday, August 6, being one of two CARICOM countries to become independent in 1962. Trinidad and Tobago will also mark 60 years of independence on August 31.
Like many others, I was very interested The Sunday Gleaner poll (August 7) which showed that many Jamaicans rated their country as mostly achieving in sports and music after 60 years of Independence. Sport and music have commercial elements, such as Trade in Services related to the Cultural and Creative Industries.
Before 2008 and the emergence of Usain Bolt and the accumulation of Olympic gold and other medals, Jamaicans, in my opinion, might not have ranked sports so highly. Prior to this, our sports analysts such as Jimmy Carnegie would have measured Jamaica’s success in international athletics competitions not just by medals won, which were few, but by the number of semi-finals and finals reached. Now success is mainly measured by the number of medals won. There is nothing wrong with this, as it shows that great strides have been made in the development of athletics, the foundation of which was laid in 1910, when the first high school athletics championship (Champs) was held and when Gerald Claude Eugene Foster. (GC Foster), legendary trainer, aspired to participate in the 1908 Olympic Games in London.
WHAT HAVE THEY ACHIEVED?
Music has had a long tradition in Jamaica as well. It was a slice of life, with traditional instruments, folk songs and local mento bands. A great classical composer, Samuel Felstead (1743-1802), emerged from Jamaica in the 18th century. Others followed in promoting music such as George Goode, Mapletoft Poulle, numerous music teachers, elementary and middle school music programs, church music, and the Alpha Boys’ School show.
Many of our great musicians came out of or were influenced by these programs. Bob Marley, in the 1960s and 1970s, was just one of many great and creative musicians. So sports and music, of any genre, are not strange.
I noted a number of WhatsApp messages doing the rounds that described Jamaica’s achievements and identity as based on cultural traditions and how Gleaner survey results, mainly showing achievements in sports and entertainment. Jamaica’s achievements are not related to education, manufacturing, commerce, science and technology, arts and literature, apart from Louise Bennett, infrastructure development and economic progress in general.
In 1962, when Jamaica gained Independence, the population was 1.7 million and its literacy rate, age 15 and over, may have been as high as 60 percent, depending on the method of estimation. Jamaica’s GDP was estimated at $778 million, with a per capita of about US$458 (US$4,513.34 adjusted for inflation). Jamaicans were then looking at advancing social and economic development, improved incomes, more jobs and a rising standard of living.
The GDP growth rate averaged about four percent between 1961 and 1963. There was promise of development after independence. Note that Jamaica’s per capita income in 2021 was US$4,587.
If the same question is asked by Gleaner polled my parents and their co-workers in 1962, sports and music would not be high on their list of accomplishments, not that their value was not seen. Their generation would see achievements as improvements in education and character building; in industry, agriculture and tourism; infrastructure (roads, water supply, housing, schools and hospitals); and expanding production and exports. I think my father would have seen it Gleaner survey results and gave Jamaica a failing grade in development.
EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT IS PRESENTED
There is no doubt that Jamaica’s achievements in sport and music have been remarkable, but in the development of these cultural and creative industries, what has been done to enable the economy to benefit from both brand recognition and the hosting of sporting and music events? regional and international. of high standards that would generate income and be sustainable.
In music, Bob Marley died almost 40 years ago. I’m not sure many Jamaican musicians, in reggae, have risen to the stature of the artists of the 1960s to 1980s and improved their marketability. In fact, some have dishonored the music and the country, if we’re being honest. With the global popularity of reggae and dancehall, they also now have to compete with artists around the world. Remember the Reggae Grammy won by an American group and did you see the British dancehall performance at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games?
In sports, for me, we don’t have a big international event in track and field that would attract international athletes, media and an audience to fill the stadium. Are the facilities available and is the investment being made? Cricket is a shadow of itself – I went to an international match at Sabina Park and the stands were empty; the mecca of cricket was a wasteland. Soccer appears to have development challenges, although Jamaican teams have qualified for the World Cup. In horse racing, we have arranged international jockeys. I went to Caymanas Park, saw the potential and the work needed to make it happen. I’m still hoping to see a proper sports museum.
For me, for the future, Jamaica’s achievements must prioritize educational and economic progress in the context of sustainable development, integrating our fragile island environment, particularly with climate change, and the appropriate development of cultural and creative industries. We have yet to go back 50 years without significant economic growth.
Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policies and international politics. Email comments to [email protected]
