OUR HERITAGE IN BUSTS AND STATUES
EVERY NATION has a story, great or small, be it one of struggles, conquests, failures, redemption or triumphs. And at the centre of each narrative is a man or woman, men or women, who have made indelible marks, whether tangible or intangible, upon the land or psyche of the people. Jamaica’s story is one of the idyllic life and the decimation of the Tainos, Spanish and English colonisation, chattel slavery, Emancipation, and Independence. It is as colourful as colourful gets.
And like all great nations, we have a pantheon of heroes and heroines, men and women who have made a significant contribution to our sociopolitical and economic development.
Some have been conferred with national honours and have had roads, buildings, schools, parks, etc, named after them. Yet, one of the biggest ways in which they are immortalised and remembered is with statues and busts of their likenesses.
As with other parts of the world, tourists come here to see artistic representations of our cultural and political icons. The number of such images has grown over the year as the country seems to be developing a love affair with statues and busts.
Our national heroes seem to be the ones more than any others who have inspired our sculptors. National Heroes Park is replete with monuments built to preserve the memory of the six men and one woman who are deemed to be the most deserving of our highest honour for various reasons. A few months ago, bronze busts of these heroes were mounted in Emancipation Park in New Kingston.
Several non-national heroes, especially track and field athletes such as Herb McKinley, Merlene Ottey, Usain Bolt, Bob Marley, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pyrce, have had their likeness permanently imprinted through sculpture. The biggest structure of them all is
one of our cultural icons. It was mounted recently in the middle of Gordon Town Square in east rural St Andrew. At the unveiling, Prime Minister Andrew Holness reiterated the connection between culture and economics.
It is to be noted, however, that some icons, for whatever reasons, are more represented than others. Chief among these is Marcus Garvey. From east to west, north to south, there are images of our first national hero. From the paintings, to the busts, to the full statue in the front yard of the parish library in St Ann, where he was born, Garvey is represented. The measure of the man and the impact of his messages transcend national borders, and so do his images.
Last year, one such image, right here in Jamaica, caused much public debate and widespread condemnation for the sculptor, Raymond Watson.
It was generally felt that the image disrespected, dishonoured and misrepresented the ‘Black Messiah’. After weeks of pressure, the people at the Mona campus of The University of the West Indies who had commissioned it were forced to replace it. But, the replacement did not cool the ire of the public. One night it was extensively defaced. It was eventually cleaned and is now under constant security.
Yet, that ado was not the first firestorm over a sculpture. Decades ago, Christopher Gonzales’ impression of reggae superstar Robert Nesta Marley was ridiculed and rejected. The public could not understand and embrace the imagery of Marley rising from the roots of a tree with his guitar. It was replaced and is now mounted, perhaps permanently, at Island Village in Ocho Rios, St Ann, where Marley, too, was born.
Another vexing statue is that of Paul Bogle from St Thomas in the east. For years, it is in Kingston and not on the mount in front of the ruins of the Morant Bay Courthouse. The people of St Thomas say they do not want it back because it not an image of Bogle, but that of a man named Bagan, who, the sculptor Edna Manley believed, was an excellent representation of Bogle.
Controversy or not, busts, statues and monuments are artistic symbols of the people and things that help to make us who we are. Unforgettable parts of our story, our history, our heritage they are. And in this, our Heritage Month, why not go see them and reflect.