Queen Nanny of the Maroons (Jamaican $500 bill)

Quao’s Act gave the Jamaican Maroons, freedom and autonomy to govern their lives and community, independent of the Jamaican or any other external government. This Act positions them in a very unique socioeconomic and cultural space–where land taxes are not paid, as is the case of  the Moore Town and Scots Hall Maroons, and until recently, the Charles Town Maroons, through their Council,  policed their community and tried criminals in indigenous courts for all crimes, except murder.

Respect Yourself, Know Your Rights, JFJ

My education workshop on socioeconomic rights and justice, facilitated at Asafu Yard in Charles Town (Buff Bay), Portland on Saturday, March 7, 2009 was rather inspiring. Discussions revealed a desire to lobby for the reinstatement of the Maroon Police and Judicial System as a solution to community crime  and police brutality. The arguments in favor of this system included:

1. Need to curtail petty crimes, especially theft, which has become a nuisance to residents, and is perpetuated by residents from within the community,
2. Need to protect young men from the community who are frequently abused by the state police during community patrols,
3. Need to re-establish their right to autonomous governance over certain matters, as laid out by Quao’s Act,
4. Need to re-establish an effective, accountable, and transparent police and judicial system, which is respectful of Maroon rights and culture,
5. Need to elevate meritocratic and servant leadership models as the acceptable governance styles and practices–these are in stark contrast to the elective approach, typical of partisan politics and the appointment of the Member of Parliament.

Quao's Act, Jamaica

Captain Richard Irving, leader of the young farmer’s association is hailed by Colonel Frank Lumsden as a true servant leader–he strives to build the community; is dedicated to the growth of people; is aware of his strengths and capabilities, as well as the strengths of others; is futuristic; persuasive; has foresight; is a confidante; healer; listener. In plain language, he gives selflessly to Charles Town.

Maroon Museum (side view) from Asafu Yard

With such leaders sitting on the Maroon Council, Charles Town intends to advocate for the reinstatement of their police and justice system. Participants at the workshop commenced preliminary discussions about the ensuing community mobilization, advocacy and policy development activities that would be required–The idea of working collectively to solve local security challenges and justice issues was endorsed and encouraged by George Williams, Justice of the Peace in Charles Town and Pastor at a local church. He articulated confidence in the Maroon Council’s ability to provide accountable and transparent leadership, which he says is currently a dream in contemporary Jamaican politics.

A Dedication to Maroon Culture: Asafu Yard and Museum

Through my workshops, I attempt to encourage community leaders to participate actively in the governance process–something the Maroon Council has been doing since the 17oos, when Jamaica was a slave outpost. Maroon sovereignty resulted in the establishment of an indigenous governance system, which predates Jamaica’s independence by almost 200 years. With the passing of time and changes in the socioeconomic and political dynamics of Jamaica and the world, the Maroon Council has lost much of its influence and strength,  resulting in growing non-compliance to decisions and judgments and increased interventions by state police in local issues.

Musket used in Maroon War, Jamaica

The Justice of the Peace believes that Charles Town residents are resilient and creative people who, through their rich history, have provided model leadership and governance–unmatched in Jamaica today. National Heroine Nanny of the Maroons is an icon of African femininity in the West–her cauldron, which is still a source of Maroon inspiration, warms the spirits of today’s leaders, Colonel Lumsden and Captain Irving, who desire to demonstrate, through the Maroon Council, a model community governance system.

Nanny's Cauldron was deadly to Redcoates, but protected Maroons

Demonstration against Policies of the World Bank and IMF, 2005

Over the past three years, I have conducted social research amongst 30 communities involving some 600 Jamaicans, and over that time, I have realized that people are genuinely convinced that public (political) demonstration is the single most successful advocacy strategy that can bring about social change. In a recent workshop involving members of the Maroon Town community in St. James, I was informed by a participant that demonstrating was the tactic employed by their forefathers to fight the system of slavery, and “until now it is only thing that we, the people, can do to get the politicians to respond to and address our social needs”. Other participants alluded to popular news (video) clips of local demonstrators and their apparent success in getting needs addressed on account of demonstrating.

Political demonstrations are popular protest forms in Jamaica because people get to articulate their message of frustration with a particular situation in a quick and efficient manner–all the relevant authorities and leaders at the parochial and national (sometimes regional and international) levels receive the message simultaneously, and they see that the people are not bluffing, “Enough is enough, we will not go on any further like this, you must do something Now!” With this approach, the community is relieved of the burden of community and personal empowerment for community development and sustainability. In other words, there will be no need for fancy letters, elaborate meetings where more promises are made, and further more the hard work and cost associated with capacity development of the people to do something that the Member of Parliament was voted in to carry out is eliminated. If we follow this thinking, Jamaica can easily have a unique community demonstrating everyday for more than a year. There are more than 700 communities in Jamaica, each comprised of smaller districts. In the Maroon Town Development Area, there are 12 districts, each comprised of 300-500 households.

Is political demonstration really the most efficient way for our communities to advocate for social change?

Community education and capacity development on rights, advocacy, and leadership, are presented as options to communities, but leaders noted that the potential for those to make meaningful and sustainable social change will be affected by the following:

1. High rates of political apathy at the community-based organization level
2. Limited security and voting rights  by some members of inner-city communities
3. Migration of the most empowered from the rural and inner-city communities
4. Growing tendency towards individualism
5. Limited political power, clout, and influence of community organizations and leaders to hold elected representatives accountable
6. Limited community development programs and support
7. Lack of respect for constituents and lack of transparency by elected representatives
8. Lack of prioritization of constituents needs by elected representatives.

Elements of Advocacy

With all this said, do you still wonder why communities keep on demonstrating?

The Government of Jamaica put new laws in place to control demonstrations, and not even the Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, was speared by the police, when he and a group of representatives from the Jamaica Labour Party dared to demonstrate before Jamaica House. Historically, political demonstrations have played major roles in bringing about social change across the world. In Jamaica, this is also the case, and with it comes the possibility of political conflict between the state (represented by the armed police force, on hand) and the affected group (made of unarmed, but very disgruntled citizens on the other). Such conflicts are particularly noticeable when the political rights of the people (affected group) to assembly and speech are not respected by the state. Despite laws stating that demonstrations are to be planned and brought to the attention of the police via formal letters, community leaders believe that this will only doom their demonstration exercises, as their efforts will be blocked. Regular Jamaicans therefore see the law as an attempt, by the Government, to minimize their political power, which creates social change. In the eyes of community leaders the choices for social change are few:

1. Seek education and capacity development to empower the community to contribute tangibly to social change and creating indigenous solutions
2. Flout the demonstration laws and risk your life, because you believe that by not doing so you will never get the requisite attention, or
3. Be apathetic to community development and doom your life to inadequate living conditions.

Though education and emowerment for community development is a long term investment with long term results–it will provide sustainable social benefits to individuals, as well as the Jamaican society. Certainly, risking life and dooming ourselves to underdevelopment are not natural human tendencies, so although our frustrations and passions might stimulate us to conceptualize a demonstration as a core strategy for social change, let’s resist this urge and build ourselves so that we can create a coordinated advocacy and community development campaign, in which demonstrations are just one of the many strategies for addressing the problems we face.

Maldon Baptist Church, Maroon Town

Participatory governance is a central theme in contemporary development literature and has dominated much of my work with community representatives over the past three years. The leaders of the Maroon Town Community in St. James, Jamaica, got their cup full of the concept during the delivery of human rights and participatory governance workshops between January 27-29, 2009. The workshops were facilitated at the Maldon Baptist Church in the community and were attended by an average of 20 participants, on each of the three days.

The Social Development Commission (SDC) played the lead role in mobilizing community leaders and preparing the community to receive us. It was a passionate three days with leaders representing a number of district level organizations, including: Chatsworth All Age School, Maldon High School, Summer Hill SDA Church, SDC, Maldon Primary School, Maldon Baptist Basic School, Maroon Town Health Center, Summer Hill Church of God, and the District Development Committees from: Point, Vaughnsfield, Maroon Town, Flagstaff and Maldon.

[slideshow id=1657324662893938734&w=426&h=320]

We learned about the primary economic and social challenges and concerns of residents at the personal and community levels. Community leaders learned about their economic and social rights and their shared responsibilities in the process of governance. At the workshops, it was clear that leaders were prepared to represent and articulate their community’s needs and challenges to us, but they were not prepared to hear of the huge responsibilities that they had in ensuring that their needs are attended to by relevant stakeholders, including their prioritization by elected representatives. This revelation almost brought,one community leader and pastor of a local church, to tears…

“Den a so much we have to do? After we vote we still haffi do so much. We Member of Parliament and Counselor come from here and know the problems we have with water. This is just too much!”

The socioeconomic problem/ need that resonated most frequently in the church hall was water. On Day 3, during the delivery of the Community Assessment Workshop, participants informed us about the most adverse socioeconomic problems and the effects/ impact on their lives, via an icebreaker–The Name Game:

• The water system is not good in my community because I have to buy a car to transport it. I am very frustrated with this situation
• I hate the lack of adequate water supply. We have to take it from water holes, which result in illnesses
• I am tired of the water problem and bad roads. It is so hard to get transportation because of the poor road conditions
• As the principal of a basic school in the community, I find the water situation most distressing. I pay JA$50 per drum to get water in the canteen. We are not able to store it in large quantities, and therefore as I buy for the school it runs out again. It is so unhealthy for the children
• I have been carrying water on my head for over 30 years of my life and I don’t want 40 years to catch me like this
• The bad roads are causing us to pay extra fares and higher costs for water. The road condition has also led to the underdevelopment of the primary school in Shorter’s Hill. Parents bypass our school and go to others outside the community
• The poor water system creates significant havoc for Maldon High School–affecting sanitation and water for consumption. We generally purchase water from Rapid Response, but sometimes we go as much as two weeks without its delivery. The school grounds are also very rugged and rough and the facilities for development through sports are very limited
• Poor water conditions are negatively affecting my life in my community. I have to pay JA$50 per 5 gallon bucket, and if I am unable to carry it I have to pay an additional cost
• The absence of ECG machines on the wards at Cornwall regional hospital is a serious hindrance to the life of heart patients. A family member of mine died because of the absence of this machine on the ward
• An adult learning center is needed in the community and we have lots of venues available where it can be facilitated
  
• We have so many springs and rivers in this area, why can’t we have running water in our pipes?

Other challenges in need of urgent attention included: poor road conditions, lack of benefits to the community from tourism involving their historic sites, and unemployment.

Maroon Town Community is a rural farming community, nestled in the hills of south St. James. It is an acclaimed historic site because it is home to one of Jamaica’s Maroon communities that resisted the system of slavery in the 1700s, as well as its closeness to Kensington Estate, which played a major role in the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt (Baptist War/ Christmas Revolt), which was led by national hero Samuel Sharpe and ushered in the end of slavery across the British Empire in 1833. Today, residents describe themselves as hard working farmers whose primary crops are yams and bananas. The community is comprised of 12 distinct districts, with 300-500 households in each, namely:  Flagstaff, Short Castle, George’s Valley, Maroon Town, Brown’s Town, Vaughnsfield, Dundee, Woodland, Maldon, Summer Hill, Cartel District, and Point.  The districts have access to a wide range of socioeconomic resources including: telephone, electricity, health center, churches, district and community development committees, public library, community centers, police station, People’s Cooperative Bank, high school, kindergarten schools, primary schools, rivers and water holes, post offices, hardware, and a network of community roads.

I learned from participants that the one thing that can galvanize the people of Maroon Town, St. James is water, but in order to get each resident passionate about and participating in the governance of a community water system, they would need to see the possibility of individual benefits. Since the appointment of Member of Parliament (M.P.) Derrick Kellier, unfulfilled promises about the design and implementation of a piped water system have been made, which have resulted in significant disappointment and distrust by community leaders and residents. The last promised date, by the M.P., for signs of the implementation of a community water system was October 2008. To date, no one has seen or heard of a plan, workers, equipment, or discussions relating to such.

The absence of a piped water system has forced residents to create individual solutions. This has resulted in disparity of access based on income and wealth. While Rapid Response (a mobile water trucking facility provided courtesy of the Government at a cost per gallon) serves the community, residents complain of its irregularity and untimeliness in responding to their needs. Residents have been adapting to the lack of piped water in the following ways: motor vehicle purchases to transport water from nearby communities; water purchases from independent suppliers; walks to and from water holes and rivers with containers; rainfall; Rapid Response; and chartered or route taxis to carry water as individuals commute for routine business. There is no centralized water storage facility, therefore the capacity to access stored water is based on the individual household’s capacity to build a tank, or purchase a water tank and drums. Most residents live in modern homes, fitted with pipes for amenities such as internal bathrooms and kitchens, but they are unable to live in comfort and realize an adequate living standard because of the absence of piped water.

Water Tanks

Residents noted that the spirit of community unity has been replaced by individualism–each householder, disappointed by the lack of responsiveness of the M.P., who is familiar with and knows the problems of South St. James, has sought to create an individual solution. Promoting community unity and participatory governance, they say, will be a feat in Maroon Town, but it is essential in promoting the prioritisation of community’s needs and sustainable development. To achieve this, residents must become conscious of their shared experiences of challenges and achievements, or  create new experiences of community success, and use these to stimulate a united effort for sustainable development.

Call me an Obamacan if you desire, but I am wholly sold on web 2.0 in politics. It centralises discourse and peoples’ voices in the decision-making process. I started a cause (http://apps.new.facebook.com/causes/103179) and a group (http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19821032898) on Facebook and believe me the interactivity it affords me with people who care about the same things as I and the opportunities that it provides for Jamaicans and people around the world to support my advocacy initiatives are marvelous. I can’t wait for the day when I am able to link my Member of Parliament or Prime Minister personally, through their Facebook profile and utilise an up-to-the-mark web 2.0 platform.

The JLP launched their web 2.0 platform less than a month ago, but I am here to report that it is still a display-centric platform, more like web 1.0–there is no actual link to a Facebook profile, page, cause, group, etc. just the logo; the myspace link is dead; flickr loaded, but where are the tags, slide shows, and animations to stimulate commentary? There is no actual link to Gallery2. The YouTube link is live though!

Kodak bigged-up the JLP for its new web 2.0 platform, but I say, “Kodak, while I share your enthusiasm for an Obama type of politik, I am not so sure the JLP is there yet. They demonstrate, through the layout of the site, a good plan for politicising web 2.0 in Jamaica, and I applaud them for that effort, but they are just not there yet. Where is the chatroom? Come on guys! A comment is not the same a blog, blogs take research, time, thought, and effort. Maybe its a micro-blog, but it doesn’t borrow from the twitter model! It seems like commentary to me.

Can someone please dedicate some time to this site and make it truly web 2.0 compatible, otherwise leave it to the professionals. Check out the JLP’s site… http://www.jamaicalabourparty.com/

Increasing access to literacy programmes in Jamaican communities