Ministry of Education

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Senior Programmes Specialist for Culture in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Caribbean, Alwin Bully (left); Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson (second left); Council Chairman for the Institute of Jamaica Professor Barry Chevannes (third left, background) and Colonel Wallace Sterling of the Moore Town Maroons

Jamaica has taken its place among the 28 countries to be honoured with the "Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for the musical heritage of the Moore Town Maroons in Portland.

This will see the community benefiting from a US$1 million grant to fund community and national initiatives toward safeguarding the maroon's musical heritage, inclusive of the erecting of a Moore Town Museum along with visitor cabins complete with craft yard and retail shop.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony for the handing over of the original proclamation held at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston today (June 9), Education Minister, Maxine Henry Wilson in expressing gratitude to UNESCO said the gesture was a signal one while noting that Jamaica's musical forms had long entranced the world, winning acclaim from many factions.

She said the achievement should be a "signal for renewed attempts to safeguard the intangible forms of heritage that make persons uniquely Jamaican" and noted that one such initiative was demonstrated in the decision to include maroon songs and music into the school curriculum to generate interest in the heritage.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Council for the Institute of Jamaica, Professor Barry Chevannes said the effort to honour intangible cultural forms was a significant one which offered a way of capturing the spirit and musical heritage of a people which could not be recorded in " brick and mortar".

Responding on behalf of UNESCO, Alwin Bully said the proclamation was a way of ensuring that such cultural practices were preserved, stemming from a recognition that various cultural forms "barely made the way into the cultural psyche of Caribbean people." So far, he said, only two other Caribbean countries (Dominica and Belize) had received such recognition from UNESCO.

Mindful of the inherent secrecy of the Moore Town Maroons where its practices, ceremonies and use of the Kromanti language were concerned, the need to legally protect this heritage became evident. Stemming from this a team consisting of various cultural organizations including the Institute of Jamaica headed by Musicologist Dr. Olive Lewin, conducted in-depth research into the musical traditions, language and rituals of the Moore Town Maroons and made a formal submission of a proposal and video of the musical heritage of the Moore Town Maroons.

This was later dispatched to the offices of UNESCO in Paris for review where it was selected as representative of an outstanding example of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Of the 28 masterpieces there were two in Africa,
11 in Asia, four in Europe, three in Arab States, six in Latin America and the Caribbean and two multinationals.

Created in 1998, the Proclamation encourages governments, non-governmental organizations and local communities to identify, safeguard, revitalize and promote their oral and intangible cultural heritage.

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