Emancipation & Independence Celebrations 2014

Initiated in 1962, the Independence Celebrations were considered integral to national development as a way of giving Jamaicans a sense of who they are, and what their history and culture is all about.

Jamaica 50 broadened the concept of the Independence celebrations to a programme of activities which would also serve to catalyse positive national response towards developmental goals.

Customarily, the Independence Celebrations also recognise activities in our country’s history which must be taken into consideration.

For the Year 2014 they are:

I. The 180th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery

II. The 70th anniversary of the New Constitution to end the Crown Colony status of Jamaica which among other things introduced Universal Adult Suffrage

III. The 100th anniversary of the Universal Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League (UNIA), conceptualised by the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jamaica’s first National Hero…READ MORE