Jamaicans Encouraged to Embrace the IOJ’s Rich History

Persons are being encouraged to embrace the rich history of the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) as it enhances its accessibility to individuals with disabilities.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, extended this invitation while speaking during the IOJ’s 145th anniversary commemorative service on Sunday (June 2) at the Kingston Parish Church.

She also urged the IOJ to foster a culture that allows people living with disabilities “to participate as full citizens by putting in place the necessary facilities, thereby allowing them to claim their rights and ensuring no one is left behind”.

“Those at the helm must shape the trajectory of the next 145 years by upholding the institution’s rich legacy, while embracing a new direction and vision for an inclusive IOJ, one that ensures access to all our people, including those who are differently abled,” the Minister added.

This year’s National Labour Day Project, which formed part of the 145th anniversary celebrations, saw the IOJ’s East Street premises outfitted with a ramp to facilitate access by physically challenged persons.

This will be complemented with the installation of an elevator.

Meanwhile, Minister Grange said the work of individuals who have chaired the IOJ should be highlighted during the celebratory activities.

Among these are Professors Barry Chevannes and Rex Nettleford, John Hearne and Frank Hill.

“We must never forget those who burned the midnight oil to advance the development of our people and enshrine in the annals of history, the brilliance of the outstanding sons and daughters of this soil.

“It is through their leadership that Jamaicans at home and abroad and visitors can now access Jamaica’s material culture at the National Museum Jamaica, and it is a right we must never take for granted given our history,” Ms. Grange maintained.

The service, the first in a series of activities to mark the occasion, was held under the theme ‘Revisioning the Next 145 years of the IOJ”.

An agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the IOJ is the Caribbean’s premier cultural institution and natural heritage repository.

It executes its mandate through seven divisions – National Museum Jamaica; Natural History Museum of Jamaica; National Gallery of Jamaica; Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey; African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank; Jamaica Music Museum, and its Programmes Coordination Division, which includes Junior Centres and the Simón Bolívar Cultural Centre.