Jamaicans Urged to Embrace Traditional Values

Jamaicans have been challenged to embrace the country’s traditional values and move from being a people who are surviving to a people who are striving.The call came from Reverend Rose Hudson Wilkin, while delivering the sermon at the Independence Service of Praise and Thanksgiving on Saturday (August 5), in London.
“I believe our presence here is something of an indication of the love we feel for our country, the sense of pride to belong to that place, to belong to a people. But the feeling of pride and the feeling of love are not enough 44 years on. We need a more mature love that move us forward into a new generation 44 years on. We need a mature love that helps us to move from being a people who survive to being a people who strive,” she said.
Using the words from several of the independence poems by the late cultural icon, Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou), Rev. Hudson Wilkin said Jamaicans needed to develop an independence formula to work out exactly what independence meant.
She urged the congregation to look at their children and raise their expectations and achievements.
“We need to look to our children’s generation because if our children’s generation continue to under-achieve, then in 44 years time we may still get the answer ‘we a do a thing’. We have been here in this country as a people long enough. We ought to be settled and climbing the pinnacle of achievements. We should be improving ourselves and, as we improve our nation so we are able to sing with pride, Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica land we love.
“We must grow and that growth must reflect itself in our behaviour, in the way we care for one another, in the way we share, in the way we still embrace the values that we were taught as children,” she said.
The service, which was organised by the Jamaican High Commission, was held at the Parish Church of St. Martin in the Fields in Trafalgar Square, with more than 1,000 Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica taking part.
Special tributes were paid during the service to Miss Lou and her poem, ‘Independence Dignity’ was performed by Carole Russell, to much acclaim.
There were also special performances by Internationally renowned bass baritone, Sir Willard White; Sergeant Albert Hird of the Jamaica Defence Force; the Brixton Seventh Day Adventist Church, and a dance of praise choreographed by Jackie Guy.High Commissioner to London, Gail Mathurin read the Prime Minister’s message.
She also took the opportunity to announce her reassignment to Geneva and thanked the Jamaican community for their support. The host priest was the Revered Liz Russell. Lessons were read by Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Alexander Nicoll and UK Manager for National Commercial Bank (NCB), Dale Robinson, while the National Prayer was led by Member of Parliament Dawn Butler and the National Pledge by Gail Whiteman.
Proceeds from the service will be donated to the Canoe Pond Basic School in St. Mary.