JNBC Accepting Entries for Bicentenary Essay Competition

The Jamaica National Bicentenary Committee (JNBC) is now accepting entries for the 2007 Schools’ Bicentenary Essay competition, which is part of activities to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in Africans. Open to all registered students in secondary schools in Jamaica between 14 and 18 years of age, the competition is aimed at fostering awareness about Africa, slavery and the abolition movement among young people.
Applicants will explore the topic: ‘Explain the factors that led to the abolition of the British Trans-Atlantic trade in Africans’, in a maximum of 2,500 words which will be judged by history teachers at the high school, college and university levels in Jamaica. Chair of the JNBC, Professor Verene Shepherd told JIS News that the competition would encourage independent thought and the investigative skills of students. “The students will be able to investigate for themselves the reasons the trade came to an end, rather than just listen to what has been projected. They will be able to read the books for themselves, and to engage in research so that they may learn about the abolition campaign and the involvement of people on both sides of the Atlantic,” the Professor outlined. The deadline for entries is December 15, 2007 and submissions must be sent to the JNBC Secretariat at the Faculty of Humanities and Education, at the University of the West Indies, Mona or Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), on East Street in Kingston. Prizes will include: JNBC/IRIE/IOJ Trophy and $50,000 for the first place winner; second place will receive $30,000 and books, courtesy of Ian Randle Publishers, while the third place winner will get $20,000 and book vouchers tenable at local book stores. Associate sponsors include IRIE FM and Institute of Jamaica (IOJ). For further information, contact the JNBC at 970-4441; IRIE FM at 974-5079 or IOJ at 922-0620-6.