Stop Taking Our Heritage Lightly – Senator Morrison

As Jamaica celebrates its 55 th anniversary this year, Government Senator, Kerensia Morrison, is urging Jamaicans to become fully immersed in their culture and take pride in the island’s independence and emancipation celebrations.

“We need to…stop taking our heritage lightly. There are too many Jamaicans, who treat with indifference emancipation and independence activities and it is worrying,” she said.

“We should start feeling that agitation for our celebration in August. Let’s look at… July 4 th in the United States; the fourteenth of July in France; the first of July in Canada; the 5 th of May in Mexico. These are massive celebrations (by these countries) of their history. So what’s wrong with us?” she asked.

“We must remember that the way in which we treat with our culture, our history, our heritage sends a message to the world about who we are and what we value,” she added.

Senator Morrison, who was making her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate recently, noted that the country’s culture offers opportunity for wealth creation.

She said no university graduate with a degree in history should struggle to find employment when Brand Jamaica is fully developed and marketed.

She noted further that children should be taught their history from an early age.

“We must preserve the footprints of our ancestors in our culture. They gave us everything so that today we can work, play and live off their legacy; a legacy so rich, a legacy so enviable from which we can flourish and prosper. The blueprint for our wealth lies in the island itself, even the medicine to secure our health lies in the soil of the island. Jamaica represents gold,” she said.

In the meantime, Senator Morrison noted that the entire island can be marketed for tourism and not just the resort towns.