Our Georgian Heritage
Read Part I here. Read Part II here
All members of our human family deserve equal measures of dignity and
respect, after which, is then maintained or forfeited by an individual’s own
actions. The key word here is: “RESPECT” - a word that conjures consideration or thoughtfulness of others, and includes emotions such as: empathy and understanding. Had this idea been practiced more often, we all might have had a better coexistence with each other and a more peaceful world; whereas, the lack of it promotes unrelenting incivility and global turmoil.
People of conscience have moral obligation to speak out against any form of
inhumanity, past and present, because societies are not destroyed by the
strength of a few but rather by the spineless indifference of the masses. But
there are those of us who refuse to even turn the pages of a book; we tend to
rely on the sanitized versions of a history that was written by the perpetrators themselves and spoon-fed to us in school. We mindlessly absorb everything by rote and, consequently, most of us are sadly lacking in this respect. Many of us are having great difficulties overcoming years of bad indoctrination and misinformation, or simply don’t have the stomach to deal with some of the disconcerting facts of history; while, naturally, those who benefited from these past misdeeds have no problems with the status quo.
The inconvenient truth is that our state of ignorance is not the result of a lack of information, but rather, apathy. History is more than time and place. It allows us to “think critically” about the greatest question humanity has ever asked: WHY? And one can finish the question any way one wants.
From my perspective as a Jamaican who happens to be a Humanist, I can
understand the lack of interest that some people are exhibiting where things of this period of history is concerned. I too have no desire to lionize these
Georgians, nor to glorify a period of such gross avariciousness and moral
indifference, that such evil atrocities could so willfully be devised to cause
so much anguish and desolation to so many of our fellow-human beings for the purpose of creating their own selfish grandeur.
Nevertheless, I propose that, as we do the immorality of imperialism and
the barbarity of piracy, which eventually waned to facilitate the more lucrative agrarian brutal slave/master’s way of life, we should also recognize and appreciate the significance of preserving the memory of this colonial epoch and all its salient remnants as an indelible part of our past, and a decisive and influential component of our nation’s evolution. History should be accepted for what it is; not what we would like it to be.
The Georgian Society of Jamaica mission statement is as follows:
"We are committed to the preservation, restoration and maintenance of
Jamaica's historic buildings, monuments, artifacts, works of art, furniture and fixtures particularly those belonging to the Georgian Period (1720 - 1850) to causing where possible legislation to be enacted, rescinded or altered to enable those things to be accomplished and to stimulate interest in and promoting our appreciation of the value of Jamaica's heritage."
As a member of the St James branch; I can honestly say that the committee
of this organization, under the enthusiastic direction of our president: Mrs.
Trina Delisser; is genuinely dedicated to this project, because we consider it
incumbent on ourselves to do all that is possible to hold on to all tangible
material manifestations of this momentous past, which is intricately woven into the fabric of our history.
Among our varied endeavors are: informative organized trips, walk-a-bouts
and a variety of cultural events that are specifically structured to raise funds
and awareness. This also includes an annual Georgian ball which is held in a
great house estate in order to dramatically revive the period; complete with
17th to18th century inspired costumes, music, dances that are appropriate to the sensibilities that were unique to our island, in an effort to give today’s
generation a visual glimpse of what was once a part of our eclectic Jamaican
experience.
All vestiges of our past, however imperfect, serve as vital evidences of how we as a nation became the way we are, and therefore ought to be embraced as “legacy,” and an integral part of our rich Jamaican heritage.
I invite you to share your thoughts by clicking on "add comment" below the Tweet button at the end of this post. If you are new to this blog please
_____________
Guest Blogger, Nerissa Braimbridge is a Jamaican born; former business woman,
who was awarded Woman of the Year, 1975, in the new business idea field, by the Multi-Occupational Society of Manhattan, NYC. Named International Woman of the Year, 1995/96 - in recognition of her services to the business world, by IBC, Cambridge, England, and listed in the 6th edition of Personalities of America - for Services in Arts and Communications by ABI, USA. Mrs. Braimbridge is world traveled, and World Cultures and Humanities are her passion and interests. She may be contacted via email.
_______________
** Note: The views expressed by all of our guest bloggers are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Georgian Society of Jamaica
All members of our human family deserve equal measures of dignity and
respect, after which, is then maintained or forfeited by an individual’s own
actions. The key word here is: “RESPECT” - a word that conjures consideration or thoughtfulness of others, and includes emotions such as: empathy and understanding. Had this idea been practiced more often, we all might have had a better coexistence with each other and a more peaceful world; whereas, the lack of it promotes unrelenting incivility and global turmoil.
People of conscience have moral obligation to speak out against any form of
inhumanity, past and present, because societies are not destroyed by the
strength of a few but rather by the spineless indifference of the masses. But
there are those of us who refuse to even turn the pages of a book; we tend to
rely on the sanitized versions of a history that was written by the perpetrators themselves and spoon-fed to us in school. We mindlessly absorb everything by rote and, consequently, most of us are sadly lacking in this respect. Many of us are having great difficulties overcoming years of bad indoctrination and misinformation, or simply don’t have the stomach to deal with some of the disconcerting facts of history; while, naturally, those who benefited from these past misdeeds have no problems with the status quo.
The inconvenient truth is that our state of ignorance is not the result of a lack of information, but rather, apathy. History is more than time and place. It allows us to “think critically” about the greatest question humanity has ever asked: WHY? And one can finish the question any way one wants.
From my perspective as a Jamaican who happens to be a Humanist, I can
understand the lack of interest that some people are exhibiting where things of this period of history is concerned. I too have no desire to lionize these
Georgians, nor to glorify a period of such gross avariciousness and moral
indifference, that such evil atrocities could so willfully be devised to cause
so much anguish and desolation to so many of our fellow-human beings for the purpose of creating their own selfish grandeur.
Nevertheless, I propose that, as we do the immorality of imperialism and
the barbarity of piracy, which eventually waned to facilitate the more lucrative agrarian brutal slave/master’s way of life, we should also recognize and appreciate the significance of preserving the memory of this colonial epoch and all its salient remnants as an indelible part of our past, and a decisive and influential component of our nation’s evolution. History should be accepted for what it is; not what we would like it to be.
The Georgian Society of Jamaica mission statement is as follows:
"We are committed to the preservation, restoration and maintenance of
Jamaica's historic buildings, monuments, artifacts, works of art, furniture and fixtures particularly those belonging to the Georgian Period (1720 - 1850) to causing where possible legislation to be enacted, rescinded or altered to enable those things to be accomplished and to stimulate interest in and promoting our appreciation of the value of Jamaica's heritage."
As a member of the St James branch; I can honestly say that the committee
of this organization, under the enthusiastic direction of our president: Mrs.
Trina Delisser; is genuinely dedicated to this project, because we consider it
incumbent on ourselves to do all that is possible to hold on to all tangible
material manifestations of this momentous past, which is intricately woven into the fabric of our history.
Among our varied endeavors are: informative organized trips, walk-a-bouts
and a variety of cultural events that are specifically structured to raise funds
and awareness. This also includes an annual Georgian ball which is held in a
great house estate in order to dramatically revive the period; complete with
17th to18th century inspired costumes, music, dances that are appropriate to the sensibilities that were unique to our island, in an effort to give today’s
generation a visual glimpse of what was once a part of our eclectic Jamaican
experience.
All vestiges of our past, however imperfect, serve as vital evidences of how we as a nation became the way we are, and therefore ought to be embraced as “legacy,” and an integral part of our rich Jamaican heritage.
I invite you to share your thoughts by clicking on "add comment" below the Tweet button at the end of this post. If you are new to this blog please
_____________
Guest Blogger, Nerissa Braimbridge is a Jamaican born; former business woman,
who was awarded Woman of the Year, 1975, in the new business idea field, by the Multi-Occupational Society of Manhattan, NYC. Named International Woman of the Year, 1995/96 - in recognition of her services to the business world, by IBC, Cambridge, England, and listed in the 6th edition of Personalities of America - for Services in Arts and Communications by ABI, USA. Mrs. Braimbridge is world traveled, and World Cultures and Humanities are her passion and interests. She may be contacted via email.
_______________
** Note: The views expressed by all of our guest bloggers are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Georgian Society of Jamaica
