This is one of the scores of pictures which will be on display at The Old Baptist Manse in Falmouth, as of today. Second left is Reverend Henry Bleby, the Methodist pastor who ministered in Falmouth at the time of the Sam Sharpe Rebellion in 1831. Here members of the Church Colonial Union seize him, and tar him in order to burn him, after they invaded his manse in Falmouth. - Contributed WESTERN BUREAU:
THE WILLIAM Knibb Memorial Church in Falmouth, Trelawny, is taking a bold step, in highlighting Jamaica's heritage by launching a pictorial exhibition today on the work of all the denominations in western Jamaica.
The exhibition will portray both pre- and post-Emancipation issues during the 1700-1900 period in Jamaica.
The pictorial display is a high point of celebrations by the William Knibb Memorial Church to mark its 175 years of witness, having been founded in 1827 by Rev. Thomas Burchell.
The exhibition will be housed at the newly-restored Baptist Mission House at 9 Market Street which is reputed to be the manse of William Knibb.
"This exhibition seeks to remind us not only of the work of the churches or the contribution of the churches in nation-building, but also of the latent power of the church as an institution," said Royland Barrett, Custos of Trelawny, conceptualiser and researcher of the project. Custos Barrett added: "The understanding here is that slavery was physical bondage and psychological suppression. We believe that the intervention of churches and the missionaries assisted the slaves greatly to fight slavery and psychologically helped them (the slaves) in self-development."
According to Custos Barrett, the work of the church impacted greatly on slavery and its abolition. He notes that it also impacted on the framework of Jamaica's education system. Stating that the exhibition will highlight slavery as not only physical bondage but also mental repression, he emphasised that it will cast the slaves as rebelling against slavery on these terms, while developing themselves as skilled and professional persons. Another aspect the exhibition will seek to establish is the work of the missionaries, both in Jamaica and in England. The role of the Church in the establishment of free villages will also take the spotlight.
The event is set to be declared open at 3:00 p.m. today by Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke. After this declaration, Professor Rex Nettleford, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Mona, will deliver a lecture.
"People of my generation treasure the legacy left us by key players such as Knibb and Burchell who fought against slavery," said Prof. Nettleford. In preparing for the pictorial display, the organisers of the event collected over 120 photographs from the National Library of Jamaica, the Jamaica Archives in Spanish Town, and the Methodist Church headquarters on Constant Spring Road.
Pictures were also obtained from the School of Oriental and African studies in London, the British Baptist Society and the Presbyterian Church in London.
