WE NOTE that by official Cabinet edict, without any popular consultation, the colour black in Jamaica's flag is no longer to symbolise hardships overcome and hardships to be faced, but rather, strength and creativity.
A flag is an important symbol of a country's national identity and poets know how powerful symbols can be, especially when they are naturally from the "collective unconscious" of a particular cultural grouping. We are not sure that they can be officially imposed and on this basis we wonder if the new interpretation testifies to a more profound truth than the old.
Strength and creativity are subject to ebb and flow but the reality of past burdens borne by our people is an historical fact of slavery. Hardships overcome, illuminate a special kind of strength known as courage, and hardships yet to be faced, recognise a stark reality which no amount of symbolism can disguise or make more palatable.
We must be careful how we mix ideology (the study of ideas) with vexillology (the study of flags). The trappings of patriotism - flags and national anthems - are treated differently in different countries. Americans like to plant their flags on the front lawns of their houses. Under Trujillo in the Dominican Republic all traffic was obliged, under pain of prison, to stop at sunset and let out passengers so they could salute the flag as it was being lowered from the capital building. In Jamaica we are supposed to stand for the national anthem in public cinemas.
The Jamaican flag became official on August 6, 1962 and its vexillology is an interesting mix of fact and anecdotal history. It was designed by a bipartisan committee of the House of Representatives and, at one stage, was to be blue with the Union Jack in one corner. But it is said that the Hon. Dudley Thompson, a member of the committee, insisted that the colour black be included. At first the proposed Jamaican flag looked too much like the flag of Tanganyika so, given his association with that country, it may have been Mr. Thompson who introduced green and gold as well as black. The exact shade for the green was given as Emerald T8 17, British Admiralty bunting. There is no specification for the gold saltire.
After all is said and done, what is important is that the flag evokes general respect from the people of Jamaica, especially the young. If this is forthcoming, we are content to leave to the politicians whatever symbolic spin they think that their words can confer on it.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
