SIMPSONAuthor Joanne Simpson seeks help for Jamaican writers to become authors of our history, and major functionaries in the development process
NOTED JAMAICAN author Joanne Simpson is treading on new territory, this time to establish The Jamaican Writers Club, an entity aimed primarily at using local talent to play a more important role in the development process', by expanding the offerings of Jamaican publications in the Jamaican and international marketplace.
Simpson, who embarked in the field of publishing in 1999, and who came to fame with her landmark publication The Jamaican Woman: A Celebration, says it has been her mission to increase the number and quality of Jamaican publications on our bookshelves and in our libraries. This, she felt, would not only increase the relevance of literary material, but would also instil an increased sense of pride based on the fact that "We are becoming authors of our own history, with greater sensitivity and awareness of what is important," she said. "This has significant implications for the education/development process."
GLEAMING LOOK
"I see the gleam in the eyes of our students during my many trips to schools when they realise that they are facing a home-grown and living author, who is one of them. They are more accustomed to their authors being known by name only and who are not Jamaican.
"As a Jamaican writer, I am definitely more sensitive and knowledgeable about our own situation and understand how to present it for maximum appeal. Rather than focusing on vanity publishing, we should use our talents as writers to write with a mission and play a more meaningful part of the development process," she said.
'The Jamaican Writers Club,' just in its fledgling stages, proposes to produce some 30 books over a six-year period. The overall cost of the project is J$43 million. Seed money to the tune of J$12 million is being sought in the first year, to form the basis of a revolving fund that would sustain the project.
Under the programme, writers would be commissioned to write in a number of genres to fulfil a number of national social objectives, while recording historically/culturally based information, targeting adults as well as children.
Proceeds from the sale of books would become the basis of funding for other publications and the implementation of other aspects of the programme, including training via workshops are to be conducted at central points across the island. . In essence, writers would be
assisting one another by ensuring publication of their works.
The project has been presented to Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, who has forwarded the proposal for further study and possible funding. A number of big companies are also seeing merit in the plan,
which could benefit them from the point of view of a more of a more educated labour force.
In a nutshell, the benefits for the establishment of the club are:
Jamaicans will become authors of their own history
Help in the development of Jamaica's intellectual property
Balance the inflow of imported literary material
Document valuable historical/cultural material for posterity
Aid in the development of the human resources of the country
Provide a marketable
commodity
Nurture the publishing industry
Provide material to promote a more educated and informed society which, in the long-term, could be translated into a more disciplined and ordered society.
Says Simpson, "Education is a cornerstone of nation building. An investment in education is, therefore, an investment in Jamaica's future. It is often said that Jamaica is not a reading society.
While that may be true, it can be attributed to lack of access to appropriate and affordable reading material. We are seeking to change this scenario and by so doing, improve the educational level of our people. The development of Jamaica's intellectual property is an important start."
THE LABOUR FORCE
"The Jamaican labour force stands to benefit. The society cannot be empowered to help itself unless emphasis is placed on making citizens more trainable, thereby improving their opportunities for employment and income generation. There are major limitations in the education system. Too high a percentage of so-called literate Jamaicans are, in fact, only semiliterate by prevailing standards in the developed world. Many Jamaicans, students and adults alike, are deficient in the use of the English language. Many of them are unable to make the transition from the use of Jamaican Creole, as spoken in their home environment, to Standard English, the language of academia and the business world.
"Bookshelves across Jamaica show a leaning towards foreign reading material. This is so because of a comparable limited number of locally produced books, as well as the fact that the imported books are, in many cases, more attractive in terms of quality and pricing. Stimulating the development of the country's intellectual resources is one sure way of dealing with this imbalance.
CRIME & VIOLENCE
"There is a direct correlation between the high crime rate that now retards the country, low
literacy levels, unemployment and poverty. It is the objective of this programme to strengthen the book industry to play a more active role in the development of our human resources, and, by extension, the growth of the national economy.
"I have no doubt that a concerted effort to assist our writers will have positive spread effects. I am appealing to corporate Jamaica and well-meaning individuals to participate in this project. Intangible though it might be, the benefits are far reaching," Simpson said.
You can contact her at:
simpsonj@cwjamaica.com
http://discoverjamaica.com/shop/oij.html http://www.bookmasters.com/marktplc/rr00752.htm
