A CONTRIBUTOR to the columns of this publication last Sunday ignited a minor firestorm with the assertion that "our culture is holding us back". He made the point that since we are well-known around the world for our culture, we should structure our economy to benefit more from it. From such a start however, he went on to paint the most unflattering picture of the Jamaican cultural scene.It is regrettable that an overwhelming negative view should be used to characterise creative artistes who, as a group, are no different from the rest of the society, being an admixture of characters good, bad and indifferent. We will always be titillated by the stories of deviance which can be circulated about any group but the real test of maturity is to be able to see persons for their individual worth and value.
Whatever the personal failings of some of our artistes, it cannot be denied that their creative output has become a force in popular culture around the world. Indeed, it has become a matter for amazement that a country the size of ours could produce such exceptional singers, lyricists and musicians in numbers quite disproportionate to our size. While there are no audited figures to support the theory, it is acknowledged that the earnings brought back home by our artistes from their overseas engagements contribute significantly to the advancement of themselves and the nation.
Granted that not all of their artistic offerings are to everyone's taste. The controversial lyrics which have earned disfavour abroad cannot be accepted as representative of Jamaican music as a whole, just as the excesses of dancehall should not serve to detract from the creativity of talented choreographers who skilfully interpret the spirit of our people to ourselves and the world.
Now that we are witnessing the attention which Jamaica cultural expressions music, dance, food and fashion is receiving far and wide, now that we see the potential for earning which these can bring, it is time to look at ourselves and our capabilities, not dwelling on the negative and the failures but seizing all opportunity for advancement.
We cannot subscribe to the theory that it is "the culture which is holding us back". Our advancement lies within ourselves. After all, wasn't it our own national hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey (the 118th anniversary of whose birth was observed in the past week) who exhorted: "We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because, while others may free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind."
