Robert Buddan, Contributor

When Norman Manley launched Jamaica's first national civil society organisation Jamaica Welfare in 1937, he did so with a philosophy that communities were a critical part of nation-building, particularly by encouraging the values of self-reliance, development from below, local civic pride, and care for the disadvantaged.

This philosophy remains relevant and there are real signs that many communities in Jamaica are regaining this sense of their importance. It is appropriate that the Michael Manley Foundation Award for Community Self-Reliance should have gone this year to the Jeffrey Town Farmers' Association in St. Mary, in recognition of the importance of farming communities and community self-reliance.

I remember when the community of Porus attempted to brand itself through an annual Orange Festival and when the Norman Manley Community Skills Training Centre (now the Porus Community Welfare Centre), also once hosted the Norman Manley Award for Excellence.

It is time that Porus revive its Orange Festival, a crop for which it is still famous. Denbigh has branded Clarendon as host to what is now an international agricultural show.

Promising catalyst

Little Ochi in St. Elizabeth has become more famous than for simply its seafood festival and is a promising catalyst for south coast tourism. The Trelawny Yam Festival held over the Easter weekend showed the amazingly different things that can be done with yam as well as the economies that can be created.

Now the Jeffrey Town Farmers Association plans to put on a Breadfruit Festival on August 20, which I am sure will be as versatile. Of course, the Boston Jerk Pork Festival, Port Royal Seafood Festival, Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, and Portmore Week last April have put their respective communities on the cultural map.

Communities have the assistance of community-based organisations, private companies and government agencies like the Social Development Commission, the Jamaica Cultural Development omission, the Rural Agricultural Development Agency, the Jamaica Agricultural Society, the Jamaica Tourist Board and Tourism Product Development Company, among others, and they get good coverage from the Jamaica Information Service and the private media.

A community development philosophy

Many of these promotions have been successful because they represent the philosophy of community-based development first espoused by Norman Manley, a philosophy that provides the recipe by which other communities can take charge of their development.

Self-reliance, for instance, means taking responsibility for initiative. More communities need to look at their geographical advantages, natural features, historical significance, and cultural traditions, to make the best use of them.

Historical sites

A few weeks ago, the History Society of the University of the West Indies took a trip to see historical sites like the St. Peter's Parish Church in Vere and other historical sites like the Halse Hall Great House. But they did so without the existence of a Vere or Clarendon community organisation to work with. The historic former parish of Vere needs a community-based cultural organisation, one for example, that would advertise and market the upcoming Hosay Festival.

Self-reliant leadership is another part of the community development philosophy, which says that development does not have to depend on the top-down initiatives of Government.

Jerk trail

Development from below is possible with the help of central government agencies, interest groups, and the private sector. For instance, the recently-launched jerk trail along Jamaica's north coast can be matched by a fish and farm trail along the south coast, linking the fishing and farming communities from Little Ochi back through Milk River beach and spa, Rocky Point, Old Harbour Bay, Serenity Park, all the way to Portmore and Port Royal. Just as the tourist industry represents a main driver of the economy, the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture must continue to be a main entrepreneurial public agency driving the efforts to coordinate communities along with the Ministry of Agriculture, and others along the south coast.

Another recipe for development is local (and national) pride. Sometimes the unthinking rush from rural to urban and foreign places robs communities of their potential because of lack of pride in these communities.

Yet, many of these communities have great stories to tell and beautiful sights to behold. How many of the citizens of Gimme-Me-Bit, I-No-Call-You-No-Come, August Town, Independence City, Fat Hog Quarter, Wait-A-Bit, Bloody Bay, and hundreds of so many exotic places really do not know the history and attractive potential of their own locality.

If they did, people would have more pride in where they come from and insist on greater pride of place for their communities in Jamaica.

Free health care

This is all the more reason why the campaign to Brand Jamaica should be complemented by campaigns to brand communities.

Community development promotes economic development and care for the disadvantaged. The Sherwood Content/Waldenesia communities recently held a health fair at which 200 persons were provided with free health care that included HIV tests, back-to-school health tests for children, and packages for shut-ins.

Think if we could get our doctors and health care providers to volunteer a day in August each year to give free back-to-school health test to 200 students in 780 communities.

In one sweep we could serve 156,000 of our children. The Jamaica Police Cooperative Credit Union awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships and bursaries to 27 students in four regions of the country who sat the GSAT, to help them on to high school. It is in these ways that community organisations represent the heart and soul of Jamaica.

Community Development - 70 Years after

The year 2007 will mark 70 years since the founding of Jamaica Welfare. Its successor organisation, the Social Development Commission, has many advantages not available then, to make community development work. Jamaica is now independent and has the power to support communities through a myriad of public entrepreneurial agencies.

Community-based organisations have grown in number, and they include well-resourced credit unions and people's cooperative banks. Communities have a large diaspora with direct links to their home communities through hometown and alumni associations.

Links

We now have world-class companies in tourism, mining, and finance that can create meaningful links with agriculture and other community enterprises. We have come by a wide circle to recognise the importance of a cultural industry.

We have educational and training institutions in history, culture, and geography that can profile the potential of communities so that they can brand their unique qualities to attract investments. New thinking about development accepts community development as a necessary complement to sustainable development.

Communities have little excuse for marginalisation in today's world. Take the example of the Reach community in Portland. The Reach Cottage Industry Cooperative Society has established a factory to make banana chips.

It has been able to acquire vital machinery with the assistance of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund because the fund has developed confidence in its management. JCIF has disbursed J$3 billion to 627 projects since it started. Is your community developing plans and proposals to access some of these funds?

Take advantage of internet

Communities must follow Portmore's lead and take advantage of the Internet to build websites where they can advertise their events, history and culture; or establish community newspapers and cable stations that present sensible and informative news and programmes that would be of use to investors.

Community empowerment should not be taken to mean that communities have no power. It means they must organise their latent power and convert it into real development.

Robert Buddan is a lecturer in the Department of Government, University of the West Indies. Email:robert.buddan@uwimona.edu.jm.