Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, Dr. Rev. Alfred Reid (left), bids farewell to Governor-General Professor Kenneth Hall, while Canon Rev. Justin Nembhard (right) gives a handshake to Her Excellency, Mrs. Rheima Hall, following the official opening of the 137th Annual Synod Convention at the St. James Parish Church, Montego Bay, on Tuesday. - photo by Noel Thompson

Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Reverend Dr. Alfred Reid, Lord Bishop for the Anglican Church in Jamaica and the Grand Cayman, says the present warfare in the country is an indication that the people have internalised the colonial slave master's image of themselves as savages.

"The present ... warfare in our country is a manifestation of ... over four hundred years of slavery and colonialism," he said. He noted that such a phenomenon "regards evil and violence as the norm, and the natural expression of power."

"It also represents the slave master's policy of sacrificing masses of people for personal gain. In the process we have become as vicious and brutish as they, and have demonstrated that we have internalised their image of us as savages without feeling or the capacity for love," the Lord Bishop added.

He made the comments on Tuesday, while delivering the sermon at the opening service for the 137th annual synod of the Anglican Church in Jamaica and the Grand Cayman, at the St. James Parish Church, Montego Bay.

The council is being held under the theme 'Called to freedom, working for justice, embracing responsibility', in celebration of the abolition of slavery.

A sense of belonging

Rev. Reid noted that displaced youths in Jamaica are joining gangs because they desire a sense of belonging, and are being used in the fight to promote the interest of a few 'dons' and other individuals who manipulate them for private advantage.

"The need to belong is a basic human need, and that is why we should continue our foreparents' tradition of solidarity, mutual support and community building," the clergyman stated.

Among those in attendance were Governor-General Professor Kenneth Hall and Her Excellency Mrs. Rheima Hall; Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Diocese, Lensley Wolfe, and Dr. Horace Chang, deputy leader of the Jamaica Labour Party.

The synod, which ends today, will feature a lecture on the slave trade by Dr. Patrick Bryan of the University of the West Indies' Department of History.