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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>Not so fast on this 'hero' thing!</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>Michael Burke
Thursday, August 17, 2006
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=80 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Michael Burke</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>TODAY is the 119th birthday of Marcus Mosiah Garvey. It was he who said, "We must emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, because while others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind." Some decades later, Bob Marley would put those words to music. Garvey spent his time teaching Africans in the Diaspora about the glorious past of Africa.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It was Marcus Garvey who said, "If you have no confidence, you are twice defeated in the race of life." Last Thursday, I pointed out that Louise Bennett gave us confidence in ourselves by making us proud of our language. At the same time, we have a problem in Jamaica where there are always people who will want to make others national heroes very fast.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It started with Anglican Bishop Percival Gibson. In October 1969, Jamaica introduced a system of national heroes. In April 1970, Bishop Gibson - the founder of Kingston College - died. Some wanted to make him a national hero. They were urged to wait by more objective heads. When Bob Marley died in 1981, the same cry went up. Again, they were urged to wait.<P class=StoryText align=justify>When Michael Manley died in 1997, the cry was deafeningly loud. At that time, I had written an article in the now defunct Jamaica Herald entitled "Heroes, sheroes and zeroes". The point that I made then was that, if Michael Manley was made a national hero, then why not Edward Seaga and if Edward Seaga was made a national hero, then why not every prime minister of Jamaica? Why not everyone who ever served as a minister of government?<P class=StoryText align=justify>It may be "sloppy thinking", as Ian Boyne wrote in last Sunday's Gleaner. But one wishes to avoid cheapening the hero process, so it is best to wait. This I think was essentially the point that Sherman Escoffery was making and it is a sentiment that I share.<P class=StoryText align=justify>I believe, like Ian Boyne and Deacon Peter Espeut, that Louise Bennett is definitely hero material. But one should take a leaf out of the book of the Roman Catholic Church with respect to canonisation. It is a slow process learnt from the bad experience of having to decanonise saints in centuries long gone.<P class=StoryText align=justify>I doubt if anyone could find any thing but good about Miss Lou. But what about the clamour that would come for others to be made heroes? What if politicians, being who they are, decided to give in to popular sentiment for vote-catching reasons? Michael Manley died in the year PJ Patterson, as prime minister, called a general election. He is to be commended for restraining himself from declaring Michael a national hero for votes. But if he did, then there would have been a whole heap of noise about who else should have been made a hero.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In the Roman Catholic Church, there has to be the evidence of miracles and that of an exemplary life, especially after conversion.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Blessed Teresa of Calcutta died only nine years ago. But even Blessed Teresa has not yet been canonised.
<SPAN class=Subheadline></SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>Michael Burke
Thursday, August 17, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=80 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>Michael Burke</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>TODAY is the 119th birthday of Marcus Mosiah Garvey. It was he who said, "We must emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, because while others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind." Some decades later, Bob Marley would put those words to music. Garvey spent his time teaching Africans in the Diaspora about the glorious past of Africa.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It was Marcus Garvey who said, "If you have no confidence, you are twice defeated in the race of life." Last Thursday, I pointed out that Louise Bennett gave us confidence in ourselves by making us proud of our language. At the same time, we have a problem in Jamaica where there are always people who will want to make others national heroes very fast.<P class=StoryText align=justify>It started with Anglican Bishop Percival Gibson. In October 1969, Jamaica introduced a system of national heroes. In April 1970, Bishop Gibson - the founder of Kingston College - died. Some wanted to make him a national hero. They were urged to wait by more objective heads. When Bob Marley died in 1981, the same cry went up. Again, they were urged to wait.<P class=StoryText align=justify>When Michael Manley died in 1997, the cry was deafeningly loud. At that time, I had written an article in the now defunct Jamaica Herald entitled "Heroes, sheroes and zeroes". The point that I made then was that, if Michael Manley was made a national hero, then why not Edward Seaga and if Edward Seaga was made a national hero, then why not every prime minister of Jamaica? Why not everyone who ever served as a minister of government?<P class=StoryText align=justify>It may be "sloppy thinking", as Ian Boyne wrote in last Sunday's Gleaner. But one wishes to avoid cheapening the hero process, so it is best to wait. This I think was essentially the point that Sherman Escoffery was making and it is a sentiment that I share.<P class=StoryText align=justify>I believe, like Ian Boyne and Deacon Peter Espeut, that Louise Bennett is definitely hero material. But one should take a leaf out of the book of the Roman Catholic Church with respect to canonisation. It is a slow process learnt from the bad experience of having to decanonise saints in centuries long gone.<P class=StoryText align=justify>I doubt if anyone could find any thing but good about Miss Lou. But what about the clamour that would come for others to be made heroes? What if politicians, being who they are, decided to give in to popular sentiment for vote-catching reasons? Michael Manley died in the year PJ Patterson, as prime minister, called a general election. He is to be commended for restraining himself from declaring Michael a national hero for votes. But if he did, then there would have been a whole heap of noise about who else should have been made a hero.<P class=StoryText align=justify>In the Roman Catholic Church, there has to be the evidence of miracles and that of an exemplary life, especially after conversion.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Blessed Teresa of Calcutta died only nine years ago. But even Blessed Teresa has not yet been canonised.
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