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Outameni...a lesson from the past for our future
Friday, October 05, 2007
Mr Lennie Little-White must be commended for persevering with the dream that has become Outameni. For we are living in an age that is fast losing its taste for tradition in favour of protocols deemed more up to speed with the technology of the times.
Just take the current talks between the commissioners of the European Union (EU) and the CARIFORUM leaders.
Obviously, the sentiments that led to the establishment of non-reciprocal trade agreements that saw African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries on the receiving end of what was interpreted as chivalry by some and a semblance of reparations by others have waned.
Consequently, arrangements like the 32-year-old sugar protocol, under which Caribbean economies were guaranteed preferential markets, will soon be a matter of history. And whether we like it or not, we will have to adapt to the changes which may require us to play effectively on a field that is not level.
This is going to require more innovations like Outameni, a collection of seven villages that seek to provide an experiential, educational facet of tourism. Outameni - a 75 to 90-minute walk through Jamaica's history, described as a one-of-a-kind experience - was, according to the story reported by our Keril Wright, 10 years in the making.
Part of the reason why the attraction took so long to become a reality was due to an inability to source funding for it. Now that's a pity. For the difficulty that Mr Little-White experienced in his quest to establish Outameni speaks to an unfortunate mentality that threatens to condemn us as a country to the backwaters of the civilised world.
Obviously, Outameni is not your everyday attraction. It's an indigenous product which is going to require a lot of confidence on the part of our Government and the agencies in charge of the local tourism industry to commit the funds necessary to promote it.
We are going to have to make sure that Outameni - a take on our national motto, 'Out of many one People' - takes its place among the line-up of world wonders as a 'must see' for Jamaicans and tourists alike.
Our marketing strategy for the winter tourist season, which starts in December, is going to have to target the anthropologists, historians and other academics on the international scene in the effort to realise the objectives that kept Mr Little-White going when things seemed hopeless.
Like Mr Little-White, we are going to have to rule out whining as an option and focus on the opportunities that are available to us. Only then will we truly be able to say that we are ready to learn and earn from our past.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Mr Lennie Little-White must be commended for persevering with the dream that has become Outameni. For we are living in an age that is fast losing its taste for tradition in favour of protocols deemed more up to speed with the technology of the times.
Just take the current talks between the commissioners of the European Union (EU) and the CARIFORUM leaders.
Obviously, the sentiments that led to the establishment of non-reciprocal trade agreements that saw African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries on the receiving end of what was interpreted as chivalry by some and a semblance of reparations by others have waned.
Consequently, arrangements like the 32-year-old sugar protocol, under which Caribbean economies were guaranteed preferential markets, will soon be a matter of history. And whether we like it or not, we will have to adapt to the changes which may require us to play effectively on a field that is not level.
This is going to require more innovations like Outameni, a collection of seven villages that seek to provide an experiential, educational facet of tourism. Outameni - a 75 to 90-minute walk through Jamaica's history, described as a one-of-a-kind experience - was, according to the story reported by our Keril Wright, 10 years in the making.
Part of the reason why the attraction took so long to become a reality was due to an inability to source funding for it. Now that's a pity. For the difficulty that Mr Little-White experienced in his quest to establish Outameni speaks to an unfortunate mentality that threatens to condemn us as a country to the backwaters of the civilised world.
Obviously, Outameni is not your everyday attraction. It's an indigenous product which is going to require a lot of confidence on the part of our Government and the agencies in charge of the local tourism industry to commit the funds necessary to promote it.
We are going to have to make sure that Outameni - a take on our national motto, 'Out of many one People' - takes its place among the line-up of world wonders as a 'must see' for Jamaicans and tourists alike.
Our marketing strategy for the winter tourist season, which starts in December, is going to have to target the anthropologists, historians and other academics on the international scene in the effort to realise the objectives that kept Mr Little-White going when things seemed hopeless.
Like Mr Little-White, we are going to have to rule out whining as an option and focus on the opportunities that are available to us. Only then will we truly be able to say that we are ready to learn and earn from our past.