[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19744]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 JAMAICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 4, 1999

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable 
island nation which will be celebrating its 37th year of Independence 
on Friday, August 6, 1999. This is the island nation of Jamaica. But 
although independent Jamaica will be celebrating its 37th birthday this 
Friday, the nation of Jamaica is much older than its 37 years. In fact, 
this nation was born in 1655, 344 years ago, when the former African 
slaves established free Maroon settlements after the Spanish colonial 
power had departed the island. It came to adolescence on August 1, 
1834, when slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. 
Independence is the culmination of a long period of gestation, growth, 
and maturity in the life of this nation.
  Jamaica has bequeathed a glorious legacy of resistance to human 
oppression. The Maroon rebellion, led by its freedom fighters, 
inflicted heavy losses on the British and forced them to recognize the 
autonomy of the Maroon communities. Among its pantheon of freedom 
fighters are Cudjoe, Nanny, Johnny, and Accompong.
  Jamaica provided leadership during the labor disturbances of 1938, 
when harsh social conditions forced the working class to take serious 
industrial action. Among the leaders of the labor revolt were Allen 
George Coombs, the old Garveyite warrior St. William Grant, and the 
incomparable William Alexander Bustamante.
  Jamaican contribution has not been confined to the island of Jamaica. 
Jamaicans have contributed to the struggle for human rights in the 
U.S.A. Among the outstanding Jamaicans who have contributed to our 
history are John Brown Russwurm, the author of the first black 
newspaper, Freedom's Journal, Robert Brown Elliot, who served in this 
Congress from the great State of South Carolina, during the 
Reconstruction period, Claude McKay, one of the outstanding authors 
during the Harlem Renaissance, and Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the prophet of 
Pan African nationalism.
  Jamaica has produced more musical genres than any country in the 
world, except the U.S. Its traditional African rhythms as reflected in

[[Page E1742]]

the Kumina, Myal and Pocomania cults led to the development of the 
worksongs, then to the Mento, then the Ska, the Rock Steady and finally 
the internationally acclaimed Reggae music.
  Each of these musical genres has produced its pantheon of superstars. 
The worksongs produced the acclaimed lyricist, Harry Belafonte, the 
Mento produced the legendary Lord Flea and Lord Fly, the Ska produced 
the Skatalites, Rock Steady produced artistes such as Hopeton Lewis and 
Delroy Wilson, and Reggae produced Jimmy Cliff, Peter Josh, Dennis 
Brown, and the incomparable Robert Nesta Marley.
  This nation has produced more sports heroes than any other nation, 
with the exception of the U.S. It has produced superstars in the fields 
of cricket, soccer, netball, hockey, boxing, and athletics. It has 
created history in such nontraditional sports as bobsled, chess, and 
baseball. It has contributed to the American past time by producing 
such superstars as Patrick Ewing of the Knicks, Devon White formerly of 
the Blue Jays, and Chili Davis of the Yankees.
  Mr. Speaker, never in the long history of human achievement has a 
nation of such modest size, population, and resources produced so many 
talented individuals in virtually every field of human endeavor--in the 
struggle against oppression, in the struggle for social justice, in the 
task of creating an Afrocentric identity, and in the fields of music, 
drama, and sports.
  I wish to conclude by paraphrasing a tribute, which William 
Shakespeare once paid to another island nation:

     This royal throne of Kings, this scepter'd isle,
     This Earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
     This other Eden, demi-paradise.
     This happy breed of men, this little world,
     This precious stone set in a silver sea,
     This blessed plot, this Earth, this realm,
     This Jamaica.

     

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