CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF
THE RT. EXCELLENT MARCUS MOSIAH GARVEY
INSPIRED TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS: FULFILLING ASPIRATIONS FOR EDUCATION, ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE, POLTICAL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL EQUALITY
An exhibition at the Main Library, University of the West Indies, Mona
August 17 – September 15, 2023
This exhibition explores the impact of the African-American educator Booker T. Washington on the establishment of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) by Marcus Mosiah Garvey In July, 1914, as well as on education and social reform in Jamaica.
The tenets of Garvey’s teachings on Race, Self-reliance through entrepreneurship, and Nationhood, through the UNIA, struck a chord in people of African ancestry wherever in the World they happened to be living. Indeed, Marcus Garvey succeeded in raising the level of consciousness of Blacks and persons of mixed race and ethnicity both as individuals and as a group. This motivated them to organize socially, economically and politically to seek personal and collective Independence.
By the 1920s the UNIA had 1,200 branches in 40 countries.
Sugar: The Bittersweet Taste of Past & Present
Saccharum officinarum, better known as sugar cane, is a crop that was instrumental in shaping the foundation of many countries. Sugar: The Bittersweet Taste of Past & Present is a concise exhibition that explores the depths of the sugar cane industry in Jamaica. It is a journey filled with different chapters of how deeply the industry was entrenched in the island’s societal fabric and the residual impacts of its entrenchment.
Sugar today is considered as merely a pantry staple, however, this exhibition analyses the multi- faceted dimensions of a crop that once dominated the landscape of Jamaica. For instance, in the 1600’s sugar was considered a precious bartering tool by the British. At that point the West Indian colonies were akin to exquisite jewels that were highly protected and prized, as they were the chief source of supplying Britain with the commodity. Of these colonies it has been claimed that “Jamaica produces a greater variety of types and flavours than anywhere else in the world,” making Jamaica one of the most valuable West Indian colonies of that time.
The artefacts featured in the exhibition are all a part of the National Museum Jamaica’s collection, and were used at different stages in the production of sugar. Pictures in the exhibition showcase estates located in Jamaica that were pillars in sugar production at the height of the industry’s peak that are still in operation in 2023, though many have since stopped sugar production and are mainly focused on other aspects of production. “ Sugar was King” is not only a popular catchphrase where this exhibition is concerned, it is the very core of the simulation. Peek behind the veil as we take you on a journey of discovery where we look at the sugar cane crop and how Jamaica was shaped because of it.