‘Cherish our heritage’

PASTOR of Lakes Pen Apostolic Church, Overseer Cassel Dunkley is urging Jamaicans to reclaim the everyday acts of kindness and respect that once brought communities together. He argued that the country’s heritage is found not only in its national heroes, anthem, and history books, but also in the values passed down through generations as Jamaica confronts mounting challenges. Dunkley, who was addressing the National Heritage Week Thanksgiving Church Service on Sunday at Church of the Open Bible on Washington Boulevard, in St Andrew, said Jamaica must preserve the traditions that taught people to care for their neighbours, help grieving families, and treat other people’s children as their own. He recalled a time when a family experiencing a death could expect relatives and neighbours to arrive with food and other assistance, contrasting that tradition with what he described as a loss of community spirit. “When somebody died in the country, granny came with a bunch of bananas, auntie came with something, cousin came with something. Nowadays, when somebody dies, it becomes a party. We want beer, we want Red Stripe, and black stripe, and white stripe. But I come from a heritage that when something happens, your neighbour is going to look out for you — [and] those are the things we want to get back to,” Dunkley said. He also called for a return to the close community relationships in which neighbours shared responsibility for children and looked out for one another, regardless of whether they expected anything in return. “We want to get back and cherish the heritage where your tears become my tears, when I try to do something to help you more than try to do something to belittle you,” he said. Dunkley said Jamaica’s heritage must also be reflected in how people treat others. “We must cherish respect for all, irrespective of your belief. We must learn to love, forgive, and respect each other. But sometimes we allow material things to shift our focus, and we judge people by the car they drive, we judge them by the place they live. But remember… we are one blood,” he said. “Love those who can’t buy you a shirt. Love those who can’t give you nothing in return. Because sometimes we only give to those who can give back to us, we only are kind to those who can be kind back to us. But somebody around the corner is looking for your love, somebody who hurt you is looking and waiting for your forgiveness,” Dunkley said. He argued that preserving the country’s heritage requires Jamaicans to remember the lessons taught by previous generations, including honesty, respect for others, and responsibility for the wider community. Dunkley recalled how children were expected to return items they found if those items did not belong to them, saying such lessons should not be lost as the country develops. “Do you remember the time in Jamaica when if you brought home a pen, your mother says, ‘Where did you get it from?’ and granny tied her head and said, ‘We are going to school with you in the morning because you have to give it back’? We couldn’t say ‘finders keepers’; we were taught to return the things that do not belong to us. We cannot afford to lose that heritage,” he said. Beyond these everyday customs, Dunkley reminded the congregation of the sacrifices made by Jamaica’s national heroes and other leaders in shaping the country’s history. Dunkley said Jamaicans have much to be thankful for, including the country’s educational institutions and the role the Church played and continues to play in society. He urged Jamaicans not to allow negative news and the country’s problems to overshadow its achievements. “But I borrow the words of [Governor General] Sir Patrick Allen. He said, ‘We can use what is right about Jamaica to fix what is not right,’ ” Dunkley said. He also called for greater civic pride, including respect for the environment, and recalled school lessons that encouraged children to pick up litter and keep their surroundings clean. Dunkley also called for Jamaica’s national anthem and pledge to be given greater prominence at public gatherings, arguing that the words and values they represent should remain part of the country’s everyday life. He said Jamaica’s history and traditions should help guide the country through its present difficulties, adding that people must understand their past if they are to make sound decisions about the future. “We must cherish our heritage! We might have different theological beliefs… but, brothers and sisters, we must embrace and understand where we are coming from — because if we don’t know where we are coming from we will not know where we are going,” said Dunkley.