JIS Visiting Schools on Jamaican Culture and Heritage Tour

The Jamaica Information Service’s (JIS) annual Heritage Month School Tour is under way, with 22 institutions across the island being targeted to receive donations of books and posters published by the agency on aspects of Jamaican culture and heritage.
Schools in St. James, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. Ann, St Catherine, St. Thomas, Kingston and St. Andrew have already been visited, with institutions in Manchester, as well as others in Kingston, to benefit from donations.
“The JIS is mindful of the importance of the preservation of Jamaican culture and heritage. We are playing our part in imparting this information to Jamaicans, particularly students, by contributing our publications to school libraries to enhance the teaching and learning in this area,” said Chief Executive Officer of the JIS, Donna-Marie Rowe.
The publications donated are ‘Jamaican Folk Customs and Beliefs’, ‘Proud to Be Jamaican Activity Book’, ‘Jamaican Honours and Awards’, ‘The Right Excellent Nanny of the Maroons’, ‘A Fi Wi Heritage’, ‘The Maroons’; packages on the national heroes and emblems, as well as new posters on Marcus Mosiah Garvey, and the Morant Bay Rebellion.
Mrs. Rowe explained that the visits by the JIS team to schools are mutually beneficial and present an opportunity to interface with a segment of the population being targeted through programming.
“We visit the schools at the height of the festivities to celebrate the work of our national heroes. At this time, the students prepare cultural items, some of which are original pieces. Their performance is an expression of their understanding of the impact our heroes had on society and their legacy they have left behind. We record them for use in upcoming JIS programmes on radio and television, and also as part of the process of preservation,” she noted.
Principal of Sheffield All-Age School in Westmoreland, Elizabeth Harvey, in explaining the significance of the celebratory period in the schools noted that, “It’s a time when we pause to reflect on the contribution made by our ancestors as well as persons still alive, to our blessed country.
“It is no secret that the heritage boasted by Jamaica is second to none… . Not only are we known but we have made an impact on the culture of many countries. Our music, colourful language and religious practices have penetrated every continent, thus we can say we have a great heritage and a great legacy,” she added.
Pointing to the sacrifice made by the national heroes, she noted that Jamaica’s legacy did not come “by chance, but as a result of those men and women who defied the odds and have given their sweat, tears, and some their lives to ensure that we can enjoy the Jamaica we have today”.
The JIS Heritage School Tour is in keeping with the agency’s thrust to facilitate the integration of the organisation into the fabric of the community.
In July, the agency donated publications to the Jamaica Intensive Reading Clinic, a literacy intervention programme, which catered to 1,500 children at 18 locations across the 14 parishes.
Meanwhile, the agency’s annual JIS Heritage Competition is under way, which involves students in primary, high and tertiary institutions competing in essay, poster and photography contests, respectively.
The competition, which this year focuses on Jamaica 55, will close on October 31.