(Jamaica Observer) – FROM schoolchildren in the country’s colours to packed cultural events, Trinidad and Tobago’s new High Commissioner Deborah Thomas-Felix says the unapologetic pride Jamaicans display in their identity is one of the things that has impressed her most since taking up her post.
Having lived in several Caribbean countries, Thomas-Felix said Jamaica’s expression of national pride stands out to her because of how openly it is displayed in everyday life, from the workplace to sporting and cultural events.
She was particularly struck by the way Jamaicans embrace national occasions, including Jamaica Day, when people turn out in the country’s colours, adding that the celebration of national identity extends beyond the traditional observances of Independence and Emancipation.
“You all have a national day — schoolchildren, big people going to work in Jamaica colours. I was so struck by that when I experienced it… Don’t get me wrong, because Trinidad and Tobago has a deep sense of pride and love, but it’s the way, the open way in which it’s displayed in Jamaica,” she expressed during the a Jamaica Observer Press Club at the newspaper’s Beechwood Avenue, St Andrew, headquarters last Friday.
For Thomas-Felix, the pride is also visible in how Jamaica celebrates its culture, with Reggae Month — commemorated in February — providing an entire month of activities centred on one of the country’s most recognisable cultural exports.
She said that visible enthusiasm has helped her better understand Jamaicans in the Diaspora.
