Heroes and Nation Builders of Jamaica

"He bared his chest and declared…If you are going to shoot, shoot me, but leave these defenceless, hungry people alone." ….Alexander Bustamante

I once saw a play in the 80's at the little theater where the above was said by one of the actors and another actor shouted in response…..”A should a now!!” …to the laughter of the audience…

His implication was that today's police would have obliged Alexander Bustamante and open fire killing him and everyone dead. I however think that if it was now there would be no one to play the role of Bustamante because that is not how our current so called leaders roll, we would simply be on our own.

Market Woman early 1900

For me, the best part of Jamaican history is the period from 1900 to 1962. I call this period the Golden Age of the Nation Building. The fight against hard life and suffering experienced at the hands of British Colonialism. A time when the working class, Educated Class, middle and upper middle class came together and took a stand. Back in those days, people had Back Bones made of steel, intellectual minds coupled with a gritty personalities. They were not afraid to risk their liberty, life and limbs while standing up for their Principles, defending their country and people. Back then the educated few was the spear head of the movements.

This is not a period in Jamaica’s History to forget or dismiss since full knowledge of what happened and all the players involved is required to create a strong foundation for future Nation Builders. What they did, how they did it and why they did it should be taught in every schools across Jamaica and their names should flow from the tongues of old and young alike. These Nation Builders were strong, charismatic and educated, their ability to organize the masses and articulate their hopes, dreams and desires for the future even in the face of British Colonial might, is why they were so successful.

These men and women could engage the British on so many levels, most of all on an intellectual level and if that failed, they had the power to shut down the entire country with just one word. They could mobilize the population of Jamaica, have them take to the streets at a moment’s noticed. Even when the colonial forces tried to stop them with a barrage of bullets. Yes they were scared and concern for themselves and their love ones but they considered what they were fighting for to be righteous, honorable and more important than life itself.

Frank Hill, Ken Hill, Richard Hart, Arthur Henry

They were fighting for Liberty, Equality and Social-Justice, for the rights of man, for the freedom of man and for the Independence and birth of a Nation.

They were not perfect, far from it but they were more of a man and woman than any man or woman claiming to be our leaders today. 

They were supposed to live for an eternity through us, we were suppose to be an embodiment of their spirit and humanity but we failed them. The current generation cannot not carry their achievements, we do not have their strength, their discipline and determination.

Wherever they are now, I am sure they must be saying to themselves that what they fought and died for was a waste of their time and life. They must be saying look at them running around without any sense of collective purpose, consumed by their own self-importance, consumed by greed and selfishness, every man for themselves. Look at how they turn their backs on everything we fought so hard to achieve. Because every level of the Jamaican society is infected with self-importance, consumed by greed and selfishness and entitlement.


I can imagine Sam Sharpe and Paul Bogle turning to the others saying “might as well we kept our mouth shut, cut the masters cane and say yes sir may I have another when the whip cut across our backs, instead of having that rope around our broken necks." Because they had so much hope for us but look how we let them down.

I know when we think of the period from 1900 to 1962 only Manley and Bustamante comes to mind but there were so much more players involved and without these brave men and women, both Manley and Bustamante although being great men just would not have succeeded.

It is a waste of time to compare our so called leaders today to these brave men and women. As it would be an insult to their memory because not one can stand up beside them. The fact is our current stock of educated and political class (Home Grown Colonials) are nothing more than shallow over privilege selfish little pricks, consumed by their own self-importance and I have no respect for them.

The members of the educated and political class are not men or women of substance and value, they are profiling little fluff bunnies. They exist in a floss bubble and trying very hard to keep their bubble intact at the expense of the people and the future of their country. Their flawed concept of class is measured by money, too stupid to realize that all the stolen money in the world cannot buy an ounce of class. It does not matter how big your house is or how massive a car you drive, you are and will always be just a Shallow Little Prick living in a big house and a Shallow Little Prick driving a big car. The educated and political class enjoys the poverty around them simply because that is the only way for them to stand out and feel special, it enables the look at me syndrome, profiling syndrome.

Colonial Britain Propaganda Newsreel : “Just a hundreds years ago Great Britain abolish Slavery, today the Jamaican Negro is a happy and law abiding citizen, loyal to his Government of which he is very proud. The reality for Jamaicans was very different from that portrait by newsreel at the time, unemployment was very high and wages very low.”

For the most part we as a people were engineered to collectively belittle ourselves, our achievements, our history. Most Jamaicans belittle our past leaders because to understand these great men and women would belittle our lives and make us realize that in the scheme of things we are nothing.

History will collectively define us as cowards, selfish, greedy, tribal and inhumane and history will not remember our names because it is not worth remembering. History will remember our post independence political class as corrupt, murdering, selfish little twats who purposely created hardship and suffering for their people. Who armed Jamaicans and send them out to murder other Jamaicans and who stole from every Jamaican to satisfy their own greed.

Norman Washington Manley

I said before that some of our past leaders, even though they were visionaries and great men were not perfect, no one is, however long before we had political party violence in Jamaica, there was Trade Union violence which was like a drug gang turf war. The Unions set the stage for the political violence that was to come and what we experienced over the decades, the BITU gave birth to the JLP and from the NWU came the PNP but instead of Nation Building these Political Parties now practice Nation Destruction.

When we were fighting the British our mission was clear cut and well defined, it was US against THEM. After the British left, we did not know what to do, we searched high and low for someone else to fight but found only Jamaicans. Unable to find any other group to demonized, we quickly turned on ourselves. Jamaicans from all walk of life rallied around the Political Parties and shouted “old dutty Labourite”... and …”old dutty Socialist” at each other.

We made up retarded party slogans…”Stand Firm!”…and…”Deliverance!” and shouted them at each other, we created Political Party Gang colours and signs and flashed them at each other. Some "Raised the Fist", others raised "The Victory Sign” and after we had fully demonized each other in every which way we could, filling our hearts with pure hate and contempt for our fellow man, we then proceeded to set upon our Jamaican brothers and sisters with great vengeance. We murdered Jamaican Men, Women and children with ease simply because they belong to the other party. All in the name of politics and our political overlords, ......such is our Legacy!

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• Independence and Freedom means absolutely nothing without a strong sense Responsibility and Discipline. 
• Equality, Social-Justice, Self-Reliance and Discipline are wonderful principles to live by and we should try to instil these principles back into our society.
• Political Tribalism will be the death of us, as we are way too small and too poor to survive this crab in a barrel mentality.
• Jamaica is a country with so much potentials, we could achieve so much as a people if we apply our selves but we do not think or operate as a collective.

Updated: 18/10/2015

HAPPY NATIONAL HEROES DAY!!! … Jamaicans need to separate the current situation of our country from our historic situation. Some Jamaicans are asking why we are celebrating the achievements of our National Heroes, our founders when we have achieved so little. This is not the fault of our Brave founders, the last of our Nation Builders. They did their part, they fought with their very lives, shed their blood to achieve certain Nation Building Milestones. How were they to know we would be too fucking stupid to take what they have done to the mountain top.

They gave their Blood and their very lives to fight the sufferings of Slavery, engaged forces that was way more powerful than they were. Against the odds and knew that they could not win the battle but their vision was to win the war. During the hard suffering times of Colonisation they took to the streets to demand workers rights, universal adult suffrage and independence but was met with overwhelming Colonial forces. Many lost their lives and their freedom but that did not stop them because they were fighting for the greater good of the Nation.

Where we are today is no fault of theirs, their achievements and milestones will outlive us all and we are nothing compare to them. Our recent history is solid proof of that. In fact we are an insult to their memory, to their sacrifices and if they are watching us now from the cosmos I am sure they are disappointed and ashamed.

The simple fact that some people are asking why are we celebrating our heroes is a testament of our failure and one of the main reason why we fail, most Jamaicans know the price of everything and the true value of nothing.   

Updated: 17/10/2016 -  HAPPY NATIONAL HEROES DAY!!! 

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St. William Grant

Alexander Bustamante

Sir Florizel Glasspole

The Right to Vote

Workers Rights!!

Colonial Times

Life in Jamaica under British Rule as a Crown Colony can be defined as a place filled with poverty and inequality, many Jamaicans at the time was still working on the estates for below living wages.

Selling Sugar in the Market

Sugar Press

Winston Churchill in Spanish Town Jamaica, 1940s