Anthea McGibbon

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It was at least with curiosity and expectation that some persons went to the National Stadium on August 6, to witness the second staging of the revived annual Independence Grand Gala. The gala in celebration of Jamaica’s 47th year of Independence was unifying, but little gratifying, leaving many in lingering expectation of more from the programme, and with some satisfaction.

From as early as 3:00p.m. throngs of Jamaicans converged on the gates of National Stadium, converting to chaos, an otherwise orderly system with one ticket securing a seat. Had there been no security to streamline entry to the venue, the gates would have been destroyed by overly zealous patrons, numbering more than last year.

After meandering their way through the sea of bodies to get inside, media personnel went to the grandstand, joining in with the anticipation of the crowd. Even offshore visitors were bedecked in green, black and gold!

    As the dignitaries arrived for the start of the proceedings, the cheers of the crowds grew louder and louder in wailing crescendos when leaders from the political divide filed in. The proceedings officially started with the national anthem as soon as the Governor General, His Excellency, Sir Patrick Allen, arrived and quickly shuffled in place.

  The first segment began with drill displays from the armed forces and uniformed groups. To much acclaim, the combined bands of the Jamaica Regiment, Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Military Band marched on in unison, resplendent in their various uniforms. Their drum rolls reverberated through the tunnel, highlighting the anticipation of the crowd. As the combined drum majors wielded their maces, the ultimate demonstration was on display, as the massed bands slowly configured a ‘heart’ formation, much to the delight of the crowd. It was the showing of the theme “I believe in Jamaica”, which was to be echoed, underlined and understood on a new level throughout the programme.

   Immediately after the military display, the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force came out with their band and fixed bayonets. Their drill display was more appreciated by the younger section of the crowd as they had incorporated well coordinated rifle drills in their ‘Flag’ formation which was also well received. The cadet band, under the direction of Capt. Marlon Levy emerged with the seemingly favourite marching tune Swing March. After the accolades were showered by the announcer, the Governor General took his place

for a 10-minute march past provided by the Pathfinders, Boy’s Brigade, Girl’s Brigade, The Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, some of whom appeared to have grown inches taller in confidence while on the march.

    The uninitiated within the crowd were taken for a chronographic trip through our history, from the Spanish takeover straight through to the transitions of music from the ska to the dancehall era. The narration was done in the local dialect by Amina Blackwood-Meeks, but it seemed as if the choreography and true to life costumes had found the most favour with the audience on hand. Noteworthy within the presentation was the Anancy effigy which had seemed to bring those more familiar to previous festivals to sense of reminiscence.
   The crowd hungered for more, and by the time JAMFIT cheerleaders emerged, the bar was set very high.  Sadly they did not fully utilize the space, and for some segments, they left the audience wondering. The audience was little appreciation, also showed some discontent in the fact that the group did not deliver with the expected ‘punch’.

    Soon the energetic Roy Rayon would again give new direction to audience hype during the “Best of Festival” segment with Fever. He returned for an encore performance of Give Thanks and Praises which was more emphatically delivered. Another favoured past festival winner Eric Donaldson delivered the patriotic Land of My Birth, inspiring the thickening of waving flags up in the air. But in Cherry Oh Baby, there were a few missed notes, more than enough for a  veteran. I was still in for more.

   Singing veteran Lloyd Lovindeer, seemed up to outdo the previous two veterans, working a frenzy in the grandstand with  Wild Gilbert and Think It Over, and his segment was done too soon.

Within the main singing segment, the pauses between the performances were not long enough. While the performers did not appear to be disturbed, it was disrupted the enjoyment for some patrons. It was at this point of the gala it was announced that the stadium was full to capacity, and it was at this point that some ticket holders were directed towards the National Arena. Even ticket holders who made it inside immediately got a bitter taste in the mouth at the thought of the many who followed the rules, but were denied their rights at such a national event.
   Later on, when more Jamaican performances were demanded by the audience, Byron Lee’s Dragonnaires answered the call. They took the audience through a gamut of Jamaican tunes, including Born Yah, Duppy or a Gunman, Ram Goat Liver. The front man of the band tailored a few moments, with his chiming of  I Am Blessed which was received with vociferous screams. Immediately after, the singing quartet LUST wasted no time in delivering their now famous cover of Air Supply hit Just As I Am, and found favour among  the diplomatic section.

P Gavin James photo

 Their heartfelt delivery of Heal the World was the prelude to a fifteen minute tribute to the recently deceased ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson.

   A descended hush across stadium was interrupted by a “Bang!” ordering firework and an enormous upward spray of glitter, — an enthralling opening to a unprecedented Jamaican Michael Jackson performance, skillfully executed by Onaje Bell, and his supporting cast. They delivered chart topping hits The Way You Make Me Feel and Thriller. The performance was greeted with cheers by many, but also with consternation at the fact that so much fireworks and the highlight of a non- Jamaican at a civic event.

Some thought of leaving, and some did. Others mumbled over missing cultural presence replaced by the tribute to the international king of pop, despite how embedded his skills had become in our culture, and the stark delivery by the local imitato.

 After the scintillating performance, there was a motorbike display coming from Crazy Bikers, which while entertaining and was also not necessarily relevant to the national significance of the event.

Many Jamaicans were expecting more artistic portrayals and performances of a Jamaican nature, perhaps the choices were deliberate as Jackson had recently died, and the organizers mindful of the high appreciation for him sought to add variety in a feel-good event.
      The palete was teased, but the offering could have possessed a stronger national identity. Still, a sense of patriotism lingered, as supporting Jamaicans remained committed to attending the third year of the revived  independence gala – an obvious work in progress.

P Gavin James is an honours graduate of CARIMAC.

Article made possible with the courtesy of Jamaica Cultural Development Centre. Contact them at 876 926 5726-9 or at JCDC.

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” –” Marcus Mosiah Garvey

eric donalson, jamaica independence day, lovindeer, michael jackson, roy rayon