Buju, Special Olympians, Calabar – ‘one people’

Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 March 2019

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Jamaica’s ‘One People’ and our visitors celebrated together Buju’s “Long Walk to Freedom”, which packed every available room in Kingston – hotel, Airbnb, friends and relatives.  Watching a livestream provided by the now famous Jermaine Dixon, we were moved by the majestic and emotional entrance of the long-awaited Buju, singing “Lamb of God”, the digital torches dancing in our National Stadium.

We had friends and relatives who flew in for the event; how happy they were that they made the effort.  “It was a night of joy,” said our Canadian friend Jo. “Tears were streaming down my face as I watched Buju, crying also, because he could feel our love.”

I had met young Buju in 1996 when his “Not An Easy Road” became the soundtrack for Jamaica’s Olympic campaign.  Little did we know then how radically his lyrics would have changed and how uneasy he would make his own road. Now he is back, exuding the spirituality we love in his lyrics. We give thanks for the excellent organisers who ensured that his homecoming lived up to the expectations of his ardent fans.

A few days after the Concert, Buju was seen distributing meals to the street people in Downtown Kingston, no fanfare, no media.  The man has paid his dues, he is back and we join in his prayer:  

“Destiny, mama look from when you call me
Destiny, mama look from when you calling
I wanna rule my destiny
yeah, yeah oh help I please Jah Jah
Mek mi rule my destiny.”

Special Olympians triumph in Abu Dhabi

Jamaica's inspiring Special Olympians with Executive Director Lorna Bell
dedicated coaches and volunteers in Abu Dhabi

Our ‘Out of Many One People’ motto is celebrated in the “unified teams” which represented Jamaica at the just ended Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.  The football, basketball, badminton and volleyball teams comprise athletes with and without intellectual disabilities whose watchwords are “stronger together”.  These and the other participants can boast of the biggest ever haul of medals at the World Games, a total of 33: 15 gold, 10 silver and 8 bronze.

Badminton head coach Terry Walker told Observer sports reporter Sanjay Myers of her unified players: “I believe both players played at their best level, gaining an appreciation for the work they put on prior to the Games. I am satisfied with the result of gold and silver medals. My personal experience of inclusion at these Games goes beyond sports; it speaks to how we as a people can team together, to help each other experience happy moments.”

There is no praise high enough for Special Olympics Jamaica Executive Director Lorna Bell who runs a year-round programme for our special athletes from every single parish in Jamaica.  In turn, Lorna credits the dedicated family members, volunteers and sponsors for keeping the programme going and growing.  Special Olympics Chairman Allie McNab and Board Director Paula Pinnock have been amazing standard bearers. 

Our Jamaica Constabulary Force has been staging the Torch Run for Special Olympics for over 30 years and were also represented in Abu Dhabi. We have to thank Lorna and Fae Ellington for their continuous social media posts which had us living victorious moments, and witnessing the splendid luncheon held in their honour by Digicel Chairman Denis O’Brien. Photographer Collin Rein travelled with the team, supplying media with brilliant images.

Calabar debacle

As I considered the empathy of our unified athletes at Special Olympics, I wondered if the Calabar track stars would have acted differently if they had been exposed to such exercises. It was when Calabar physics teacher Sanjaye Shaw appeared on television that I realised that he was a person with albinism. Was this the reason that the alleged abuse took place?

We should congratulate Sanjaye Shaw for excelling in the challenging subject of physics, courageously continuing his studies while dealing with the challenges of albinism.  As for those who do the bullying and those who turn a blind eye, they should know that a UNICEF study reveals that both the victims and the bullies “tend to suffer from ill health and poor employment outcomes as they grow to adulthood.” 

Yekaterina Chzhen writes on the UNICEF website, “It is now understood that childhood bullying casts a “long shadow” on both the victims and perpetrators, but a more nuanced understanding of how it affects bystanders is over-due …our findings suggest that even children who are not necessarily involved in bullying end up being dragged down in their academic achievement.”

School administrators should therefore note her recommendation: “Our research demonstrates that anti-bullying interventions need to consider the whole school context, while the evaluations of such interventions should measure the impacts on children not directly involved in peer violence.”

We need to look no further than our brightest stars of the track – Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for the best examples of athletes who are focused on their own development and the welfare of others, and have never been disrespectful.

Our young athletes need guidance, not indulgence.  Mr Shaw disclosed that he had made his complaint soon after the incident and had resorted to the media briefing only because he had been ignored. If this is so, he must receive apologies from his abusers and from those who did not act on his report.

Then, let this be a lesson to all such institutions, that the “one people” in our national motto refers to every single Jamaican. Let us follow the example of Special Olympics Jamaica, embracing our differences, so we will be “stronger together”.