Dr Lilieth Nelson took us on a wondrous Independence Day Journey and celebrated our rich culture on the weekly programme presented by CCRP and sponsored by Jamaica National General Insurance - CCRP Update.
Here is Michael Edwards' report on the interview:
Share the Richness of Jamaica's Culture to Keep it Alive - Dr Nelson
Well-known educator and performer Dr Lilieth Nelson, is encouraging Jamaicans of all ages to get together throughout the year to share the richness and vibrancy of the Jamaican culture and thus keep the culture alive.
Our culture, she said must be celebrated for its uniqueness, as symbolized in our flag, said to be the only national flag which does not contain the colours red, white or blue, as well as in its focus on self-reliance and self-knowledge.
Speaking with Gerry McDaniel on the Independence edition of the programme CCRP Update on Radio Jamaica, Dr Nelson, who was a teenager at St Hugh's High School in Kingston at the first Independence celebrations in 1962, shared the manifold emotions that marked that momentous experience.
"Pride, great expectation, joy and even euphoria, those are some of the feelings which immediately come to mind," Dr. Nelson said.
She recalled the delight in singing, for the first time, the National Anthem and reciting the National Pledge. She also recalled numerous church services and lively parties that attended the occasion.
Dr Nelson also spoke of the memorabilia available, including mugs, mini-flags and even a five-shilling (currency used until 1969) Jamaica stamp.
A critical element if the Independence celebrations is the National Festival competition. Dr. Nelson shared her experience as an adjudicator of the Music, Traditional Folk Forms and Gospel programmes of the Festival and the great times she shared with Marjorie Whylie, Lilith Sewell and Noel Dexter.
Dr. Nelson would also work with Dexter and Whylie in the University Singers, who have performed at special Independence services in Jamaica and overseas. She mentioned University Singers alumni such as Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Andre Nembhard, Paulette Bellamy and current musical director Franklin Haliburton, who have gone on to greater renown.
Born in Kingston, Dr. Nelson received her early education at Calabar Infant and Elementary and then at Cedar Valley Elementary before moving to St. Hugh's and on to the University of the West Indies. She has long been a passionate advocate for involvement in the creative and performing arts as a tool to boost overall academic performance.
CCRP, founded in 2010, is non-profit member organization for persons 50 and over. It presently has over 11,000 members islandwide.
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