Tell me straight up. Who are your heroes, and what is your heritage? Easy questions right? Well, maybe not, because the answer can vary depending on who's doing the asking, and the context within which the asking happens.

If the questions are asked in a class quiz, or on one of our televised schools' challenge shows, everybody knows that a satisfactory response to part 1 would be to press the buzzer and bawl out the names of our officially declared national heroes: Nanny, Garvey, Sharpe, Bogle, Gordon, Manley and Bustamante. We may even be allowed to add publicly acclaimed Heroes like Bob, Miss Lou and Usain Bolt. Some people might even choose to add Dudus. And for part 2, the answer may include a list of things like our culture, music and dance, language, industries, our democracy and so on and so forth.

But that kinda boring and predictable don't it? I wouldn't ask it like that. Me nah run any quiz cause me nuh have any prize fi give out. OK, but what if I break it down differently and ask the question another way? And what if the answer requires honest, heart-and-gut sharing of deep felt views, instead of regurgitation of memorised facts?

rate and respect

For example, suppose I were to ask it like this: 1. who do you really rate and respect and big up regular? And 2: what do you have and enjoy now that you can say is your people who went before left for you? Wouldn't we arrive at a whole different set of answers? I definitely think so. Simply put, a hero can be described or defined as a person of great distinction and achievement like a leader or champion. And heritage could either mean actual material things that we inherit (also called 'dead-leff') or our cultural, social and political legacy. And in that frame of reference, many people don't immediately think of the national heroes. The sporting stars and entertainment celebrities may more easily spring to people's minds. Or even somebody who once saved them from debt, danger or death.

Outside of what they can identify as family benefits, most people also don't internalise any personal association to heritage. Trust me, if we ask the questions on certain ends we may find that there are some people who don't actually have any hero; and there are many people have no real sense of any kind of heritage. And it's all a matter of context. Yeah man, you try telling a man who hungry and frustrated about the sacrifices made on his behalf by our national heroes, and see if him nuh get mad and rush yuh! Hero? Some people are stuck in a wicked groove of life where as far as they're concerned, nuh hero neva do nothing fi dem, nuh ancestor nuh leff nothing fi dem and generally nutten nah gwaan fi dem!

Well, two days ago Jamaica took time out to honour various members of the national family for outstanding achievement and service. We also commemorated and celebrated the one woman and six men whose invaluable contribution to our nation earned them the title National Hero. We big dem up big time. Maybe we should work harder at teaching our children to rate, respect, and big up those heroes more regularly - not just once every year.

box-mi-back@hotmail.com

Some people are stuck in a wicked groove of life where as far as they're concerned, nuh hero neva do nothing fi dem, nuh ancestor nuh leff nothing fi dem and generally nutten nah gwaan fi dem!