A report by Vinette K. Pryce for Caribbean Life News.
The
insignia of the Order of National Hero which was presented posthumously
to Marcus Mosiah Garvey when he was made Jamaica’s first National Hero
in 1969 was generously donated by his family to add to exhibits at the
Museum at Liberty Hall in Kingston, Jamaica.
Dr.
Julius Garvey, the hero’s son, presented the insignia to former Prime
Minister Edward Seaga who accepted it on behalf of the nation during a
special ceremony at the landmark location dedicated to preserving his
father’s storied legacy.
In
accepting the symbol of honor, the former leader said: Garvey “was the
most important man in the history of Jamaica. He was important because
of his message. He was important because of the way he believed that
message. He was important because of the way he could confer and pass on
the inspiration that he felt and the message that he had.”
Olivia
“Babsy” Grange, the island’s minister of culture, gender, entertainment
and sport who runs “Liberty Hall: the Legacy of Marcus Garvey” exhibit
through the Institute of Jamaica said it was significant that Seaga
would accept Garvey’s medal on behalf of the nation.
In
her message, she recalled Seaga’s role as minister of development and
welfare with responsibility for arts and culture in the 1960s and how he
“played a principal role in the return of the body of Marcus Garvey to
Jamaica and in establishing the nation’s highest order, that of National
Hero, of which Garvey was the first recipient.”
“Liberty
Hall: the Legacy of Marcus Garvey” is a cultural exhibition dedicated
to informing visitors about Garvey’s life and work.
The location and property now known as Liberty Hall had been Garvey’s headquarters in the 1920s.
It
was purchased by the government of Jamaica during Seaga’s
Administration of the 1980s to be established as a living monument of
Marcus Garvey.
Garvey’s family also donated a Bible to Liberty Hall and indicated that the National Hero’s walking stick would also be donated.
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