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The updated image of Nanny of the Maroons being used by the project.—
BY RICHARD JOHNSON—
Observer senior reporter–
The stories of Jamaica’s national heroes are being told in a fresh, new way, thanks to the efforts of a group of Jamaican creatives who are determined to preserve their legacy for current and future generations.
The brainchild of Jamaican-born, US-raised Charles “Mark Phi” Smart, The Jamaica Heroes Modernized Project intends to update and centralize the look and feel of our national heroes and their stories by the creation of a central repository for information about these individuals, which can be accessed by all.
Smart who serves as executive producer has assembled a team, which includes actress and film producer Sherando Ferril, to execute the activities which will lead to the ambitious project.
“What we aim to achieve is a sense of pride surrounding our heroes. Ultimately, this will include increased awareness and a sense of patriotism and an appreciation of the work of these individuals. In order to reach the current generation we have realized that we must update and modernize. It is recognized that the current generation consumes with their eyes and therefore anything that is being done has to be vibrant and engaging,” Ferril told the Jamaica Observer.
She explained that one of the first orders of the day was updating the images of the seven national heroes. This was done by Smart who is a visual artist. These redone works are to be included in a set of print collateral which is to be installed in the more than 1,300 primary schools across the island.
The project most ambitious work is the production of a 10-part docuseries which it proposes to pitch to one of the major international streaming services.
“The series will look at each of our national heroes. Then there will be two episodes dedicated to Miss Lou and Bob Marley. The first episode of the series will be an introduction giving a general overview. We have included Miss Lou and Bob to showcase that our culture and resilience didn’t die with the national heroes. Right now we are in the middle of a crowd funding effort, which ends on June 9. We are looking to raise the funds to at least the pilot episode which will be on Nanny of the Maroons. If we raise US$50,000 we can go ahead with this pilot, and use that to attract others to this aspect of the project. Should we reach our target then we should begin filming by the end of this year. We are so pleased with the response we have been receiving for the project so far. So many persons have offered their services in many areas. In addition, the Ministry of Culture is supporting the effort and we are working to have the activities included in the jubilee celebrations of Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of Independence come next year,” said Ferril.
Each episode of the docuseries is set to feature music written specifically for the project which the producers said is part of the thrust to showcase the work of local creatives and the vibrant nature of the various genres of Jamaican music including ska, mento, reggae and dancehall.
The team hosted a fund-raising, virtual comedy showcase yesterday featuring the likes of theatre heavyweights Oliver Samuels and Volier “Maffy” Johnson as part of the efforts to bring awareness to the project.
Ferril noted that the opportunity to tell our own stories through this project has not been lost on the team.
“There are so many instances where we have not been given the opportunity to tell our own stories. As a result persons from outside have either appropriated, or got the narrative so wrong. So we are transforming and taking over the portrayal of these heroes…taking the reigns of our culture in our own hands and connecting the world to our culture through this multidimensional legacy project featuring a centralized and aggregated body of work. Nothing like this currently exists, where there is that one spot where you can go and draw on information that is factual about our heroes.”
In addition to the project’s main website, social media platforms will also be utilized to support the work of the project. This Smart, Ferril and their team hope will “elevate Jamaica, our culture, greatness of our people and our rich heritage to the world”.
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