Old Harbour flag-raising ceremony to honour 'Proud and Strong' theme

Several dignitaries from the culture ministry, other government officials and community influencers and stalwarts will gather at the town square this Sunday July 30 to mark the celebration.

As was the case last year the event bears a lot of significance for the week ahead as the country celebrates Emancipation Day and 61 years of Independence from British colonial rule.

Adopting this year's national theme of being 'Proud and Strong' the civic function seeks to highlight our rich and diverse culture.

Treacha Reid, lead coordinator of the event, says residents should bring the family out as the main objective is to create a renaissance of civic pride and duty among the people.

“Gone are the days when we use to hear the national anthem, the national song and the national pledge on a regular basis,” said Reid, who is the president of the South St Catherine Chamber of Commerce. “We use to hear them very often on radio, on TV and at schools. At school we would recite the words almost on a daily basis. But we don’t hear them as often anymore and in some institutions the anthem is played only on special occasions.

Reid, the boss at Shades of Elegance Salon and Spa, continued: These nationalistic songs and poems instill in us a high level of pride and passion that define us as Jamaicans. This is why for better and for worse, my generation, we are proud to be a Jamaican.

“It is full time now that we restore key elements of the true Jamaican spirit that has gone dormant. We must return to the days of being our brother’s keeper, to live a selfless life, take pride in keeping our streets and surroundings clean and show respect for self and law and order.”

Last year’s inaugural staging had an estimated 200 people in attendance, which fell below expectations of the organisers. However, a larger turnout is anticipated this time around, said Reid.

“We are still learning I must admit,” she added. “None of us are experts at this. But we are a team committed to deliver a great show and experience for the family. We have identified where we went wrong last time and have made the necessary adjustments to improve the quality of the product. As we grow we will try our very best to make improvements because to put on an event like this, it is very dynamic and thus will always require constant adjustments.”

One of the notable changes this year is the addition of a children’s treat after the event which will climax with a march past performed by a combined uniform corps.

The event will be live streamed on the YouTube channels of Old Harbour News and Mystic Five Multimedia.

Start time is 4:30 pm, while live streaming begins at four o’clock.