The University of the West Indies (UWI) National Heritage Month Committee has joined with the Western Jamaican Campus to extend their Heritage Week activities into a brand new UWI-designated National Heritage Month of initiatives.
 
The Western Jamaica Campus has put together an interesting array of events for Heritage Month that includes two lecture events - one on the Reparations Debate in the Caribbean, Chaired by Professor Verene Shepherd on Wednesday  October 16 and the other, an upcoming Lecture on Peter Tosh to be delivered by Dr. Clinton Hutton on Tuesday, October 29, (5:30pm, SR22). At the Mona Campus in the capital city, there will be a National Heritage Month Multi-Media Event entitled: From Paul Bogle to Marcus Garvey to Peter Tosh: A Narrative of Resistance from 6pm till 9pm, in the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre One, on Friday, October 25.
 
The UWI National Heritage Committee notes that a National Heritage Month has become essential amidst "an ever growing consumerist-oriented world, where the newest mod-cons have become the aspiration of the masses". Now more than ever, said Dr Michael Barnett UWI Mona Lecturer and member of the Committee, "it is vital that Jamaicans get in touch with their history and their culture, in order not to lose themselves completely".
 
Dr Barnett says questions have been raised about the adequacy and sufficiency of one week to fully explore Jamaica's past and heritage. "To what extent do we reflect on the contributions of our countless heroes and heroines, many of whom though not officially recognized as National Heroes should be lauded and commended as such, or at the very least acknowledged for their contributions?  Heroes and Heroines such as Leonard Percival Howell, Ms Lou, Ranny Williams and Tacky, just to name a few. We have consistently argued that one week is clearly inadequate for all of this, and as such we should designate the entire month of October as National Heritage month," according to Dr Barnett.
 
He said the ideal situation would be to designate the entire year for heritage exploration, but observed that a full month of cultural and educational programmes is a first step in addressing what he called "the dissonance and ideological drift that seems to have overtaken our nation".
 
October has not been formally designated as National Heritage Month by the State. The National Heritage Month is an initiative of the UWI National Heritage Committee.