“The Struggle for the Cultural Soul of Jamaica after Morant Bay” is the title of the 25th annual Elsa Goveia lecture organized by the Department of History and Archaeology, UWI, Mona. The lecture takes place on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 5:30 pm at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts (PSCCA). Professor Brian Moore, Professor of History and Africana and Latin American Studies, University of Colgate, USA will deliver the lecture.

It will examine the struggle that arose after the Morant Bay massacre of 1865 between the lower classes and the middle and upper classes over the attempts by the latter to eradicate the “ghetto” culture and impose new imported morality. The struggle has never ended and continues today with the Creole language and dancehall music.

The Elsa Goveia Lecture is designed to commemorate the pioneering work of the late Professor Elsa Goveia, who is considered the foundation of Caribbean History at the UWI. The Lecture is aimed at exploring historically relevant topics and occurrences that create an understanding of our history and highlight the significance of history to national development

Professor Goveia was the first Professor of West Indian History at UWI and also the first woman to be appointed Professor at UWI.

For more information please contact the Department of History at 927-1922 or 935-8395.

The university community and the public are invited to attend.