Dear Editor,

I read with great interest the various articles about Paul Bogle and his statue.

Hats off to the St Thomas people for demanding a more representative model of the national hero.

It is my distinct impression that Jamaica’s history has not been properly and faithfully written. Please recall former Prime Minister PJ Patterson citing the African proverb which states that until the lions have their own historian, the tale of the hunt will always favour the hunter.

I am no historian, but rumblings indicate that the historical stature of some members of our society, present as well as past, is tainted by half-truths. Some may have placed on themselves acts of bravado that never occurred or may not have risen to the level they claim. At the same time, some who may have deserved national recognition have been ignored.

In the case of Paul Bogle, it is interesting to note the alleged mistreatment or discrimination against Bogle’s descendants in past decades. According to one article, some Bogles left the area. Others changed their name.

It is a fact that Bogles are in Costa Rica. Three of my siblings, now deceased, were Bogles, coming out of Cuba. They have left scores of descendants carrying the Bogle blood.

As for Sam Sharpe, years ago I saw a monument in Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay. The monument depicted two or three figures in the dirt rising up to eye level.

Our heroes and those who serve the nation should be raised up, physically as well as metaphorically, in this delayed but urgent matter of nation building.

There are tremors in the nation. The magma is seething, politically – culturally and geophysically.

I therefore recommend that Vic Reid’s New Day be made available and read by every student in Jamaica.

Separately, I have suggested that the seismic faults in Jamaica should be made public knowledge so that construction on, or near these faults can be avoided or minimised.

The magma is boiling – politically, culturally and geophysically.

Louis Alexander Hemans

Lahemans@aol.com