TIME IS SHORT and money shorter but this is Jamaica 50. The honour of the nation has to be upheld at home and abroad in celebrating the big 50.

The big question – how will it be financed at a time of serious budgetary constraints facing the nation? The next, many are thinking, is the sheer scope of the logistics. Some will say there’s a third one – how to get people motivated to participate and give life to the programme. The decision to put a halt to what had been planned by the previous regime has been a point of dissension, which, if not sensitively handled, could turn things quite sour. It appears that such a temptation is being strongly resisted – up to now – and those with the responsibility to get things done have been reporting that work is under way.

Coming back to the money business, I’ve heard varied views. One argument is that we have no right to be celebrating anything, spending millions on making people feel good while there are roads to be fixed, water to reach the people, hungry people to be fed, children sent to school, etc, etc, etc. (We’re never short of complaints.) Others more pragmatic and (happily) more patriotic, say they see nothing wrong with celebrating, but they warn against reckless spending and indifference to the hardships which are intensifying. Every dollar must count and be counted. No one must come out of the exercise fatter than when they came in.

So with that song, we have to move now and move respectfully. So far, the areas of focus which I’ve heard of make sense. One thing I would request, however, is that power be shared with the parishes. For too long, Kingston has been the centre of everything. This is the time for change. One of the smartest decisions would be to establish special Jamaica 50 parish committees –not just for JCDC activities – and empower said committees to have as much input as is practical and possible into the celebration of their people. Everybody might not do things exactly the same way, but why shouldn’t we facilitate creativity? Allow for even friendly rivalry. Each parish should be mandated to let the rest of the nation know who they are and what they are in culture, the arts, history and their ancestral gifts. “Should-in case” we can’t get it done for August, then make it the focus of National Heritage Month. Now THAT would be a jubilee!

THIS IS A TIME for reflection – things past, present and to come. This brings into focus the persistent dogged determination of Ruby Martin to see the Ward Theatre restored. Her focus made her a legend in her time. After many years of expending that same spirit of “Yes, I Can” on the Maxfield Park Children’s Home, she took up the cause of the Ward and never stopped trying to restore its magic. She continued to try even in the last days of her life, until she finally gave in to cancer. She’d fought that battle with the same persistence that she conducted the Ward campaign, but when it was evident that the battle was not going to be won, she succumbed with good grace. Last Saturday night, that journey ended and now she is already being eulogised for the fight to save the Ward.

She didn’t campaign alone. She was one of a line of contemporary crusaders. On her watch, she had a group of other believers, for example, Cedric McDonald, Doreen Thompson, the late Wycliffe Bennett, the indefatigable Paco Kennedy, the energetic Vivian Crawford and others. The aim to regain the Ward will go on. The new minister of culture has said she has placed it high on her agenda of things for which to seek financial support. Easier said than done. It takes more than passion to achieve the goal, no matter how bravely the campaign is fought. It isn’t “today-day” that lovers of the arts have been trying to save the magnificent structure. It is the property of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC), having been endowed to the City of Kingston by Colonel Ward who had it built in 1912 and then bequeathed it to enrich the lives of its citizens.

Over its many years, it has served not only as a place of entertainment with its well constructed stage and best natural acoustics, but as the venue for historical, political and social public events. In its heyday, some of the most celebrated classical and popular musical artists of the world came to perform there. It became synonymous with Jamaica’s longest-surviving theatre group – the Little Theatre Movement (LTM) from 1941 onwards and the Jamaican Pantomime with its iconic mega-talent – Louise Bennett and Ranny Williams and other revered cultural pioneers.

One hundred years of the Ward is 100 years of Jamaican history. That it should now stand as a broken shell, the empty sockets of its windows, overlooking an abused landscape around it, is nothing of which to be proud. Who could have imagined that Colonel Ward’s amazing gift would’ve been allowed to slide into such ruin?

The Ward has been showing its venerable age for some time. The much-needed facelift should have come from the KSAC, but the civic purse has always been under pressure. In 1986, The Ward Theatre Foundation was established under the initial leadership of Mr Henry Fowler, co-founder of the LTM. The KSAC jumped at the opportunity to have the burden of upkeep shared while the property remained in its portfolio.

Mr Fowler and some other committee members have come and gone. Among them, the noted marketing executive, Mr George Abrahams of J Wray and Nephew, who got the firm to be a major benefactor in keeping the Ward alive. After his retirement and final exit, fundraising for the Ward continued to be difficult although various corporate entities have made their contribution. Then came Mrs Ruby Martin and her team, who took up the challenge. She was faithful to it, right to her end. It is time now to complete the task in memoriam to her and all the other friends of the Ward no longer with us, as well as those still present and still working.

SO WHAT NOW? A real challenge is not only to get the building back in shape, but the surroundings also. North Parade, the Ward’s location in the heart of downtown Kingston, has gone through several phases of rejuvenation, but as soon as it is fixed, so soon it deteriorates. The area is being invaded once again by vagrants, itinerant vendors and unruly traffic. If the talk of returning the Ward to its former glory is to mean anything, issues such as parking, security and the integrity of the environment will have to be dealt with if the legacy of this grand Jamaican landmark is to be preserved.

gloudonb@yahoo.com