CHEN

Jamaicans are an extraordinarily creative and talented people. We have produced more world-class individuals than any country this size has a right to.

We have excelled in the arts and are a cultural superpower having given birth not only to reggae, but also ska, dub, and dancehall, which was the basis for hip hop and reggaeton.

We have just recently produced Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, the world's two fastest men. And these are only the latest in a long line of outstanding male and female athletes.

International renown

But more important than the great individuals of international renown is a force in Jamaica that mostly goes unnoticed, the 'Third Sector'.

The private sector and the state are well defined and produce economic and social wealth but there is a third sector, based on the voluntary contributions of hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans. The significant expenditure of individual time and resources to improve our communities and ultimately our country is so commonplace that it is taken for granted.

There are more active service clubs, citizens' associations, community groups, 'friends' of public institutions and so on than any country that I can think of. This force is one of the factors that explains why community life continues to flourish despite the official statistics suggesting a different outcome.

Contributed by Wayne Chen, chief executive officer of Super Plus Food Stores.