THE EDITOR, Sir:

Kindly allow me space in your paper to express thanks and appreciation to the Government of Jamaica and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission for a splendid display at the Grand Gala affair to mark the reintroduction of Independence Festival. It was Independence Day, but it was more. It was a coming together of Jamaicans from all walks of life, across political divides, spanning the entire landscape of Jamaica in a rousing, spirited celebration of our culture and an unmistakable statement that we can be the best of whatever we choose - a truly positive day for Jamaica.

Proud to be a Jamaican

As I sat in the grandstand of the National Stadium, and watched the seats all around me taken, I felt proud to be a Jamaican and prouder yet to have been part of that experience in this moment of our history. The pomp and pageantry was at its best. Indeed the regalia of His Worship the Mayor, the Hon Chief Justice and the President of the Senate represented a spectacle of sheer beauty and dignity.

The organisation and the quality of the cultural presentation, coupled with the obvious deliberate efforts at bridging the socio-cultural divide, gave me hope for a Jamaica I genuinely want to see, a Jamaica in which we truly live out our motto, "Out of Many One People".

Pride and purpose

The aura of Wednesday's celebration bespeaks a community of comradeship and the presence of pride and purpose. From such an audience, it would be difficult for anyone to describe or define the hostility and hooliganism that so often characterise our way of life in this beautiful land of paradise. And yet I would hate to taint this tribute with such untoward expressions. Instead I simply reference that negative to indicate how possible I believe it is for us to rise above such bellicosity and claim our best.

I am, etc.,

COLLIN I. COWAN (Rev Dr)

General secretary

The United Church in Jamaica

and the Cayman Island