Celebration

     Wow. Where to begin…We assume that unless we’ve been directly talking to you, or you’ve been doing some serious Maroon research, you haven’t heard of Accompong’s January 6th Celebration. Well, let me tell you, January 6th Celebration is a HUGE event, in which thousands of visitors come to Accompong to celebrate Maroon heritage on Kojo’s (the great Maroon freedom fighter) birthday. It is the biggest Maroon celebration in the world, and is recognized on a national scale within Jamaica. Some travel guide books even list it as the number one thing to check out if you’re planning on visiting Jamaica.

     You can probably imagine the impact such an event would have on our small, rural community. The town starts planning come October, and it is the biggest thing Accompong Maroons look forward to all year. For about a month now, our town has undergone a makeover, with people repainting their houses, ‘manicuring’ their lawns-Jamaican style, and stocking up their shops.

US Ambassador with us and JC members

     Every January 6th, the Council holds a traditional ceremony out by the sacred Kindah Tree which involves traditional drumming, singing and dancing, and the roasting of a hog. Later in the day there is a march through town among the seal grounds (sacred sites), which is followed by a civic function, involving speakers, bands, performances, etc. The US Ambassador was the Keynote Speaker, and we actually had a short meeting scheduled with her after her speech. (We were even included in a national press release [link].) 

 
    Overall the event was pretty cool, and we enjoyed ourselves, even amidst the moments we were swamped with random responsibilities. Both the Colonel and Deputy Colonel highlighted us as Peace Corps Volunteers in their speeches, as well as showcasing the projects we’ve undertaken while in Accompong (even if they didn’t make it completely clear that we did them).

     The Jr. Council spent the day trying to fund-raise by selling T-shirts and spread the word about who they are and what they’re doing..... Speaking of, we have 14 T-shirts still to sell, so if anybody’s interested please let us know… :)