Action Plan to Rebuild Jamaica ... Part 1

Is it too far-fetched for us to imagine a kinder, gentler, more disciplined Jamaica or are we too far gone? Imagine a Jamaica with less hostility, where each looks out for the other, and all are interested in seeing the country’s development recognizing that Jamaica’s prosperity benefits each individual. Imagine a country whose citizens have been re-socialized to value hard work, where violence and crassness are not glorified, where the rule of law counts and Jamaica is the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business. An elusive dream?

This is the Jamaica I would love to see and I believe it’s achievable. For me, the great thing about it is that we don’t need more social programmes or millions of dollars to fix many of these things. I believe there are small, practical steps each person can take for us to collectively improve Jamaica.  

So let us turn Jamaica around with the same fervor we would a company, let’s make an investment in Jamaica, building social capital. But we must start with changing our mindset, acknowledging there is work to be done and that each person has a role to play. Then there needs to be a willingness to address the issues, moving away from the ‘wha dat haffi  do wid me’ mentality, to seeing the broader picture that an improved Jamaica means more investment, growth in the economy, available jobs, better infrastructure and an improved quality of life for citizens. Put in that light, there ought to be a determination toward creating lasting change which benefits us all.  And yes, change will not be immediate, but in time we are guaranteed a return on investment to create a new Jamaica, if even for our children. And who wouldn’t want that?

The state depends on social stability and consensus. This sets the stage for thriving economic and social development when all participants (government, corporate sector, civil society, church, interest groups, individuals) work jointly to identify and pursue common goals. Just as no company can build a strong brand without people who either share its core values or possess the willingness and ability to embrace those values. So it is that Jamaica requires a cooperative buy-in where each person realizes he/she individually, is part of a larger institution and must work together with as a unified force, aimed at building a better Jamaica. ‘Wan finga cyaan kill louse’ (One finger alone cannot kill lice).

Let’s start with what it means to be a proud Jamaican. A great culture starts with a vision and a mission statement. In a few sentences, these words guide a company’s values and provide it with standards, a rallying cry and purpose. That purpose, in turn, ought to influence every decision employees make. When prominently displayed and treated as more then mere words in a frame and when portrayed consistently in leaders’ actions, good mission statements can be a continuous guide to employees. I think our beautifully crafted National Pledge and Anthem serve this purpose; as both articulate values and guidelines for our behaviour and conviction as Jamaicans. But the problem is, for many of us they were learnt through rote so they have no real meaning. Because we have not internalized, we can’t realize. If we had, the principles would have been entrenched in our consciousness, manifested in our daily life. So at the end of the day, it means very little.

Here are my thoughts on what I consider simple but significant solutions we could all try and which I think could make the well needed difference:

• Start teaching, really teaching our people, especially our children, the National Pledge and Anthem in a way that they understand what they really mean. Not something to just go through the motions and reel off the words. But to emphasize the importance of what the words mean and how Jamaica benefits if we were to act on the pledge.
• Say and sing them often: at national events, corporate functions, schools, Churches. Keep them ever before us to remind us what we have pledged to do as citizens and what we would like for our country.
• Instill in our people a respect and reverence for the National Pledge and Anthem for them to truly become more than symbols but statements of a mission and vision. 

To Be Continued ….

(Join me next week for part two of this post where I humbly offer other simple but significant solutions we could try and which I think could help in rebuilding Jamaica) 

Why Marcus Garvey is still relevant today

“We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate to positions of fame and honour black men and women who have made their distinct contributions to our racial history”

As the National Heroes’ Day celebrations come to a close, and our heroes are brought to the fore I thought this a fitting time as any to explain why for me, Marcus Garvey is as relevant today as he was 80 years ago, albeit in a different time and social context.

And I’m not suggesting that the achievements and contributions of our other heroes and heroine are less significant, because undoubtedly each in his/her own right has done much for our development as a people and a country. And no, I’m not a racist, nor do I believe in emigrating to Africa.  In fact I see past colour and I do try to judge each person on the content of his/her character. I am a Jamaican and the world is my oyster. But Garvey stands out for me because many of the dreams he wanted for the black race in the 1900s, I want for Jamaica today.

“The ends you serve that are selfish will take you no further than yourself but the ends you serve that are for all, in common, will take you into eternity.”

Born in St. Ann in 1887, Marcus Mosiah Garvey is celebrated as the first black man to lead and develop a mass movement of people. He was the first man on a mass scale to give millions of blacks a sense of dignity and destiny. He was a visionary, whose teachings and philosophies are as relevant today as they were a century ago, especially for a country with a 90 per cent population of black people, though in a totally different time. Among the main tenets of his teachings were: a sense of pride in self, as a black race; respect for each other and the idea of black enterprise and entrepreneurship. If we would get these right, then Jamaica and the conceptual framework referred to as brand Jamaica would be unstoppable.  

Garvey taught self-belief, positive self-esteem and self-respect to black people at a time when the black race was considered less than second-class citizens. Such a concept was revolutionary then, and in some ways still revolutionary now. He emphasized education, and an awareness and appreciation of our rich African heritage, as avenues to locate a deep sense of self-identity, which engenders personal and national growth. To achieve greatness, Garvey believed that a people needed to believe in themselves, understand history and arm themselves with the knowledge of how to move forward co-operatively.

“The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness”

It is therefore surprising that more than 70 years after Marcus Garvey’s death, we are still struggling with issues of love for our black self, so much so that skin bleaching is a near epidemic. As Jamaicans we need to draw pride from somewhere; pride in ourselves, pride in our country, pride in our achievements. Thus my strong belief is that Garveyism should be taught in schools from the primary level. Too many of our youth have little sense of identity, no idea of their past and no interest in their future.

Understanding that the theoretical construct of national identity is about collectively and connectivity, Garvey’s teaching will help to provide that cognitive, moral, and emotional connection which must be made between an individual and his/her broader community, or category. With this in place, we would have created a system of meaning which allow people to feel a sense of oneness, security, inclusion and belonging.  Collective identity guides individual action, provides a moral compass and emotional connection with other people who share similar interests and ideologies in a broader community.  Self-belief affects self-image which affects nation development. A people who love themselves don’t deface their skin. A people who love their nation don’t deface national symbols, throw garbage on roads or in gullies or urinate at every street corner or display blatant disregard for law and order. Pride in self must overflow to respect for each other. A people working together for the development of self and nation have no time to annihilate the brother working beside him.

“The Negro will have to build his own government, industry, art, science, literature and culture, before the world will stop to consider him”

Garvey also believed in economic self-sufficiency and financial independence, seeing this as the black race’s only protection against discrimination. Once this economic foundation was created, they could then move on to social and political pursuits. Still, 50 years after independence, Jamaica has neither economic self-sufficiency nor financial independence. Sadly, we have not been able to curb spending while our taste for everything foreign continues to drive us deeper into debt. Last year the food import bill alone stood at $US959 million. Despite the government’s campaign to ‘Eat what we grow; Grow what we eat’ there has been little overall traction in encouraging demand for locally produced products or injecting enthusiasm in local manufacturing. But, this is where we need to look if we are to experience any economic success as a nation. Garvey got it right.

So as the great visionary Marcus Garvey said: “We Are Arbiters of Our Own Destiny. God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own creative genius we make ourselves what we want to be.” So, I guess the question is what do we want to be?

“Intelligence rules the world, ignorance carries the burden.”

Brand Jamaica needs backitive … Part 2

(Last week I spoke about Brand Jamaica looking at the importance of reputation to brands, especially Nation brands. I noted that despite the positive international coverage Jamaica receives, while good for brand image, the underlying issues we face as a country continues to prevent the translation of brand recognition into investment for the country.)

Today, I look at what I believe it will take to convert Brand Jamaica into cash … an all-encompassing, integrative national identity strategy. This will involve:

1.    Government Support: We will need national government policy-makers

to grasp the importance of having a national identity framework, which places the emphasis on ‘competitive identity’ and a positive nation brand image. Countries like New Zealand, Australia, Spain and Ireland all present as excellent models of countries whose nation branding process resulted in radical change of the perception and awareness of their nation identities abroad.   This means therefore that the Jamaican government must take a proactive approach to nation branding, recognizing the relational linkages to economic growth, such as: an increase in investment and exports, improved figures in visitor arrivals, confidence boast in the products the nation produces. 

2.    Public-Private Partnerships:  Firms in their own best interest and in furthering

national interests may need to help the government drive ‘Jamaica’s Vision 2030 Jamaica – National Development Plan’, specifically funding and ensuring the implementation of public education campaigns whose objectives are to promote a sense of national and individual identity, raise the level of understanding about the linkages and connections between nationalism, individual growth and the nation’s economic development. It is important for all stakeholders in nation-building to become involved with re-socializing how people relate to each other and to eliminate disrespectful behaviours that reflect poorly on the country’s image. The public education campaign’s primary objective is therefore to highlight positive core values that build social and cultural capital and for nationals to understand his/her role in protecting the brand Jamaica image.  As Jamaica develops, so will the private sector which therefore has a stake in ensuring that the brand on the whole is lucrative.

3.    Political Integrity: A nation is judged domestically and internationally by its leaders’

performance and reputation.  Leaders’ reputation is a critical aspect, which permeates and impacts other channels of economic and social development. The nation’s leaders must exemplify and communicate good governance consistently.  Therefore Jamaica needs to establish a political policy that distinguishes itself as a country that places emphasis on political integrity, accountability, responsible and ethical governance.  All of which can strengthen its relations in international markets as ‘outsiders’ recognize that its people demands accountability and ethical governance from its leaders. Ministers of government daggering at party meetings or flouting known procedures somehow doesn’t paint a picture of responsible governance.

4.    Parenting: If as a country we are to be successful in re-socializing citizens then it

must start at the first teaching point, the home. Parents should bear the brunt of the responsibility to train their children to be good citizens, contributing positively to their country. With the family at the foundation of every society, improving parenting can go a long way in re-building Jamaica, providing a quality brand. More organisations – church, civic groups, school - are therefore needed to support parenting and the preservation of right values and attitudes. In Japan, school curriculum at the Elementary, Junior High and High School levels includes Moral Education and Civics. As early as preschool, students are taught to maintain cooperative relationships with their peers, proper manners, how to speak politely and how to address adults as well as how to relate to their peers in the appropriate manner. This serves mainly to preserve social values and transmit them to the next generation.

Companies invest millions in building and maintaining their brand’s reputation. Because

the truth is, it all boils down to, reputation. People buy into the reputation of your product. Pun intended.

 So, what are we doing about brand Jamaica?

Brand Jamaica needs backitive … Part 1

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Chris Gayle, the Kool Runnings bobsled team, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Shaggy, jerked chicken/pork, ackee and saltfish, dreadlocks, beautiful white sand beaches, a distinct, memorable dialect …. all instantly recognisable symbols of the beloved Jamaica. They represent the care-free, uber-talented, culturally rich, people of the island Jamaica. The epic brand. This little island in the Caribbean named among the happiest countries in the world, ‘no problem mon’, right?

Wrong.

Nation Brand, focuses on image and reputation, is formed from multiple source and influences: mass media, visitors, political climate, national achievement, word of mouth, history, heritage, etc. Well acclaimed marketing thought leaders say a nation’s image is defined by people, their perceptions of place which is not only shaped by its products, but also through associations influenced by a country’s political, socio-economic, environmental, technological conditions, its culture, heritage, and traditions.

In 2011, the United Nations released an extensive report detailing each country's homicide rate. Jamaica placed fourth with a homicide rate of 52.1 (murders per 100,000 people). According to Business Insider many of the countries with the highest homicide rates are low on human development, high on income inequality and corruption, and are fairly unstable.

Hmmm…..   How’s the brand looking now?

But this is just a part of the story. How do we rate deterioration in values and attitudes, the disregard for the elderly, women, children and the environment? How do we rate the pervasive disrespect for self and others; the developing culture of music that lauds and encourages criminal activity?

Despite the negative image of the brand, Jamaica continues to receive some good coverage internationally, which many shout proudly from rooftops (… and lecterns) as being excellent for brand Jamaica. Still fresh in our minds is Tessanne Chin’s performance on The Voice which propelled Jamaica, (bread and butter) to the top of trending lists last week. Who can forget our athletes’ performance in the 2012 Olympics and 2013 IAAF World Championships; our entertainers at BET Awards; the infamous XLVII SuperBowl commercials, and even the massive 2013 Jamaica Diaspora Conference which were extraordinary free promotions for brand Jamaica. Which organization/nation wouldn’t be proud? But how much was converted into dollars, jobs? While brand popularity and recognition are good it is not the symbols which make a brand great but the quality, reliability, promise and goodwill it represents.  

And right now, brand Jamaica needs backitive. Like the person with the big mouth but no substance or strength for the battle; our cool brand image belies a nation in need substantive change if we are to convert the brand’s goodwill into cash. To be successful, this will require an all-emcompassing, integrative national identity strategy.

To Be Continued ….

(Join me next week for part two of this post where I offer my humble solutions of what is required for a national strategy to buttress brand Jamaica.)