Currie says Maroon festival will proceed
The annual Accompong Maroon festival in St Elizabeth is to proceed as planned, says Chief Richard Currie, hours after the police ordered its cancellation.
READ: Police warn against Maroon event in Accompong
Currie, addressing the issue in a post on his Instagram account, compared the event to the pilgrimage to Mecca where Muslims from around the world get a chance to circle the Kabba.
He argued that the ceremony allows Maroons to continue their spiritual and traditional rituals just like their ancestors did before.
"This is a religious duty of Maroons to honour our ancestors and to show the way forward for the born and unborn. This is our way of life," he stated.
The Maroons are celebrating 284 years of the signing of the peace treaty with the British.
Today's ceremony, which is expected to attract hundreds, if not thousands, kick starts the Maroon New Year.
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