Hutchinson: Package culture differently for young people
Published:Monday | August 6, 2018 | 12:00 AMNadine Wilson-Harris/ Staff Repoter
"Dat bumpy head gal" author and cultural ambassador Joan Andrea Hutchinson believes that the Jamaican culture should be repackaged for the next generation by making use of technologies that are now available.
"Young people don't have time to sit around grandma's feet anymore to hear Anansi stories, so we have to package it so that we reach them in a particular kind of way," Hutchinson told The Gleaner yesterday.
"There are many Jamaicans in the Diaspora, second-generation Jamaicans who have been born there, or Jamaicans who have married people from other countries who need to understand Jamaica," she said as the country celebrated its Independence Day.
Hutchinson is among 130 individuals who will be recognised on National Heroes Day for their contributions to nation building.
Preserving Jamaican culture
The author, storyteller, actress, and cultural educator will be receiving the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer for her contribution to the cultural arts, in particular, the spoken word.
"I am totally honoured. I am part of a long tradition of preservation of Jamaican culture, and I am happy to know that the work that I have done has been acknowledged," she said.
The cultural ambassador said that she is focused on interpreting, documenting, and preserving Jamaican culture.
"Jamaicans in the Diaspora also need to understand the importance (of culture). It is not just the singing and the dancing and the putting on green, black and gold on special days. The culture of Jamaica is present 365 days per year," she said.
"How are we going to interpret that culture for those who need to understand it? How are we going to document it for those who need to have it documented? And how are we going to preserve it for those who need to have it preserved?" she asked.