Olympic Gardens murals give Livermore purpose

ROHAN LIVERMORE, a social activist in the community of Olympic Gardens, St Andrew, believes that he has committed himself to a noble cause by commissioning the murals of Jamaican icons and symbols, as well as the badges of several top European clubs, to give his ‘corner’ a livelier look for Christmas.

The 51-year-old entrepreneur thought the gesture would be fitting, particularly as that side of the wall, situated to the eastern end of the Olympic Gardens Civic Centre, stands in front of a popular football field.

“Lots of youths use this field, and all of them have their different international clubs, so when they come to play, they will see the badges of their clubs, which I am sure will give them a different vibes,” said Livermore.

Livermore is still considering whether to include the badges of clubs locally.

“It is something I am still looking into because there is really not much talk about local football, and the majority of the men who come and play football here only watch the English Premier League. But if it means to show more interest in local football, then I will add one or two club badges,” added the self-proclaimed die-hard Manchester United fan who at one point, played professionally for Waterhouse Football Club alongside the likes of the late Irvino English, Kirk Martin, Damion Powell, and Hugh ‘Bingy’ Blair in the 1990s.

Livermore said for six years, he toyed with the idea of having the murals done, but it was only this year that he got the urge to follow through. As such, he decided to approach his childhood friends, Fitz ‘Bobby Artist’ Bennett and Ricardo ‘Ricky Dread’ Lawrence.

“The aim is to just to enlighten, something positive. As you can see, there is a painting for the church community, the Rastafarian community, the children, and the sports fanatics,” Livermore said.

THE FAMOUS TRIO

The artwork also includes the painting of three Jamaican icons, namely Louise Bennett-Coverley, Bob Marley, and Usain Bolt. This, Livermore says, was a must, given the legacy of the famous trio.

“Everybody here embraces sports, and Usain Bolt is an icon. And, of course, we all know that Miss Lou and Bob Marley set the trend for us culturally and musically,” he said.

Livermore said he has had to pull money from savings in his vending business, where he makes and sells natural juice, in order to fund the project. He added that his friends, understanding that the budget was thin, agreed to work for a stipend.

“I am trying to get people in the community involved because this is a community project. The idea is to get the community together because the more people pass and see it, the more conversations can happen that could lead to other paintings. The challenge I have, so far, is finding the money to fund it. I have reached out to the councillor (Christopher Townsend), but it is recently since he kind of came on board. Before that, I used to save money from the juice business and buy paint likkle likkle.

“Bobby, who is from the country, and Ricky are my friends and from mi engage them and show them the picture, they agreed to help for the little stipend, and that’s how it works,” he said.

Lawrence said the idea of painting a Usain Bolt mural was one of the main reasons he agreed to be part of the project.

“Highlighting the greats is no easy challenge, and Bolt is an inspiration to me. We are just trying to do our best by highlighting the icons of the different fields and the important messages of the Church and Rastafarian community,” remarked the self-proclaimed musician and artist of more than three decades’ experience.

His sentiments were echoed by Bennett, who claimed to be painting professionally for nearly 50 years.

“My whole life this, enuh? My whole life! I like to paint things, especially water scenery. This is a gift you get from God. This is not something that you really learn, so it is a blessing to be able to get the chance to send some positivity around through your talent,” Bennett said.

Livermore said that the project, which started over a week ago, is expected to be finished before the start of the new year.