Statue returned - Law to be amended to guard heritage objects

CULTURE MINISTER Olivia Grange on Tuesday said she is moving swiftly to have the Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act amended to protect the island's cultural treasures.

Grange said this matter has become urgent after the theft of the Edna Manley statue, 'The Trees Are Joyful'. The piece, which had been stolen from Unity House, Runnaway Bay, last week, was recovered and turned in on Tuesday to Karl Samuda, minister of industry and commerce.

Outlining the proposed amendments, Grange explained that anyone who discovers objects with heritage significance will be required to notify the trust. The trust will be required to authenticate these objects, and issue certificates of authenticity to the owners.

artefact registration

"So, we are encouraging owners of artefacts to please register them with the trust, so that if they are stolen or lost, we can assist with tracking them," she noted.

Additionally, the amendments make provision for owners to advise the trust of changes in ownership of heritage sites and objects, to assist with the regulation and management of the "heritage inventory.

Samuda said the bronze statue was tracked down after he spoke with leaders in the scrap-metal industry, and impressed upon them the historical and cultural importance of the work.

"I used every ounce of effort and influence I had among the leadership of the industry, and I said to them, 'I want this statue back ... . I want you to go from one end of the island to the next in search of it, from among your membership and from those renegade dealers'," Samuda explained.

"To my surprise, by the end of the day, it was returned to this ministry," he informed.

Expressing her gratitude to Samuda, Grange condemned the theft of the piece. "It only shows the ignorance of some people, where they really do not know that they are destroying things that mean so much to the country," she said.

Meanwhile, Samuda noted that while the incidents of theft of metals continue, they have been reduced significantly, since the trade was overhauled and measures put in place to crack down on rogue dealers and traders.