(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaica is losing important artefacts to the scrap-metal trade.
Executive director of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT), Lolita Davis-Mattis, said thieves have brazenly removed several pieces of artefacts from a number of landmark museums and private collections across the island.
Cannon seem to be a target for thieves as, according to Davis-Mattis, two were stolen from the open space museum at Columbus Park in Discovery Bay, St Ann, and two more from a museum in St Mary.
Just last week, she said a number of cannon were discovered on private property in St Thomas and the JNHT had to put measures in place to secure them “because people are stealing them left, right and centre”.
Thieves have also removed a section of Colbeck Castle, the huge 16th-century structure located near Old Harbour in St Catherine.
“In other words, our heritage is now going to the scrap-iron trade. That’s really what is happening,” Davis-Mattis told The Gleaner.
Last month, a prestigious bronze statue sculpted by Edna Manley called ‘The Trees Are Joyful’ was returned just days after it was stolen from Unity House in Runaway Bay, St Ann.
The sculpture was handed over to Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda after he met with leaders in the scrap-metal trade to inform them of the historical importance of the bronze statue.
In an attempt to stem the increasing theft of artefacts, Andrea Braham, JNHT public relations officer, said the agency has reviewed its act and has proposed several amendments.
The proposed changes, she explained, seek to address loopholes in the JNHT Act, which does not address the illegal trade in artefacts and the movements of artefacts within and outside Jamaica.
“Right now, there is no law that address the movement of artefacts from here to anywhere,” Braham noted.
One of the changes the JNHT wants to see is mandatory registration for all heritage objects over a certain number of years. Braham said cannon, works of art, books and other things unique to Jamaican culture would be covered under this proposed new requirement.
Braham said photographs would be included in the registration as a safeguard to prevent them from being taken out of the country.
“This means we will have to sensitise the people at the borders. They will have to be trained to identify these artefacts and be given a database (of the registered artefacts),” Braham said.
“This is one of the thing we are addressing in the law because if you don’t watch it, in the next couple of years, we are only going to see pictures of them,” said Davis-Mattis as she sought to explain the rationale for the proposal.
Braham said the proposals, which were discussed at town meetings across the island, would be submitted to the minister responsible for culture.
Jamaica has been grappling the issue of theft of metals for the scrap-metal trade. Parliament last year approved the spending of J$20 million on a central facility for the storage and loading of scrap metal.
“This central facility will operate as a clearing house for the scrap metals to be exported, and will allow better monitoring by the Customs Department and law-enforcement officers,” a notation in the national budget said.
Only J$5 million of that amount was spent. No allocation has been made in this year’s Budget for the construction of the facility.
