The annual Marcus Garvey Fair was held on Sunday, February 28, 2016 on the grounds of the Cross Keys High School in south Manchester.
The Marcus Garvey Fair is held annually in a small village name resource in the hills of South Manchester. This annual fair, which takes place in Black History Month, celebrates the life of Jamaica's first National Hero.
Activities include:
- Viewing of Garvey's memorabilia, including highlights from his speeches and manifesto for economic reforms
- Exposition of art done by local artists
- Cooking of meals/dishes using cassava - cassava was the staple crop of the Taino Indians who lived in the area before the coming of the Europeans and Africans - and bammy making demonstrations.
- Cultural demonstrations
- Food on sale at a variety of stalls
- Souvenirs centered on Garvey are on sale
About Marcus and Resource
Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in St. Ann's Bay on August 17, 1887. He only visited Resorce for a few months. So what connects this small village to this great man?
In London, Mortimer Hendriques, a Jamaican of Jewish origin, lived in Resource Viillage in the foothills of South Manchester. He was called up to serve in the first World War and in passing through London he was extremely impressed when he heard Marcus Garvey, who was living in London at the time, speak about black pride, black dignity and black self awareness. Garvey passionately advocated self-help and unity among people of African descent.
Back in Jamaica, Mortimer Hendriques, now back at his home in Resource after the war, saw an advertisement offering shares in the Black Star Line. Realizing that this was the same person whose speaches he had been so impressed with, he persuaded the villagers in resource to invest in this scheme and to join the Universal Negro Improvement Association.
Garvey was so appreciative of the support he had received from the small village of Resource, that on a vist to Jamaica in February 1923 he visited Resource and stayed for a few months. The people grew to love and respect him so much that two villagers donated a piece of land to him.
Garvey asked that a Liberty Hall, named after his headquarters in New York be built on this land to house the Resource Chapter of his Universal Negro Improvement Association.
The Marcus Garvey fair is hosted by the Resource Citizens Association and the Manchester Environmental Protection Agency (a registered non governmental organization) in collaboration with the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), the National Best Community Foundation/Countrystyle Community Tourism Network, and the International Institute of Peace through Tourism (IIPT) Caribbean
The next Marcus Garvey Fair will be held in February 2017.