| Douglas Orane, Chairman,
Diaspora conference planning committee & CEO, Grace, Kennedy &
Company Ltd.
 Like
most of you I have lived and worked abroad - I have lived in the
U.K. while studying to be an engineer; I have worked with Tate &
Lyle in their Silvertown sugary refinery in East London and I have
also lived in Boston in the USA when I studied for my MBA.
These experiences have led me to a sense of my own Jamaican-ness,
which is not based on geography or on where I live, but on who I
am. My sense of my Jamaican identity comes from an appreciation
of how we Jamaicans think, how we speak, how we interact with each
other; a particular "joie de vivre" and sense of camaraderie
which are part of our beings; our deep love of our land and its
magnificent vistas; the particular spurt of happiness and warmth
which we feel when we savour our national foods; the infectious
rhythms of the various musical forms which have evolved from our
people. I could go on and on - but, I think it is enough to repeat
that for me being Jamaican has nothing to do with where I live -
being Jamaican is a state of being that is with me whether I live
in New York, London or Toronto.
Some of you, like so many other Jamaicans, have developed a sense
of apprehension about some of the issues that we face in Jamaica
- such as our ability to earn our way out of our financial problems
and emerge from social problems such as crime, violence and the
instability of the Jamaican family structure.
While not attempting to minimize any of these problems, I am optimistic
about our future because basically, I believe in the innate capabilities
of the Jamaican people - our ability and determination to excel,
to achieve what we want, our courage and resilience in the face
of hardship and disaster and our sheer instinct for survival.
These are some of the qualities that motivated many of you who,
years ago ventured forth from these shores, sometimes into the unknown,
and with grit and determination made your way in those other countries
to achieve a level of financial security.
At Grace, Kennedy, we have looked at the Jamaicans living outside
of this country which number some 2 million, and decided to link
our future growth and development to the task of satisfying the
unmet needs of these people. Based on what we have achieved in these
markets in the past few years, I believe that we are on the right
track and that this development is sustainable.
If we are to solve our problems in Jamaica, we must search for
opportunities such as this one which Grace, Kennedy has defined.
As a nation, it is important that we redefine our scope of activity
not only within the 4,400 square miles which is Jamaica but look
to the 4½ million persons who live both inside and outside
of our borders.
I am suggesting that we need a national strategy to deal with this
reality of the Jamaican nation being 4 1/2 million people globally
rather than just 2 1/2 million located physically "on the rock".
I believe that this conference is a step in that direction. As
we partake in the deliberations, it is important to understand that
the solutions we are looking for should benefit of us all as one
people, seeking the same end, that is the prosperity to our island
home - Jamaica: Land We Love. It is my belief that if we are to
accomplish much then there must be unity of purpose to effectively
Unleash the Potential to bring about the success which we seek.
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