Jamaican nursery rhymes given to schools

The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) has forged a partnership with author, Steven Golding, to distribute his collection of nursery rhymes celebrating Jamaican heritage to the island’s 2,500-plus early-childhood institutions (ECIs).

The book, titled Daddy Marcus Nursery Rhymes, pays homage to Jamaica’s first National Hero, the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey. It features 16 nursery rhymes, which repair European versions, such as the Three Blind Mice, with Jack Mansong, which tells the story of Mansong, who escaped enslavement in the 1770s and formed a runaway maroon community in St Thomas-in-the-East. Other titles included in the work are Timbuktu is Going Up, which repairs London Bridge is Falling Down and Bo Bo Ashanti, which repairs Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Golding handed over approximately 500 copies of the book to the ECC at its office in downtown Kingston last Friday. The copies were the first batch of nursery rhymes that were procured by corporate sponsors J. Wray & Nephew Foundation, Sanmerna Foundation, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, Wisynco and Cari-Med Group.

Golding said the book will aid in the liberation and emancipation of the minds of young children.

“This is an exercise in reparation, and it is important that the Jamaican people understand that when we speak about reparation, compensation is only one aspect. We also need to repair some of the things that were force-fed to us by our colonisers. We need to fix them… . We need to remove them… . We need to repair them. We need to do, as Marcus Garvey said, emancipate ourselves from mental slavery,” he affirmed.

ECC Chair Trisha Williams-Singh welcomed the handover, noting that the texts promise to enrich the minds and spirits of Jamaica’s youngest generation.

“We recognise that formative years are not merely a period for cognitive growth but a critical window for anchoring a child’s identity and sense of belonging. Through the evocative power of rhyme and rhythm, this collection serves as a vibrant conduit of our heritage, translating profound historical and cultural narratives into accessible, joyful learning experiences,” she outlined. Williams-Singh noted that the handover is both timely and significant, as Jamaica commemorates the 139th anniversary of the birth of Garvey, which is August 17.

Garvey’s grandson, Colin Garvey, welcomed the collection, calling it “a great project”.

“What this nursery rhymes book is going to do is expose children to a different way of seeing things, which is more inclined with who they are, and that’s a very important thing,” he told JIS News.