Prof. Nettleford’s death

One of Jamaica's icons of culture and academia, Professor Rex Nettleford died on Tuesday, February 2, at the George Washington Hospital in Washington, DC – one week after suffering a heart attack at a Washington hotel, and a few hours before his 77th birthday.

Nettleford, vice-chancellor emeritus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and founder of the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC), went into a coma following the heart attack and was placed on life support, but never recovered.

He was in Washington to participate in a fundraising gala for the UWI, when he was stricken. On Tuesday night a medical report issued by George Washington University said that the life support was terminated in keeping with Prof. Nettleford’s wishes.

The news of Nettleford’s death has been taken very hard in Jamaica, where in many areas he was a household name, and in the Diaspora, where he was instrumental in formulating the structure of the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation.

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who is on official business in China, in a statement said he was deeply saddened by the news of Nettleford’s death.

He said Jamaica and the entire world have lost an intellectual and a creative genius – a man whose contribution to shaping and projecting the cultural landscape of the entire Caribbean region is unquestionable. Golding said Nettleford’s passing has left a void “in our world that will be a challenge to fill.”

Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, Jamaican Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports said, “The nation, the wider Caribbean, and beyond mourn the loss of this great Caribbean icon.”

Former Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson said he was shocked at the news, given that only a fortnight ago he had seen Nettleford and he seemed fit and fine.

Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller said “This is a national loss and one that I feel personally. Words are inadequate to capture the extent of the grief I feel.”

Nettleford was a son of rural Jamaica, born in Falmouth, Trelawny and schooled in Montego Bay. From humble origins he rose to prominence in the Jamaican society, and made outstanding achievements, renowned for his keen intellect and oratory.

From a lecturer in labor economics at UWI, he became a professor of Extra Mural Studies, and also became head of the Trade Union Education Institution.

Nettleford was a Rhodes Scholar, who studied at Oxford University and was an outstanding writer. His publications included Mirror, Mirror: Manley and the New Jamaica, The African Connexion, In Our Heritage, and Caribbean Cultural Identity: the case of Jamaica.

Despite his academic excellence, Nettleford was possibly more popular in Jamaica for his cultural work, especially as the creator and chief choreographer of the NDTC. Through his work, the NDTC has gained international repute to rank as one of the better dance groups in the world. He was a talented dancer himself, and the audience at the NDTC’s performances usually swelled when dances featuring Nettleford were on the program.

He was cultural adviser to the Prime Minister Golding, member of the Inter-American Committee on Culture, and a consultant to the government of Ghana, the CARICOM cultural expose, CARIFESTA and to UNESCO.

He was the recipient of several awards including, the Jamaican Order of Merit, the Gold Musgrave Medal, the Pelican Award from the UWI Guild of Graduates, an honorary doctor of Humane letters from the University of Hartford and the Living Legend Award from the Atlantic Black Arts Festival.

Margaret Barrett, President of the Florida chapter of the UWI Guild of Graduates, said, “Nettleford’s contribution to the UWI and the Caribbean community will truly live on. He will be remembered for the academic guidance he gave and his eloquence of the English language.”

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