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MAROON AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM BY FABIAN STENNETT


✅ SPEECH 1: Quao Maroon Festival – Scott’s Hall Maroon Town

Theme: Unity and Transparency for Cultural Empowerment and Development

By Chief Fabian Stennett
Furry Town Maroons – Tangle River, St. James (formerly Black River Road)

Greetings and Honour

Blessings to the people of Scott’s Hall—elders, youth, warriors, cultural guardians, and all those who carry the spirit of resistance and renewal.

I bring greetings from the Furry Town Maroons of Tangle River, in St. James—a place once known as Black River Road, where the land remembers the footsteps of our ancestors, and where a new generation is rising with purpose.

Though I am not able to stand here in person, I am here in spirit—and with deep respect for Captain Quao, whose courage and wisdom we honour today.

Quao: A Leader of Vision and Accountability

Captain Quao was not just a fighter. He was a builder, a strategist, and a leader who placed his people’s welfare first. He taught us that freedom is not only defended with arms—but sustained by unity, vision, and truth.

In honouring Quao, we must ask: Are we living up to his example? Are we building Maroon communities that are united, honest, and future-focused?

Unity: More Than a Slogan—A Survival Strategy

Furry Town, Scott’s Hall, Accompong, Charles Town, Moore Town—we are not separate islands. We are branches of the same ancestral tree. We must put aside petty rivalries and old wounds. Division weakens us. Transparency and unity strengthen us.

Let us speak with one voice. Let us build across parishes. Let us support each other through trade, education, and cultural exchange.

Transparency: A Maroon Principle—and a National Demand

Our ancestors made decisions in the open—in council, with input from the people. That is the tradition we must protect and restore. In Furry Town, we are committed to building on truth, trust, and full community participation.

But this principle must also reach beyond our villages. We must hold Jamaica’s Parliament to the same standard.

If constitutional reform is about shaping the future of this nation, then it must include the voices of Maroon people—not as tokens, but as full contributors.

  • No more backroom decisions.
  • No more symbolic consultation.
  • No more policies that ignore our land, culture, and rights.

Conclusion: From Resistance to Revival

Let this festival be more than a commemoration. Let it be a recommitment.

  • May our leadership be guided by truth.
  • May our communities grow in unity.
  • May our young people rise with confidence in who they are.
  • And may this nation never move forward without our input, our heritage, or our voice.

One Maroon people. One purpose. One future.

Thank you.
— Chief Fabian Stennett
Furry Town Maroons – Tangle River, St. James

✅ SPEECH 2: Cultural Empowerment & Constitutional Reform

Theme: If Constitutional Reform Is About Us, It Cannot Be Done Without Us

By Chief Fabian Stennett
Furry Town Maroons – Tangle River, St. James (formerly Black River Road)

Greetings and Standpoint

Brothers and sisters, I speak today not only as Chief of Furry Town, but as a voice for the forgotten, the overlooked, and the deeply rooted.

I speak from Tangle River, St. James—a place once called Black River Road. The names may change, but the spirit of the land and the strength of the people remain.

We are a community not just of survival—but of revival. And as Jamaica talks of constitutional reform, we ask the one question that matters:
If this change is about the people—then where are the people in the process?

Transparency: The Test of True Reform

True reform is not done behind closed doors. It is not written in distant offices while rural and indigenous communities are left in the dark.

We, the Maroons of Furry Town, demand clarity. We demand consultation. And we demand the dignity of being included in shaping Jamaica’s future, not simply reacting to it.

Our Legacy Is Self-Governance—Let Us Live It

From Nanny to Quao, from Cudjoe to our unnamed ancestors, Maroon people have always governed ourselves—with systems of accountability, land stewardship, and communal voice.

So we say:

  • Recognize our governance structures.
  • Respect our land rights.
  • Include our communities in national policy conversations—not as heritage displays, but as living contributors to Jamaican identity and law.

From the Village to Parliament: One Standard of Accountability

What we practice in Furry Town, we expect from Parliament:

  • Transparency in budget and development plans
  • Open dialogue with affected communities
  • Protection of indigenous and rural cultural rights
  • A written role for Maroons in constitutional language—not just recognition, but participation

Closing: The Future Demands Our Presence

We are not waiting for invitations. We are stepping forward with proposals, with leadership, with purpose.

May the reform of Jamaica reflect the full truth of Jamaica—including her First Peoples.

And may the next generation say: They did not just honour the past—they built a future with everyone in it.

We are ready. Are you?

Thank you.
— Chief Fabian Stennett
Furry Town Maroons – Tangle River, St. James (formerly Black River  Road )

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