Mearly A Case Of Mistaken Identity

Tony Sewell discusses the case of Tyrone Mears (pictured), a British-born athlete who played for Jamaica's soccer team earlier this year. It turns out that his father, who he thought was Jamaican, is actually Sierra Leonean. Because of FIFA rules, Mr. Mears now can't play for Britain. Mr. Sewell, a British moderate educator, writes: "In Britain, the question of your roots outside of Britain is still relevant. We categorise black children as being of African or African-Caribbean heritage. Poor Tyrone Mears, playing out in the hills of Burnley, told reporters that he always assumed his father was Jamaican. We must ask ourselves, why Jamaica? Is it that Barbados just was too small in his imagination? And why not Nigeria? There, of course, could have been negative reasons for claiming Jamaica. He could have felt that his dad was simply a stereotypical ‘yard man’ – the baby father who drops children like ackees falling off a tree. We will never know why Mears ‘assumed’ his father was Jamaican. However, it points to a generation still uncertain about and hungry to make links with their ancestors."

Mr. Sewell continues his commentary about identity and social integration: "This was the generation of chips with everything. The British Government is busy with a policy of social integration, which is mainly targeted at Muslim youth. The underlying message is, forget Pakistan and the nasty Taliban. Yet, for black youths there is a deep passion to connect with their heritage. The Caribbean still has some relevance. One practical idea to make this more of a reality is for Jamaica to actively promote entitlements to having dual citizenship for those with parents and grandparents who are Jamaican. I hear a lot of talk about brand Jamaica, but it needs to be sold on with the added value of entitlement. I have a Jamaican passport which I have never used but I feel a great pride in having this citizenship. It also gives me a number of real entitlements in Jamaica, the most important one being the right of residence."

Mr. Sewell argues that Jamaica needs to reach out to its diaspora: "Jamaicans could also be mischievous and target potential sports stars who might feel that it is better to run for Jamaica than England. After all, it has worked the other way round where Jamaican-born stars like John Barnes have worn the English shirt with pride. A passport entitlement campaign would cost some money and Jamaica might feel that it could use its scarce resources better. My view is that this should come out of the tourist budget. The clear marketability of brand Jamaica amongst a new generation would help the tourist industry. I would suggest that some of the remittance companies link up with the High Commission and have a ceremony where they award passports/citizenship to those young people who genuinely are entitled."