Ralston Milton "Rex" Nettleford,
OM, FIJ,
OCC (3 February 1933 – 2 February 2010),
[ ] was a
Jamaican scholar, social critic, choreographer, and
Vice-Chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...
Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of the
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...
(UWI), the leading research university in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Biography
Born on 3 February 1933 in
Falmouth, Jamaica, Nettleford attended Unity Primary School in
Bunkers Hill,
Trelawny, and graduated from
Cornwall College
The Cornwall College Group (TCCG; kw, Kolji Kernow) is a further education college situated on eight sites throughout Cornwall and Devon, England, United Kingdom, with its head office in St Austell.
Campuses
There are eight campuses within ...
in
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...
, before going to the
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...
(UWI) to obtain an honours degree in history.
[Reckord, Michael (2014)]
"Rex And The Rhumba Dancers"
''Jamaica Gleaner
''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...
'', 31 January 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014. As a child, he sang and recited in school concerts, sang in the church choir, danced, and began working as a choreographer at the age of 11 with the Worm Chambers Variety Troupe, which helped to fund his studies.
At Cornwall College, he acted in productions of the college's drama club, and was published as a poet.
[Reckord, Michael (2014)]
"Dance, Theatre Constant For Rex"
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 7 February 2014. He was a recipient of the 1957
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
to
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...
, where he received a postgraduate degree in Politics, returning to Jamaica in the early 1960s to take up a position at UWI.
At UWI, he first came to attention as a co-author (with
M. G. Smith
Michael Garfield Smith OM (18 August 1921 – 5 January 1993) was a Jamaican social anthropologist and poet of international repute.
Biography
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, M.G. Smith was always a brilliant scholar. When he was a schoolboy at J ...
and Roy Augier) of a groundbreaking study of the
Rastafari movement
Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control o ...
in 1961. In 1962, Nettleford and
Eddy Thomas co-founded the
National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC) is Jamaica's leading dance theatre company.
History
The company was founded in 1962 by Rex Nettleford and Eddy Thomas with fifteen dancers, with Nettleford acting as its artistic director and pri ...
,
an ensemble which under his direction did much to incorporate traditional
Jamaican music
The music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion and related styles.
Reggae is especially popular through the international fame of Bob Marle ...
and dance into a formal balletic repertoire.
For more than twenty years, Nettleford was also artistic director for the
University Singers of UWI at Mona campus. The combination of Nettleford as artistic director and
Noel Dexter as musical director with the University Singers saw the creation of what is referred to as "choral theatre".
Beginning with the collection of essays, ''Mirror, Mirror'', published in 1969, and his editing and compiling of the speeches and writings of
Norman Manley
Norman Washington Manley (4 July 1893 – 2 September 1969) was a Jamaican statesman who served as the first and only Premier of Jamaica. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s. Manley was an advocate ...
, ''Manley and the New Jamaica'', in 1971, Nettleford established himself as a serious public historian and social critic. In 1968, he took over direction of the School for Continuing Studies at UWI and then of the Extra-Mural Department.
In 1975, the Jamaican state recognized his cultural and scholarly achievements by awarding him the
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
. He also received the Gold
Musgrave Medal
The Musgrave Medal is an annual award by the Institute of Jamaica in recognition of achievement in art, science, and literature.Webster, Valerie J. (2000), ''Awards, Honors & Prizes, Volume 2'', Gale Group, , p. 447. Originally conceived in 1889 a ...
(1981) and 13 honorary doctorates, including one in Civil Law from
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.
In 1996, he became Vice-Chancellor of the UWI, and held that office until 2004, when he was succeeded by E. Clark Harris.
Death
On 27 January 2010, Nettleford was admitted to the intensive-care unit of the
George Washington University Hospital
The George Washington University Hospital is a for-profit hospital, located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The current facility opened on ...
,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, after suffering a heart attack at his hotel in the city. He was unconscious and in a coma for several days. On Tuesday, 2 February 2010, he was pronounced dead at around 8:00pm EST.
Nettleford died one day before his 77th birthday. He suffered a serious brain injury while he was in cardiac arrest. He was in Washington for a meeting with the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
to discuss the state of racial discrimination around the world, and had been expected to meet in New York with his former employer, University of the West Indies, for a fundraising event. Nettleford was an important individual to the extramural studies department at University of the West Indies and was also an advisor to political leaders in the Caribbean.
Legacy
In 2004, the
Rhodes Trust
Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* on ...
established the Rex Nettleford Prize in cultural studies.
The Rex Nettleford Foundation was established after his death.
[Rickards, Colin]
"Recognising Rex Nettleford's legacy"
''Jamaica Observer
''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...
'', 9 April 2011. Nettleford's life was the subject of a trilogy of films by Lennie Little-White, commissioned by the foundation.
[Film Trilogy Celebrates Rex Nettleford]
, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 22 September 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
Selected bibliography
* ''Roots and Rhythms: the Story of the Jamaican National Dance Theatre'' (1969), London: Deutsch.
* ''Mirror, Mirror: Identity, Race and Protest in Jamaica'' (1970), Kingston: Sangster and Collins.
* ''African Connexion: Parallels; Historical Continuity; Panafricanism; African in the World'', University of the West Indies (1972).
References
External links
Rex Nettleford Foundation For Caribbean Cultural And Social Studiesat the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.*Katherine Verhagen Rodis (October 2010)
"Rex Nettleford on Louise Bennett's Jamaica Talk" ''
sx salon The Small Axe Project is an integrated publication undertaking devoted to Caribbean intellectual and artistic work, exercised over three platforms—''Small Axe''; ''sx salon'', and ''sx visualities''—each with a different structure, medium, and p ...
''. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nettleford, Rex
1933 births
2010 deaths
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
Cornwall College, Jamaica alumni
Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford
Heads of the University of the West Indies
Jamaican choreographers
Jamaican Rhodes Scholars
People from Trelawny Parish
Recipients of the Musgrave Medal
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Jamaica)
Recipients of the Order of the Caribbean Community
Social critics