The Editor, Sir:

I salute the life and work of our very own Professor Rex Nettleford.

To Rastafarians, the downtrodden, the poor, black, rural and urban youth, Nettleford's voice became the one to speak eloquently on their behalf.

A man must be judged within the context of the time and place he finds himself. Nettleford, born and educated a hundred years following slavery, used every opportunity given him to speak on behalf of a nation, seeking to recover from the loss of cultural identity, created by the holocaust wretched slavery bequeathed on us.

He was bold, unapologetic and forthright when he spoke against the status quo of post-colonial Jamaica. No one will be able to quantify the medicinal value of his contribution to the healing of our nation.

We salute him for his work as artistic director of the National Dance Theatre Company. His dance company has immortalised much of his work and thinking expressed via dance. As we mourn his passing and reflect on his life, let us renew our resolve to use our rich cultural legacy he saluted in every aspect of his life, to remind us of the great potential for excellence that lies in whom may be considered in Jamaica 'the ordinary folk'.

May the ancestors be praised for his outstanding contribution..

I am, etc.,

BERT S SAMUELS

bert.samuels@gmail.com