Which country has the best designed uniform for the 2012 Summer Olympics, according to TIME Magazine?

Jamaica, of course. We lickle but we tallah!  The uniforms were designed by Cedella Marley and congratulations are in  order.

Jamaica is knocking heads with Italy, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Germany and South Korea as having the best designed uniforms. TIME said the Jamaican uniforms were as colourful as the Olympics.

Should we be surprised about such an achievement?  Of course not! In an earlier blog, I wrote about the Jamaica brand and the impact it has been having through sports, culture, entertainment, all complemented by the awesome beauty of the place. It is timely, as we approach the Jamaica 50 celebrations, and as we seek to harness the Jamaica brand for the good of the country and it's people.

Most certainly, we need the Jamaica brand to counteract the negative vibes a handful of thugs at home and abroad has been instilling in the hearts of their countrymen, giving the impression to all and sundry that the island is a breeding ground for criminals, and that it is at war with itself. No one can deny that the island has a problem with crime, the  statistics show that, but there are some good things, too, even if it takes the design of an Olympic uniform to demonstrate that. In essence, the Jamaica brand has a unique role to play in nation building and the Olympics as well as the Jamaica 50 are good places to begin.

What better gift could Jamaica get for its fiftieth birthday than for these thugs to bury their weapons blindly and resurrect the values of honesty, love for their fellowmen, and heed the biblical admonition "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread," and not in robbing and murdering others for what they have.

Jamaica has been blessed by the Almighty God with beauty in the land and in the people. After 50 years since birth, can we now truly give it a chance to put the negatives behind and begin to provide a decent way of life for its people without fear?  May God have mercy on us. One love.

Horane Smith is an award-winning author of eight-published novels, notably Lover's Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend, Dawn at Lover's Leap (the sequel) and finalist in the 2006 USA Booknews Bestbook Awards, Port Royal, Reggae Silver, the Lynching Stream, Underground to Freedom and Seven Days in Jamaica. His latest novel Marooned in Nova Scotia - A story of the Jamaican Maroons in Canada is among the TOP 50 list of recommended books by the Toronto Reference Library to mark Jamaica 50. They are all perfect gifts for neighbours and friends to mark Jamaica 50.