CaribWorldNews, WASHINGTON, D.C., Mon. Oct. 26, 2009: The Hall of Culture at the Organization of American States has been renamed after a Jamaican national hero.

The OAS recently renamed the hall after the late Marcus Mosiah Garvey. The Marcus Garvey Hall of Culture, located on the first floor of the historic main building of the OAS headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., will remain a venue for major cultural events, officials said.

Secretary General of the OAS, Miguel Insulza, said it was appropriate that Garvey be recognised by the organization, because he was active throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.

`This great Jamaican travelled throughout Central and South America, where he observed the difficult conditions under which his people lived and worked. He was not only perceived to be a trouble-maker, he was a trouble maker demanding an improvement in living conditions and human rights for citizens all over the Americas,` Insulza said.

Insulza also challenged the audience to use Garvey`s bust, donated to the OAS by the Jamaican Government in the early 1980s and displayed in the Hall of Heroes (upstairs the Hall of Culture), as well as the renamed Hall of Culture, as symbols of equality and justice in the Americas.

Responding to the tributes, Garvey`s son, Dr. Julius Garvey, recalled his father as a 20th century leader, who dedicated his life to educating and uniting African people across the globe.

`As we advance into the 21st century, we must work together and develop and grow as one united people,` he recommended.

Along with the unveiling, an exhibition of books, papers and artifacts entitled `Marcus Garvey: National Hero of Jamaica` was mounted by the OAS Columbus Memorial Library to mark the occasion.