Politics
On the heels of a year that seemed to be defined by politics, 2008 also began on a political high note, thanks to Barack Obama's amazing win in the Iowa caucus. From that point on, the majority of regional bloggers caught Obamamania and supported “their” candidate all the way to the White House. While the Caribbean was captivated by Obama's promise of change, Barbadians were orchestrating a political change of their own - some believe that outspoken political blogs may have helped turn the tide of the election by discussing key issues such as alleged corruption and the need for integrity legislation.

Further north along the archipelago, Jamaica's top politician was riling up bloggers, thanks to his “No gays in my government” comment during a BBC interview - but certainly one of the most significant political scenarios coming out of the region this year was the retirement of Cuban leader Fidel Castro after nearly 50 years at the helm of the socialist republic. Despite the change in leadership, however, most bloggers felt that it was business as usual. According to Uncommon Sense:

An unfortunate consequence of that hand-over, reinforced by Fidel's “retirement,” is that the dictatorship survives. A face, presumably Raúl's — I haven't seen the script — will be placed at the top of the flow chart, come Sunday. But the dictatorship survives.

Fidel's “retirement” is not a moment to celebrate. Unfortunately, his legacy will survive his life's work, and his life. It is a historical moment to note but nothing more.

Freedom of Speech
The issue of freedom of speech seemed to plague the region this year; both mainstream media and the blogosphere fought against attempts to silence them. Although there still appears to be some distrust between MSM and the newly active blogosphere in some Caribbean territories, it was interesting to see the two sides come together and make their voices heard. In Guyana, for instance, one blogger - MediaCritic at the Living Guyana blog - made it his business to cover the banning of a journalist by the country's President. His commitment to the cause was so fierce that it prompted GV Caribbean author Nicholas Laughlin to comment:

Living Guyana's sustained coverage of the Moseley ban story — largely ignored by other Guyanese blogs — has rivalled the coverage of Guyana's mainstream media.

Over in Barbados, bloggers were wondering if their means of online expression was in danger, while in Cuba, it appeared that certain blogs may have been blocked. Trinidad and Tobago had to contend with its Prime Minister actually paying a visit to a radio station to complain about two announcers who had made disparaging comments about him, a move that made bloggers even more vocal than usual. Barbadian bloggers also joined ranks with their mainstream media counterparts following the arrest of two journalists - a move that Barbados Free Press says was prompted by the fact that the reporters were covering the case of “a police officer…charged with dealing drugs.”

Human Rights
Closely linked with freedom of speech is the question of human rights. Some of the most memorable stories in the Caribbean blogosphere this year dealt with human rights abuses - from the arrest of Las Damas de Blanco in Havana as they staged a peaceful demonstration for the release of their husbands, to the reinstatement of the death penalty in Jamaica. Cuban bloggers were by far the most conscious of human rights issues, blogging at length about the significance of International Human Rights Day and their island's history of stifling human rights.

Puerto Rico was worried about “the government's latest deed, the application of the Real ID Act to the island's drivers”, which they thought was way too intrusive and bordered on a breach of privacy. Barbadian bloggers cried “foul” after the suspicious and untimely death of I'Akobi Tacuma Maloney, while the issue of the Rights of the Child was linked with concern about Jamaica's escalating crime rate in this post about violence against minors.

Crime & Health
The big crime story in the region this year was undoubtedly “the killing by joint army and police services of Guyana's most wanted man, Rondell ‘Fineman' Rawlins, and his ‘Lieutenant' Jermaine ‘Skinny' Charles”. Bloggers breathed a communal sign of relief that the two men met as bloody a fate as they inflicted on so many innocent people, even as an editorial in the Stabroek News warned that the killing of Rawlins doesn't mean the end of violence - but Jamaica certainly tried to curb its own rising crime rate via a March for Peace, inspired by the increasing number of violent crimes against women and children. The region's own experience with violence - not to mention the fact that several West Indian territories have substantial populations of Indian origin - made it that much easier for Caribbean to empathize with India after the horrific Mumbai terror attacks. And in another kind of war - the war on HIV/AIDS - the Caribbean joined the rest of the world in recognizing World AIDS Day and joining the discussion on everything from education to HIV/AIDS workplace policy.

Disasters
This was the Year of the Hurricane. Monster storms wreaked havoc across the Caribbean archipelago, from Grenada to the Cayman Islands. Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Omar and Paloma are not names the Caribbean is likely to forget.

Cuba and Haiti were hit particularly hard by the multiple storms, which caused loss of homes and of life - and on the heels of these tragedies, Haiti faced yet another in the form of a disastrous school collapse. In the words of Haiti Innovation:

Some emergencies can be predicted. Every hurricane season, we can anticipate that Haiti will likely be hit with tropical storms. Others such as the collapse of a school in Petionville yesterday are unexpected tragedies.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana were battling floods on a regular basis during the region's rainier-than-usual wet season.

The Economy
Perhaps the first sign of the effects of the looming global financial crisis was rising food prices and scarcity of produce. Caribbean bloggers were concerned - and finally the penny dropped with regional politicians - Trinidad and Tobgo's Prime Minister called for “belt-tightening” a few months later.

Cuban bloggers were quite vocal about the US/Cuba embargo, debating whether or not any change to the status quo would actually be felt in the Cuban economy. Guyanese bloggers, on the other hand, suggested that if their government did not sign the new European Union EPA, the local economy would be the loser.

Meanwhile, the French-speaking Caribbean was rife with protests over the skyrocketing price of gas and its effect on the pockets of the man in the street.

Sport
If there was a bright spot in the Caribbean blogosphere this year, it came in the form of regional athletes' performance in the Beijing Olympics. Jamaican Track and Field athletes dominated; the Caribbean celebrated. Usain Bolt was not only a hero - he was a phenomenon.

A few months later came another sporting moment to be proud of - the Caribbean team defeated England in the Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament, winning the match by an astounding ten wickets, becoming overnight millionaires in the process and - even for a moment - restoring some pride to beleaguered West Indies cricket fans.

Fond Farewells
Several Caribbean icons passed away this year and bloggers respectfully paid them homage…

Jamaican musicians Alton Ellis and Byron Lee and Guyanese newspaper editor David de Caires, who Nicholas Laughlin describes as “the founder and editor-in-chief of the independent Guyanese newspaper the Stabroek News, and one of the Caribbean's strongest advocates for press freedom.”

The Caribbean celebrated astounding highs and coped with debilitating lows this year - but the most convincing sign that we can deal with whatever comes our way is the fact that we continue to talk about issues and through discussion, better understand our own experiences and challenges in the context of an ever-shrinking world.

Guyanese bloggers do a meme on “Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without…” For Signifyin' Guyana, who started the meme, it's “my dad's ham” and “playing board games with my folks after we've all had a few and then some more.” Guyana 911 chimes in (sometimes cynically) with the following list:

- Christmas clean up.
Whoa.. what happened to this house. Are you moving out?

- Pepper Pot.
Time, tide and Jesus birthday waits for no pepper pot. Is the earth going to stop moving if you don't make pepper pot?

- Black Cake.

- A Christmas Tree.
Cut them all down, but lets not make Christmas cards out of em. No.. instead, we can make furniture. Now that's a revolutionary idea. Furniture… something anyone can actually use.

- Singer commercials.

- Painting over the house and anything else paint sticks to.

- Remittances.

Raptus8 thinks that gift-giving is an inseparable part of Christmas (once the gift is for him):

Since we are speaking about gifts I would like to say to all of my friends and family that you know I have lots of love for you but this year plz don’t expect anything but a Christmas card from me.

I’m broke; yes I’m broke…what? I got a promotion the other day? Yes I did but I’m not wealthy and I want to be, so I’m saving my money. I do hope that you will understand my position and that this will not discourage you from buying that special item you saw with my name on it…

In Jamaica, Iriegal says that while Christmas time is synonymous with family, the global financial crisis is having an impact on remittances and gifts sent to Jamaica from the diaspora:

We know it's Christmas time in Jamaica when the barrels start rolling in.

Tings kinda 'salt' this year though. The economy has made many items scarce and the shipping fee has gone up as well. Seems folks sending ‘gift cards' now.

She also notes that the recession is making itself felt in other ways this Christmas:

Christmas is not Christmas without deh white dem. (Jamaican white rum). We use it for sorrel, Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding and so on. So why did the people at Wray and Nephew dem lay off their workers right before Christmas. Isn't that shooting yourself in the foot?

Cuts are going on everywhere on the island, just as it is all over the world. The recession that the United States is feeling is a Global thing. Everything trickles down. What is sad is that many of the smaller islands do feel it more. When you don't make nothing, you don't have nothing and people try to take that ‘nothing' away from you, it hurts.

Abeng News Magazine prefers to reminisce, taking a look at Christmas in “Old Jamaica” here and here.

Bermuda's The Devil Island.com knows its Christmas when Jose Feliciano sings Feliz Navidad, saying:

I swear, there is nothing that comes to mind as a more perfect, joyous, happy-making Christmas song.

Trinidadian blogger This Beach Called Life concurs, calling it “the best Christmas song ever” and even posting video of Feliciano singing his signature tune. He goes on to explain:

Jose Feliciano is an an accomplished guitarist and sings with a distinctive voice and style. Feliz Navidad has become a Cristmas classic and is now impossible to separate from the Christmas season. Feliz Navidad is one of the top 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs around the world.

However, fellow Trinidad and Tobago-based blogger Coffeewallah is finding it hard to get into the spirit of the season:

I constantly hear people talking about their ‘Christian' beliefs. It never ceases to amaze me that a lot of these so-called Christian folk are the same ones who bitch the loudest when asked to contribute to a can drive or anything. The same people who will come around and ask you again and again for their children's raffle or whatever, when asked, their response usually is, I gave to something two months ago. I must remember that one for future use. Grinch behaviour coming alive here.

But the staples of a Trinbagonian Christmas somehow manage to bring her around:

The pointsettias were abloom, their spiky red leaves cheerily brightening the usually sombre space. Though the skies were rainy, inside we were snug, with our ponche de creme to warm us, some Christmas music to sing along with…and all was good.

Speaking of Christmas staples, Simply Trini Cooking salutes that time-honoured West Indian Christmas dessert, Black Cake, and includes a recipe should anyone want to try making it.

Barbados Underground posts a reminder about the reason for the season and expresses concern about the commercialization of the holiday:

Christmas 2008 will be celebrated in gloomy economic conditions but Barbadians appear to be following the script of behaviour from previous years…which sees the majority of our population motivated by commercial reasons to celebrate Christmas.

BU's apprehension is echoed by Dominica Weekly, which considers the true meaning of Christmas and goes one step further by asking what God would think of modern-day celebrations.

Christmas celebrations in the French-speaking Caribbean, on the other hand, appear to be steeped in tradition. With December 25th quickly approaching, the French Overseas Departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyane are vibrating to the tune of their folk musical instruments like ka (a big drum)[Fr], ti-bwa (two bamboo sticks)[Fr] and of Christmas Carols. Welcome to the world of “Chanté Nwel” (Singing for Christmas)!

In the blog Sous le Soleil de Guadeloupe [Fr], Pat and Jac describe the paradoxical situation of the island, gripped with the Spirit of Christmas and raging through the gas crisis [En].

Still, there is one thing at the core of the Guadeloupean traditional celebration of Christmas and it is “Chanté Nwel”. Creole [En]for “Singing for Christmas” or “Singing Christmas (carols)”, it is the very shrine of Christmas in these French territories. “Chanté Nwel” used to be an opportunity for entire families to go around their neighborhood to visit neighbors and sing Christmas carols with them to the tune of the “ka” and the “ti-bwa”. At that time, it was in a safe atmosphere that people would go around their remote villages very late at night.

Although Chanté Nwel cannot be done in the same way as before, people still feel the need to sing Christmas carols together and in a very local way. You haven't celebrated Christmas, if you haven't been to a “Chanté Nwel”! It is such a vivid tradition that even the West Indian diaspora abroad wants to celebrate. On his blog Risbomontréal [Fr], a young Guadeloupean university student describes his joy at receiving an invitation for a “Chanté Nwel”:

Quelle bonne nouvelle que j'ai eu ce matin en ouvrant mon p'tit mac :D ! La news lettre de ces types super cool de Tropikal97 où ils invitent à participer à une super soirée diner/Chanté Noël + Boite de nuit à l'antillaise et tout ^^ !!!

It seems that the Chanté Nwel fever is spreading wherever French West Indians can be spotted: check out this invitation for a Chanté Nwel in Cergy, in the suburbs of Paris, published on the blog Carrefour du Soleil [Fr], by a group of West Indians. Or listen to Cactus, a Guadeloupean folk group that promotes Chanté Nwel in a blog called Cactus Chanté Nwel [Fr]. There is even a video of Cactus performing some Christmas carols, sung in Creole.

Can't manage a trip to the Caribbean this Christmas? Not to worry - the West Indian warmth transcends distance thanks to the voices of bloggers who share their stories of Christmas in Cuba, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Cayman Islands, and Puerto Rico. Some posts are more optimistic than others, but the sentiment of the season is palpable: Hope.

In the words of Bahamian blogger Womanish Words:

Suddenly, a choir. Singing Deck the Halls. Outside the dark living room window. And sistas, I mean, singing so beautifully.

I would have loved any carolers, the raw-boned, hollering kind I would have gratefully welcomed in these hard times. Any group of folks generous of spirit so, creative and cooperative and connected so, having spirit enough to gather themselves together and go sing-up Christmas for strangers, I have to love them. Especially now, when money is tight, and fundamentalism is dividing the neighbourhoods with hatred, and all are on guard against violent crime. We opened the door, lit a torch, gave a donation. They were all wearing Santa hats. They sounded like a choir out of Dickens. Perfect harmonies, soaring tenors. Our son asked, “Are they singing for us?” Yes, they were singing for us.

I thought it was a cosmic moment, a sign and a wonder, a message from the World of Spirit. Saying quite literally, go ahead and deck the halls, try Be Happy, celebrate, give. Do this to actively resist the fear, to transform it into something like good living.

All images in this post courtesy janinephoto; used with permission.

Bloggers were bracing themselves for anything. Mighty Afroditee was busy with preparations for the approaching storm, especially after the Caymans' experience with Hurricane Ivan four years ago:

As we sit with abated breath, enjoying the last remnants of the electricity, water, and basic amenities, praying for the best, but prepared for the worst…Gussin’ Gus makes his way forward, anxiety and uncertainty preceding his unwanted visit, and all I can say is…well shit! I am flicking fed up of this hurricane business.

From Grenada, Blah Bloh Blog's thoughts went out to her fellow bloggers:

Prayers and thoughts are with Stunner and Mad Bull as T.S. Gustav is currently over JA and heading slowly to the Caymans. Keep safe and let us know you are OK. It’s amazing to realise that Gustav is the thunderstorm that passed over Grenada last Saturday.

Every island in the storm's path was preparing for the worst, but Haiti seems to have got hit hard. Pwoje Espwa kept readers up-to-date with daily posts:

Rivers are overflowing as the denuded mountains cannot absorb the rain. We are hearing of many more people going to the hospital with sick babies, that many have lost crops, than there will be fewer children going to school this academic year. Haiti did not need this at this time. Food and fuel prices have gone through the roof giving cause to the political manifestations which can so easily turn violent.

A day later, the news was not much better. Pwoje Espwa's photos highlighted the level of damage Gustav wreaked:

Just had another mini-storm with wild wind and rushing rain. Many homes have been lost; tons and tons of agricultural products have been flooded; over 60 Haitians have died in these past few days. Haiti is old news now as folks focus on Jamaica and beyond.

Jamaica's new government, in the meantime, was busy reassuring citizens that the country's emergency services were well prepared for the storm - YardFlex.com noted that the Prime Minister was “guardedly optimistic that the storm will not cause the island to suffer much damage”.

This was, unfortunately, not to be. Reports of flooding, damage and loss of life started coming in from bloggers all over Jamaica. Abeng News Magazine said that as many as nine deaths were unconfirmed; A Fe Me Page Dis Iyah thought the storm flew in with a fury, Francis Wade admitted that Gustav gave Jamaica “a good and proper ‘mash up'” and Annie Paul was fooled into thinking that he was “a gentle soul”:

He's been here a few hours now. i don't mind him…compared to Emily and Dennis. Or Ivan. Ivan was terrible.

It was not long before she realised her error in judgment:

Gentle soul? couldn't have been more wrong. Gustav was a killer, insidiously creeping across the country, causing rivers to burst their banks and washing away homes and lives. Not much to choose between Ivan and him.

Hello World also confessed to being “tricked by tropical storm Gustav”, while Stunner's Afflictions echoed his sentiment:

What seemed to have been a walk in the park with Gustav going north of Jamaica and only delivering some rain to the island has certainly changed!

Stunner also took time to post video of the storm's effects on Kingston, the capital city, while A Fe Me Page Dis Iyah was hoping the floods would wash away all of the country's criminals.

Then there was the aftermath, which Annie Paul describes quite poetically:

There is something so newborn and fresh in the air after a hurricane leaves—don’t tell me Gustav wasn’t a hurricane when he visited here; it’s like insisting someone is 19 when they’re turning 20 tomorrow. The atmosphere seems to have been cleansed, purged of all the humid, hot and evil vapours that have been oppressing us for months now. A zephyr-like breeze whispers idle threats and the sun sparkles as it shines on the moist landscape. The riddim track to Marley’s Natural Mystic is blowing through the air.

Blowing through the air, perhaps, in much the same way that Gustav continued along his path to the Cayman Islands and Cuba. In the Cayman, Mighty Afroditee was suffering from cabin fever and Mad Bull was rejoicing over the fact that he still had “light, water, TV and the internet!”

Cuba did not fare so well. Black Sheep of Exile got news that “the devastation in the Isle of Pines is just beyond words”, while Havana-based blogger Yoani Sanchez, who wanted to post updates about the arrest and subsequent release of Cuban punk rocker Gorki, was practically imprisoned by the storm:

Because of Gustav the weather situation in Havana doesn’t allow me to leave the house to connect to the internet in a public place. On my balcony, fourteen floors up, we already have strong winds, and have started to close the windows and protect the plants. Today I am called on to face another cyclone.

Today, Hurricane Gustav began to rage over Louisiana and Trinidadian diaspora blogger Afrobella's heart went out to the city of New Orleans:

This weekend marks a horrific anniversary for the cradle of jazz, and three years later almost to the day, there’s a carefully planned city wide evacuation in the face of the category-four Hurricane Gustav. I can just imagine the fear and panic and emotion swirling in the hearts of Nawlins natives today, for whom the devastation of Katrina is a recent nightmare. I just wanted to offer support to everyone in New Orleans and up the coast all the way to Alabama. Be smart, stay safe, and our prayers are with you.

As if Bolt's masterful domination of the “fastest men in the world” field weren't enough, Trinidadian Richard Thompson, who made an impressive showing earlier this year at the NCAA Championships, winning gold in both the 100m and 60m (indoor) events, pulled off an upset and came in second.

Twitter and Facebook were immediately abuzz, with bloggers calling it “the race of the Olympics” and admitting they were “much prouder than usual to be West Indian”.

The significance of the Caribbean finishing in first and second place in one of the most prestigious events of the Olympic games soon began to sink in. This is the first time since the 1976 Games in Montreal (when Trinidadian Hasley Crawford took top honours) that a West Indian has brought home the gold in the 100m dash. Just as significant an achievement was the fact that six out of the eight finalists were from regional territories. In the words of Jamaican blogger Active Voice:

Right now it looks like the Caribbean has a monopoly on track and field!

…while West Indies Cricket Blog adds:

Wow! Just wow!

Jamaicans were understandably exuberant! Blog To The World says:

It was pandemonium and wild celebrations as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt won the Olympic 100m sprint in a World record time of 9.69 seconds (breaking his own record of 9.72. What was so surprising about this performance is that he started celebrating with about 20 meters to go.

Before heading out the door to join “motorcade in progress in Falmouth”, he also notes that the victory was a special one for him, since he knows Bolt personally:

He is from Sherwood Content in my parish of Trelawny. When he was at high school (William Knibb Memorial High) almost every evening he used to hang out in my video store before going home so I have always watched his progress over the years.

Prior to the win, some bloggers were mischievously making fun of the fact that the “super-drug” behind the stellar performances from the Jamaicans was what West Indians refer to as “blue food” - hearty staples such as yams and other ground provisions.

Montego Bay Day By Day agreed that “yellow yam, dasheen & coco does the body good indeed”, but was less-than-impressed by the fact that NBC did not bring a live feed of the race:

If Tyson Gay had qualified would they have thought it worthy of carrying, even though Gay's butt would have been quite properly whooped by Usain Bolt? Sour grapes indeed…Pity Asafa Powell didn't get the bronze…but cho so it go sometimes. Go through West Indies!! We proud of unu!!

And sure enough, the proud posts kept on coming. Jamaican Stunner asks:

How could I not join in the throng of proud bloggers in saluting such a remarkable, record breaking performance, finely executed by Usain Bolt? The world breaking record was amazing but what was even more fascinating was the fact that Bolt slowed down and started to celebrate his victory from approximately the 80m mark! What the hell! can you imagine what the record would have been if he didn't ease up?

The rest of the region soon chimed in. Barbadian diaspora blogger Jdid says:

How aptly named is this guy? Bolt wow! 9.69 and he was celebrating at the 80m mark. Congrats! Big up Jamaica! Last night on CBC (Canada) they had this discussion about why Jamaica has produced such amazing sprinters over the years…

Moving back to Jamaica seems to have the answer:

If it's one thing that we Jamaicans can be counted on, it's to enjoy the fact that we have the world's greatest sprint factory. What many don't know is that a major factor in our success is the intense rivalry that exists among our high schools, that starts at age 11 and continues for a lifetime.

Whatever the secret, there was no doubt as to Bolt's ability. Living in Barbados referred to the World #1 as “a weapon of mass destruction”, while Cayman Islands blogger Mad Bull called him “greased lightning”, adding:

The only thing is, can you imagine what time he might have got if he ran his utmost best for the whole race?! Wow! He shut down and started celebrating the win from about the 75 metre mark! I am sorry he didn’t go pedal-to-da-metal all the way through, just so we could see what the man is actually capable of!

Trinidad and Tobago-based Media Watch called the race “Stunning! Fantastic! Electric!” before going on to critique the poor local MSM coverage of the event - perhaps he should have gone online, where Andre Bagoo was live-blogging the race.

Kudos kept pouring in - from Grenada, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

As news broke that Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding “has promised a massive welcome home celebration for Jamaica's first gold medalist in the Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt, and the rest of the Olympic Team“, Living Guyana suggested a few ways in which proper homage could be paid to the outstanding Olympian:

If…Bruce Golding…has any sense he would declare Monday a national holiday in Jamaica, he would rename Knutsford Boulevard, Usain Bolt Speedway and he would declare August 16th Usain Bolt Day. He should be rewarded with land, 9.69 square miles of it in Jamaica. And a house as well.

But not everyone was awe-struck by “The Lightning Bolt”. While Living Guyana answered BBC Sport's Matt Slater's “Did I just watch a man run sideways through the line, slapping his chest, and still travel 100m in 9.69 seconds?” Twitter question with a matter-of-fact “Ah, yes Matt, you did. Your eyes weren't fooling you”, Jamaican Long Bench thought the theatrics were a bit too much:

I hope someone reminds him that he is still a human being. Obnoxious men are are tolerated for only so long, even if they are Jamaican, and no matter how fast they can run.

Amidst his joy for his Caribbean compatriots, Living Guyana felt a twinge of disappointment for the Guyanese Olympic contingent:

The two Caribbean countries which have invested heavily in athletics are seeing the results and enjoying the limelight on the world stage. These two countries have proper, world class athletics stadia, excellent athletics programmes, fantastic coaches…and in other news Guyanese athletes continue to bomb out of the Olympics without any notice whatsoever.

Still, nothing could stem the overwhelming tide of happiness that washed over the West Indies when two islands at opposite ends of the archipelago brought home the gold and the silver in one of the most high-profile events of the 2008 Olympic Games. The good news spread from China to the Caribbean, from island shores to diaspora scattered far and wide. A Mi Ver, who lives in Florida, captured the region's sense of pride and accomplishment as she recounts a conversation with her father, who called from Trinidad to bring her up to speed:

“I decided to break the rules today 'cause we celebratin',” says the old man, “and call you while I'm drivin' on the highway. Usain Bolt from Jamaica jus' won gold in the men 100 meters, Richard Thompson from Trinidad took silver and the U.S. came third.”
He sounds so jolly when he rings off.
*Five minutes later*
“Aye,” he says. “Did I tell you that two men from the Caribbean are the fastest men in the world?”
“Yeah, I think yuh did.”
“Well ah gone.”
“OK. Bye, Dad. Love you. Drive safe.”
“Love you too. babes. We win, eh!”

To put the milestone in its proper context, YardFlex.com began with a brief history lesson, while Abeng News Magazine published the full content of the Prime Minister's Independence Day message, part of which alluded to the challenges Jamaica is facing:

These 46 years have produced varied results. There have been successes and failures, positive achievements and disappointing setbacks. We must take time to take stock of ourselves. We must resolve to build on the achievements we have made and to make up ground where we have fallen behind….for the dream and hope that inspired us at independence, must never die.

Stunner's Afflictions, however, was not one to get on the merrymaking bandwagon:

I am not so big on Jamaica's Independence. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of my country and do feel a sense of patriotism as do most Jamaicans. However, based on the current state of our country and the developments it has made since gaining independence I often wonder if… well think I might have been a better country if we were still a dependent of Britain.

He goes on to justify his position:

We are one of the worst Caribbean countries economically, we have a very high rate of illiteracy and very few professionally trained people in our dwindling work force, and of course one of the highest crime rates in the region (and the world). Our country's infrastructure, legal system and political guidance (are) much less than to be desired for the most part.

We have the examples of other islands that did not seek independence, such as Cayman, and they are doing a whole lot better than our country! They have facilities close to a first world country like the United States and their citizens enjoy certain luxuries most Jamaicans only dream of. On the other hand though, there are other Caribbean islands that have gained their independence, but have been successful and…escaped the quagmire that we have succumbed to. A good example is Barbados, which has one of the strongest economies in the Caribbean.

This makes one wonder, what is the problem with Jamaica? Why did we fail?

Dennis Jones, a Jamaican living in Barbados, was thrilled to be back in his homeland during the Independence Day celebrations, but agreed that:

Forty-six years on, we should have a country that is truly grown up. Many would argue that the country's development has been one of stunted growth, if you look at the way that the economy, with its potentially strong base of mining, mineral processing, agriculture and tourism has struggled to produce enough wealth and jobs to really nurture the majority of the people.

Still, he found a lot to praise:

Jamaicans have much to be proud of in their political systems. We have justifiably enormous pride in our cultural achievements since independence, including…gracing the world with a completely new musical form in reggae. We have founded a new religion in Rastafarianism. Connecting those two phenomena we have, of course, Bob Marley. We can take immense pride from our sporting prowess. We produced many heroes in the region's favourite sport, cricket. We led the region in soccer status by getting a place in the World Cup Finals and not looking too out of place.

We have cultural icons in literary and intellectual fields…to me, “Miss Lou” (Louise Bennett) stands out the most. We have beauty and grace. I remember the thrill as a pre-pubescent boy in London when I heard that Miss Jamaica (Carol Joan Crawford) had become Miss World in 1963, right there in London's Lyceum Hall. Things like that put your little country more visibly on the world map…

But noting those achievements only seemed to underscore Stunner's point:

Jamaica is a country that has been blessed with so many resources, best coffee, bauxite, reggae music and has such a strong presence in the world, there is no way our country should be in the state that it is in. We are a great nation with awesome power, but it seems we just do not know how to use it to better ourselves.

Those sentiments did not dampen the spirits of either Moppet On The Go or Living in Barbados, who quoted the National Anthem:

Knowledge send us Heavenly Father,
Grant true wisdom from above.
Justice, Truth be ours forever,
Jamaica, land we love.
Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica land we love.

In the end, Stunner's Afflictions remained hopeful:

Hopefully, Jamaica will do better and be a stronger country when 47 comes. Have a great independence Jamaicans both home and abroad!