Stories about Jamaica from November, 2006
Jamaica: The man who was buried twice
Ria Bacon recounts the story of the twice- — indeed thrice- — buried man and other bits of history pertaining to Port Royal, Jamaica, which, before its destruction by earthquake in the 17th century, earned itself the title of “wickedest city on earth.”
Jamaica: RIP, Perry Henzell
Geoffrey Philp pays tribute to Perry Henzell, director of the Jamaican cult classic The Harder They Come, who passed away today.
Jamaica: Marlon James’ school days
Novelist Marlon James recounts his experiences as an unpopular kid in school in Jamaica, ridiculed because of his “screwed up way of speaking”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Musical credit where credit's due
Applauding Jamaican dancehall star Sean Paul's triumph at the American Music Awards, caroline.neisha at the Caribbean Beat weblog expresses hopes that Trinidadian artists will one day achieve similar success: “I don't think our culture needs to be validated or recognised by any other culture in order to be valuable… But...
Jamaica: Respect the currency
Jamaican Mummy Mel appeals to her compatriots to show their patriotism by respecting the local currency: “All too often I see people screwing up their faces and bitchin about the state of the economy and how the dollar depreciating every day. Well how the hell you expect the economy to...
Jamaica: “I am HIV”
It's widely acknowledged, in the Caribbean and elsewhere, that the fear of stigma and discrimination is a major factor preventing people with HIV/AIDS from seeking treatment or from admitting their HIV status publicly. For this woman, however, photographed in the streets of Kingston, Jamaica by blogger and Flickr user Ria...
Jamaica:”Borat” and the thin line
For the Jamaican blogger BassChocolate, watching — and laughing at — the film Borat raises some conflicting issues: “Many Jamaicans are offended with Americans portray us as Weed Orgy Central. How would we feel if we were portrayed in a major motion picture as a country which condoned rape and...
Jamaica: MTV “Cribs” parody
Owen links to a Jamaican parody from YouTube of the MTV program “Cribs”.
Caribbean Women's Forum
Collectif Haiti de Provence points to a Radio Kiskeya news article stating (Fr): “The 2d Caribbean Women's Forum ended the evening of November 10th in Fort-de-France, Martinique with the participation of a Haitian delegation led by Feminine Condition Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue … Delegations from various Caribbean countries (Guadeloupe, Dominica,...
Jamaica: Cultures clash over “dutty wine”
Ria Bacon comments on the clash of cultures taking place in the discussions surrounding the ultra-popular “dutty wine” dance since moves associated with the latter allegedly caused the death of a young woman. She also links to a YouTube video and reports that there are 2000+ similar examples to be...
Jamaica: Poet Shara McCallum
The subject of Geoffrey Philp's latest installment in his “In My Own Words” series is Jamaica-born poet Shara McCallum.
Jamaica: Live TV, dead children
“a 21st century child not much different from the Victorian: one whose circumstances have forced him to grow up too fast,” writes Jamaican novelist Marlon James in his analysis of the effects of certain forms of mass media on young people.
Jamaica: Death by dancing & the murder of a heavyweight
Stunner weighs in on the death of a young Jamaican woman from engaging in movements associated with the “dutty wine” dance craze, and the murder of former heavyweight boxing champion Trevor Berbick in Portland.
Who owns Jamaica?
The central issue in Jamaica's next general election, says Xamayca, is determining who has “ownership” of the country.
Jamaica: Marley/Rastafari survey
Geoffrey Philp publishes the results of his Bob Marley/Rastafari survey and posts an “In My Own Words” piece with Jamaican writer Donna Weir-Soley.
Jamaica: An absent skill
Francis Wade tries to put his finger on the thing he believes makes Jamaicans an “unreflective” people: “Our reluctance to pursue these inner questions leaves the wild contradictions in our lives firmly place. It therefore means that they never get resolved on a national scale.“
