the music - Andéa Ventimiglia

my friend Andréa Ventimiglia wrote this piece on music in jamaica - enjoy.

Many inescapable realities exist in Jamaica; crime, poverty, a burning midday sun, to name a few. But here also, music, glorious, melodious, ubiquitous music is also a constant and integral part of daily life. There is nowhere you can turn without hearing some beat, chorus or refrain. Jamaicans have a tune for everything with lyrics about love, about life, about death. There are songs about selling, songs about telling, even songs about songs. They eat to music, drink to music, pray, work and play to music.

It begins just after dawn with the chirping of the birds. Jamaica has over 300 bird species and as the sun rises, they twitter, squawk, and cock-a-doodle-doo………. “Now wait a minute,” I hear you saying, “that’s not technically music.” Alright, if you insist, then go ahead and rewind the scene. I wake up and pop in a CD, as do the majority of my neighbours. In my community housing block, thin walls and dozens of open windows means I can hear everyone’s stereo as they rise and immediately switch it on. I can smell ackee and saltfish as my neighbours prepare a traditional Jamaican breakfast. Humming along, we all get ready for the coming day.

At the bus terminal, American pop songs float out from the P.A. system and I am surrounded by hundreds of uniformed school children, milling about and singing. Barely old enough to lug their heavy school bags, they passionately croon lyrics of heartache, lust, betrayal. “I remember when my heart broke,” they wail. “It’s too late to apologize, it’s too laaaaaaaate.”

The opinion on this type of popular music is divided. While many Jamaicans are happy to download ringtones from the latest American Top 40, others feel it has no place in Jamaican society. They bristle at the extent to which North American music, retail chains, fast-food and other products have inundated the Jamaican market.

I step off the bus and am nearly forced off the sidewalk by an ear-splitting “HALLELUJAH!” It’s barely 8:30am and giant black speakers are stacked five-high on the corner. They’re well worn, blaring out gospel music each morning (except Fridays when it’s Michael Jackson hits). A man fiddles with knobs on the soundboard set up under a ratty blue tarp. I don’t think it’s possible for the music to get louder but I’m wrong. I nod a familiar hello as I pass this man each day on my way to work. His response is equally invariable, “Mornin’ Darling” he smiles, “Bless.”

The sound of praise follows me up the street. Much of Jamaica is devoutly religious and the diversity of religions is staggering. About 65 per cent of the population is Christian with the five largest denominations being Church of God, Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist, Pentecostal and Anglican. The Back-to-Africa Rastafari movement was also founded here and Bob Marley, Jamaica’s most famous musician, was a convert to that faith. In fact, Jamaicans are fond of telling foreigners that there are more churches and more rum bars here per capita than any other country in the world.

Inside my office, there are two radios playing, set to different stations, ‘Kool 97’ and ‘Irie FM.’ My co-workers act as ‘selectors’, adjusting the volume on each radio louder or softer, depending on which is playing the more ‘vibesy’ song. They do it almost unconsciously; just reaching out to adjust the knob, barely looking up from their work. A popular song comes on. Everyone sings along. No-one is shy or self-conscious about their voice. When I ask about it, they shrug. “Me jus’ feel fi sing” they say. On the surface that means, ‘I just feel like singing’, but their body language suggests something deeper, an inherited sentiment of, “I would rather die than live without music.”

After work I head to the busy downtown junction where the market meets the bus park. It’s cacophony, chaos, discord and harmony at once. Illegal bus conductors shout to attract passengers, while licensed drivers yell for them to clear the road. Vendors hawking wares call out, “Sweet cane! Ripe banana! Fevergrass! Phone card, phone card, phone card!” Horns blare, tires screech, men whistle, women laugh. Underneath it all, there is a soothing reggae beat, sometimes clearly decipherable, sometimes garbled and distant, but always there.

In the evenings there are plenty of options to hear music in a formal or informal setting. At one of the universities or theatres I may catch a performance of Kumina. This is an ancient form of Jamaican music, religion, and dance based on the African tradition of the Congo. Drumming, singing and chanting are meant to call the sprits of the dead so that the ancestors may share their knowledge and provide spiritual assistance. Kumina is the root of rhythm in Jamaica, the fountain from which the rest of it flows.

In cosmopolitan Uptown Kingston, I can join the well-heeled upper class as they sit beside a hotel pool or in a restaurant lounge under the stars. Fairy lights adorn the trees while we bop our heads to light-hearted mento, grooving rocksteady, or smooth jazz. Mento is old Jamaican folk music featuring acoustic instruments like banjo, guitar and bongos. It is similar to Calypso and often tells a funny story. Mento was the precursor of the danceable ska genre, which developed into the slower, laid-back syncopation of rocksteady. This paved the way for the reggae explosion of the seventies. But none of that crosses my mind as I drift along blissfully on the musical current.

If I’m feeling adventurous, I can head downtown, for a ‘session,’ a raw and unadorned street party. The musical star here is ‘dancehall’ a sound that pounds on your pulse and forces the blood through your veins with its throbbing, insistent beat. Each song has associated choreography. Dancers move, the DJ shouts improvised lyrics, and the selector will “pull it up,” starting the song all over again if the crowd reaction is good. To show their appreciation, dancers form a gun with their fingers and raise it to the air in a shooting salute. “Pow! Pow! Pow!” they shout. “Yes mon. Wheel and com’ again ‘pon da replay.”

Often controversial, dancehall is the music of the streets, of the youth. It is not distilled for a wider audience, and its aficionados like it that way. It can either be viewed as offensive, misogynistic and violent, or as a brilliantly realistic and artistic interpretation of ghetto life. You listen and decide.

Time for bed, and as I drift into sleep I can still hear the sounds of a distant party through my open window, along with the hymns of a late-night prayer meeting. Both will go till morning light. And then suddenly it is dawn, the day begins again. And so does the music, like a steady heartbeat, like a never-ending symphony, just another one of Jamaica’s inescapable realities.

Sarah Palin pranked by Canadians

this was too good not to share - a couple quebecois comedians pranked Sarah Palin. the rest is taken from CBC news..lol

MONTREAL — A transcript of a prank phone call between Quebec comedy duo "The Masked Avengers" and Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, released Saturday.
Sarah Palin: This is Sarah.
Masked Avengers: Ah, yeah, Gov. Palin.
Palin: Hello.
Avengers: Just hold on for President Sarkozy, one moment.
P: Oh, it's not him yet, they're saying. I always do that.
A: Yes, hello, Gov. Palin.
P: Hello, this is Sarah, how are you?
A: Fine, and you? This is Nicolas Sarkozy speaking, how are you?
P: Oh, it's so good to hear you. Thank you for calling us.
A: Oh, it's a pleasure.
P: Thank you sir, we have such great respect for you, John McCain and I. We love you and thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to me.
A: I follow your campaigns closely with my special American adviser Johnny Hallyday, you know?
P: Yes, good.
A: Excellent. Are you confident?
P: Very confident and we're thankful that polls are showing that the race is tightening and...
A: Well I know very well that the campaign can be exhausting. How do you feel right now, my dear?
P: I feel so good. I feel like we're in a marathon and at the very end of the marathon you get your second wind and you plow to the finish.
A: You see, I got elected in France because I'm real and you seem to be someone who's real, as well.
P: Yes, yeah. Nico, we so appreciate this opportunity.
A: You know I see you as a president one day, too.
P: Maybe in eight years.
A: Well, I hope for you. You know, we have a lot in common because personally one of my favourite activities is to hunt, too.
P: Oh, very good. We should go hunting together.
A: Exactly, we could try go hunting by helicopter like you did. I never did that.
Like we say in French, on pourrait tuer des bebe phoques, aussi
P: Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we're getting work done. We can kill two birds with one stone that way.
A: I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun.
I'd really love to go, so long as we don't bring along Vice-President Cheney.
P: No, I'll be a careful shot, yes.
A: Yes, you know we have a lot in common also, because except from my house I can see Belgium. That's kind of less interesting than you.
P: Well, see, we're right next door to different countries that we all need to be working with, yes.
A: Some people said in the last days and I thought that was mean that you weren't experienced enough in foreign relations and you know that's completely false. That's the thing that I said to my great friend, the prime minister of Canada Stef Carse.
P: Well, he's doing fine, too, and yeah, when you come into a position underestimated it gives you an opportunity to prove the pundits and the critics wrong. You work that much harder.
A: I was wondering because you are so next to him, one of my good friends, the prime minister of Quebec, Mr. Richard Z. Sirois, have you met him recently? Did he come to one of your rallies?
P: I haven't seen him at one of the rallies but it's been great working with the Canadian officials. I know as governor we have a great co-operative effort there as we work on all of our resource-development projects. You know, I look forward to working with you and getting to meet you personally and your beautiful wife.
Oh my goodness, you've added a lot of energy to your country with that beautiful family of yours.
A: Thank you very much. You know my wife Carla would love to meet you, even though you know she was a bit jealous that I was supposed to speak to you today.
P: Well, give her a big hug for me.
A: You know my wife is a popular singer and a former top model and she's so hot in bed. She even wrote a song for you.
P: Oh my goodness, I didn't know that.
A: Yes, in French it's called de rouge a levre sur un cochon, or if you prefer in English, Joe the Plumber...it's his life, Joe the Plumber.
P: Maybe she understands some of the unfair criticism but I bet you she is such a hard worker, too, and she realizes you just plow through that criticism.
A: I just want to be sure. That phenomenon Joe the Plumber. That's not your husband, right?
P: That's not my husband but he's a normal American who just works hard and doesn't want government to take his money.
A: Yes, yes, I understand we have the equivalent of Joe the Plumber in France. It's called Marcel, the guy with bread under his armpit.
P: Right, that's what it's all about, the middle class and government needing to work for them. You're a very good example for us here.
A: I see a bit about NBC, even Fox News wasn't an ally as much as usual.
P: Yeah, that's what we're up against.
A: Gov. Palin, I love the documentary they made on your life. You know Hustler's Nailin' Paylin?
P: Ohh, good, thank you, yes.
A: That was really edgy.
P: Well, good.
A: I really loved you and I must say something also, governor, you've been pranked by the Masked Avengers. We are two comedians from Montreal.
P: Ohhh, have we been pranked? And what radio station is this?
A: CKOI in Montreal.
P: In Montreal? Tell me the radio station call letters.
A: CK...hello?

weekend of sailing

brief discourse on the politics

In a recent national newspaper poll, 57% of Jamaicans indicated that crime was the most important social issue in the country. That’s not surprising given that according to the Jamaica Constable Force, 1241 people have been murdered in 2008 this year alone.

According to widespread public opinion, this state of affairs is a result of three decades of fierce political tribalism between the two governmental parties that affects society top to bottom. So, it is with more than a hint of irony that politicians from both sides of Parliament recently have united against crime.

Heightened political tribalism began in the late 1970’s when the United States became uncomfortable with the political leadership in Jamaica. Michael Manley, a charismatic Prime Minister, was a self declared democratic socialist. The country was proudly non-aligned in the Cold war and was evolving into Manley’s dream of becoming a democratic socialist state.

During this time political turf wars did occur, but they were fought with fists and knives. The governing leftist People’s National Party (PNP) controlled the country’s guns. The army and police acted on the PNP’s behalf to maintain ‘order’. The United States was afraid of having a socialist state so close to Cuba and the U.S. So Jimmy Carter’s Administration supported a CIA-sanctioned campaign providing the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) with guns and additional equipment.

As a result, the 1980 election was nothing short of a blood bath between JLP and PNP. Members of Parliament and opposition candidates supplied their supporters with guns to bring out the vote. Politicians also developed private security entourages that protected them where ever they went. 3000 people are thought to have been murdered during the election period alone.

Many communities of lower social and economic status ended up voting unanimously in favor of one party. The JLP returned to power; and regrettably, ‘The Garrison’ was formed.

According to Martin Henry of Jamaica’s Sunday Gleaner, the garrisons provided two functions for the political leadership:

a) They were the main channel for distributing the scarce benefits from Government. The garrison leaders or ‘Dons’ became the main broker between the members of Parliament and the local communities.

b) The Member of Parliament retained his territorial support, while the dons were able to acquire wealth and local power as well as protection from the law.

Garrisons have evolved into communities that operate outside the law, commonly controlled by a Don who governs with an iron fist. While the vast majority of inner city (or Garrison) residents live around the poverty line, the local Dons have become wealthy men. These communities are designed so that police are unable penetrate them. Many Garrisons are guarded around the clock, keeping out unwanted ‘visitors.’ Often the narrow street into a Garrison is blockaded with tire piles to prevent drive-by shootings.

In the beginning, the Dons relied solely on their political master for guns, protection and ‘contracts,’ but many have grown strong enough to participate independently in the regional drug trade. In the Caribbean, Dons take full advantage of the active exchange between drugs and guns. More recently they have been able to mask themselves in a veil of legitimacy as owners of construction or commercial real estate companies.

The Dons do give back marginally to their communities and fund the odd community event, but usually only in order to demonstrate their control. Over time, their power and independence has increased to the point where the politicians are unable to control them.

Given the innate relationship between the garrisons and crime, it is perhaps less ironic now to see politicians united on the issue of crime and violence prevention. If the politicians were sincere about changing the current reality, they would do more than increase criminal penalties and hiring more police – they would begin the long and costly effort to dismantle the Garrison culture that rules and oppresses inner city communities in Jamaica.

David sur le Cello!

Check out a couple of recent videos my brother recorded at the Bachfestival in Austria!

Slow Movement - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_YBJsGythI

Fast Movement - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vbfv7bj9TY

around home

update

hey guys,
sorry for the lack of updates as of late - been a rather strange head space, where i haven't be able to bring myself to type non-work related items. strange but true.

since the tropical storm, lots has been going on (gwaan as you'd say in Patoi). Andrea and I heard from a crazy writer about a long lost (possibly ancient) pyramid of sorts in the hills. Naturally, we went looking for it. After a bit of an adventure, we met a farmer, who grew up in the same hills we suspected this thing to be in. he had never heard of a pyramid, but said there was an overgrown slave ruins that brought up the occasional curious character once or twice a decade. we went with him thinking we'd come along this pyramid on the way to these 'slave ruins.'

after an hour and a half of walking through the bush and another half hour of of cutting our way through thick ferns with a machete, we came to the slave ruins. when Winston (the farmer who took us up) was growing up, he lived very close to these ruins. built onto this mysterious structure, were a couple houses on top, an oven on another layer and a water tank. naturally, they thought it to be an old slave house.
(video)
http://s331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/Daneggert/?action=view&current=b4.flv


according to the one book in Jamaica from 1919 that makes mention of it, before having slaves build on it, it was used as a massive pimento bbq! crazy right?! here's an attempt at showing you the wall/levels of the structure (http://s331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/Daneggert/?action=view&current=P9070131.flv)

that said, according to the old drawing of it (thus far, we haven't found anything else like it), it looks just like an Mesopatamian or Mayan Ziggarut. personally, i can't believe the spanish or the british for that matter would build anything that didn't have a function in the production of sugar or spices. that's all they cared about. the site is also located closely between 3 significant indegenous sites of significance.

anyhow, call it what you like (it's a debate here now - the british historians believe it was british, or at worst spanish...the crazy writer and i are hanging onto the believe that it was the indigenous Arawaks that built it), this structure is roughly a quarter mile long, over 30 feet high. according to winston, when it is cleared of the 8 feet of fern which currently covers its surface, you can see cuba from on top!
http://s331.photobucket.com/albums/l466/Daneggert/?action=view&current=b6.flv

regardless of who built it, we already know 200 years of its history and that alone is fascinating. we also know the land is currently leased out to a mining company. we are going to try and get it protected. i invited the Prime Minister to go up and see it, hoping that he could provide the necessary resources/legislation to protect and preserve this jem. for some reason, since he agreed to come up, he and his scheduling assistant have been too busy with some global financial crisis thingy to pay me any mind...boyyee, i tell ya

anyway, we'll try and keep bugging them about it until i'm gone.

with respect to work, the youth mentorship program has stalled this month. this is mainly because the community we're working in is in shambles. we were told ahead of time they were organized and so forth, but after attending a month of community meeting and doing a community wide survey, it appears they are still trying to rebuild after a couple of killings in november 2006. we'll see, we might just proceed without the formal club because it may not be effectively running until 2009. either way, the community is interested...it's just getting around the politics and pride.

the compost centre is coming along well. won't get into the details, but we're ready to make the big proposals to make this thing happen. we are planning on recycling the organic waste from the produce market, composting it in a nearby warehouse, and then producing a quality fertilizer that can be used as a substitute to the imported chemical fertilizer, which controls the entire market. a-o! it's cominglastly, we're on the look for another pyramid. we have gone looking for it is recent weeks, but have been unable to find it. we've found a number of other fascinating artifacts in the process like the first governors house of jamaica (1500's), a perfectly preserve sugar mill, a couple of plantation houses from the 15-17th century (one of them is haunted i tell ya...) and other great houses that are perfectly preserved. amazing!

next thursday, i'll go up again and give it a try...keep ya posted.

anyway, i wish everyone back home a happy thanksgiving and i am truly thankful for my family and friends. i miss you guys and look forward to seeing all of you again in the new year.

written accounts of Gustav

check it out - http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=22&x=story&xid=417270

Accounts from Tropical Storm Gustav



Monday, August 25, 2008:

In an email from a friend, she warns we might get a little bit rain tomorrow night. I haven’t yet heard about this Gustav character yet. Right now, I my only concern is that it’s dry enough to play soccer tomorrow night.


Tuesday, August 26, 2008:

News stations are preparing the public for Hurricane Gustav. The eye of the Hurricane was supposed to hit the north coast in the evening. Gas stations and grocery stores have huge lineups as customers stock up on emergency goods. For a change, people are talking about something other than the Olympics. Quietly, I am looking forward to the Hurricane, being the naïve foreigner that I am.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008:

The rains start. News travels that Gustav has been downsized from a class one Hurricane to a less intense Tropical Storm (lower wind speed and no eye in the middle of the wind).
The rain stops this afternoon – the mood is almost eerie. Fewer street venders are out and about and the crickets are noticeably silent. The quiet before the storm…people are being sent home from work to prepare.
Everywhere I go, people warn each other to be careful and stay safe. By evening, we are still waiting for Gustav to fully arrive. On the ground level, the wind is non-existent, but in the sky, the clouds are picking up speed. Still no storm.
Thursday, August 29, 2008:

We found out late Wednesday night that the storm had shifted course and is now heading to the south coast – Kingston bound. eek! My house mates ensure we all have emergency plans before heading for work. Just as I arrive at work, the Prime Minister announces on the radio that everyone must stay home from work. The drive home is like rush hour at 10am.
In true Jamaica fashion, the storm arrives late. By evening, Gustav’s winds arrive, gusting up to 115 km/hr. Rain pounds the roof like a mallet. We sit tight, and try following the news as the power flickers on and off. We fill up jugs with water, but already water from the pipe is turning brown from rising levels of groundwater. News arrives that Haiti has suffered 22 deaths already from the storm. A couple of Jamaicans have also died attempting to cross a gully.
At 8pm, one of my housemates is called in to work a shift at Storm Emergency Headquarters. We travel through empty streets that are usually packed with vendors and pedestrians. At times, the streets look more like canals. I think we’d be more efficient on a gondola.

Inside headquarters, water’s dripping from the roof as we crowd around a computer to watch Obama’s historic speech in Denver. A couple phone calls come in from people who are waste deep in water. Despite the odd emergency or road closure, it is surprisingly slow.

Friday, August 29, 2008

It rains hard throughout the night and morning. At 9am, police are in the neighborhood evacuating residents living beside the gully. An 11-year old friend tells me her family stayed behind when parts of their house blew off; they will have to rebuild elsewhere. Despite the gravity of the loss, she seems in good spirits and invites me with a smile to come and see the damage.
One of the neighborhood boys watched two fully intact houses flow by last night. In our neighborhood, water came two feet above the gully, flooding some homes and destroying another house down the road. Parts of a roadway beside the gully have collapsed.
Kingston is lined with gullies, which are designed to drain rain water out of the city. They can be up to 8 metres wide and 3 metres deep. By the time a gully overflows, there’s so much water flowing through that it causes major damage to the squatter settlements right beside it.
My earlier enthusiasm for ‘the storm’ quickly disappears after seeing the damage in the neighborhood. Images resurface in my memory of rural Jamaicans I’ve met weeks earlier, who are still rebuilding from losses incurred during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
A hurricane moves so rapidly that it comes in contact with a region for 3-4 hours. But, with a tropical storm, they tend to linger. The rain can last for a couple days. In a country where the sewage and drainage systems are underdeveloped, it can cause more severe damage at times than a hurricane. Sustained rains cause landslides in rural areas and flooding in the cities.


Saturday, August 30, 2008

The heat’s returned and the sun’s weight can be felt as soon as you step outside. The morning is quiet, but by mid day, music stereos are bopping again and kids are out’n about playing. Despite some bizarre weather patterns, you can barely tell Gustav paid us a visit yesterday. Jamaicans have not forgot about their epic Olympic performance, but with the storm, it now feels like a lifetime ago.
In Jamaica there are a dozen or so related deaths, but fortunately the vast majority survives the storm. With Gustav, this decade has now experienced more tropical storms than any other decade in recorded history. While these storms may not be a direct result of human induced climate change, they are arguably connected.
Back home a moderate change in climate affects us particularly in rural areas, but the damage is far less severe than regions closer to the equator. Here a minute temperature change can lead to more hurricanes.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Life is back to normal. Singing can be heard from churches, the grocery stores are bustling and the Sunday Newspaper is on street corners again.

Most Jamaicans don’t seem terribly distraught about the damage. They’re serious about it, but instead of mourning their losses, they have a relaxed and assured outlook that life will go on. In Canada, we could do with a little more of this kind of attitude. The calm always follows the storm.

Tropical Storm Gustav

ramir - rains wipe out parts of the gully

nothing stops the gully

different perspective

Gustav dies down

it's raining...it's pouring...

emergency headquarters

Gustav turns to a Tropical storm as the winds pick up

Hurricane Gustav Brewing

Personal Update

The month of August has been a very different colour than July for me. In July I was placed at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). JCDC oversaw the festival season including the massive Independence Day celebrations. The work of JCDC played a major role encouraging and championing traditional Jamaican culture through forms of dance, speech, song and drama.

The month of July was a struggle for a number of personal reasons, but no matter what the issue was (loneliness, racism, lack of purpose at work, etc.), they all seem trivial in retrospect. I say that because when I’m connected with God, these issues are barely noticeable.

In August, I was placed at the Ministry of Youth, where I was given the responsibility for evaluating the National Youth Policy for the Parliamentary Secretary of Youth, before the 5 year review comes up in Cabinet. I’m also to evaluate the Ministry’s entire programme, including all programs and projects.
These tasks are challenging, but what makes this job even better is the challenge of coordinating three great projects! My task is to turn 3 idealistic ideas into reality! Cool eh?! First we’ll try to recycle tires from the landfill and transform them into basketball courts in the inner city. Second project involves turning organic waste from the produce market into quality fertilizer for the agricultural sector, while employing inner city youth to collect and distribute the goods! This project also aims to be revenue neutral!

The third project is about youth mentorship through football. This is a country where the majority of kids grow up without a father and usually without a male role model in their lives. My friend Andrea and I have had the neighborhood kids for dinner at her place and it’s apparent that both parents are noticeably absent in these kids lives. The mentorship program will provide youth from inner city communities (da ghetto) with training in football coaching and peer counseling/mentorship, which will better equip them to play a positive role in mentoring the youth that look up to them. The ghettos are not with an order – it exists, but it’s controlled by a Don who uses weapons as his means of empowerment. This will hopefully plant seeds that’ll empower these youth to change the orientation of the ghetto from bottom up. Will give an update on that in a couple weeks.

August was also more positive on the personal front as well. I have a couple friends now and a couple hobbies to balance things out. I play futbol here in the community and have been out sailing a couple times a month so far. It’s been a blessing being out at sea and learning the ropes of navigating a boat. Spiritually I have more momentum these days, though it is something that starts over every morning. I’m grateful to be here to be doing what I’m doing. Obviously, there are still moments of loneliness and insecurity and so forth, but my sense of purpose here now overshadows these things as does a positive mentality most days.

For those reading this, I’d love to hear to hear what’s happening in your life! I’m not able to keep up with everyone via email, but I think of all of you here. Many wild blessing!

dpe.

p.s. - check out: http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=22&x=story&xid=414882

home-made olympics

Lightning Strikes - Twice! Jamaica on live during the Womens 400m Hurdles

Lightening Strikes!!! Bolt takes the 100 metres!!

Jamaican Sprinters Suspected of Doping at Olympics

Suspected PED's Mailed to JA's Olympic Camp in Bejing

A 200 kilo shopment of suspected Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) addressed to the Jamaican track team at the Olympic Village was seized by authorities at the Wong Hung Lo docks in Bejing early this morning. Coming on the heels of the disclosure that a member of the JA team has tested positive for a banned substance, the news has rocked the JAAA and cast an even greater pall over the team's preparations for the Games.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior customs inspector told Reuters that suspicions were aroused by the bulky and lumpy shipment which was wrapped in rough, dirty burlap. Stenciled in bold letters on the bag was the address of the Jamaican team at the Village and also the words:

DELIVER TO ASAFA, USAIN, VERONICA AND KERRON.....DEM CYAAN RUN GOOD WIITHOUT IT.

Upon opening the package, dozens and dozens of a dirty, tubular product was discovered and immediately sent to the WADA lab in Bejing for testing. Chinese customs are certain that they have intercepted a shipment of pure, unprocessed steroids and have put the IAAF and the JAAA on notice that severe action will be taken as soon as WADA confirms their findings.

The picture below is of one of the mystery 'products' from the shipment and was taken at the lab just before testing commenced. We will update this story as soon as there is more to report as indeed the entire world of track and field anxiously awaits WADA's report.

For non Jamaican readers, Yams are known to be the secret reason why Jamaicans run so fast...here's hoping they finish 1-2 in the 100m

Post Independence - Jamaican History (Part 6)

The 1960’s was like a honeymoon on the island, where everyone lived in a kind of peace of happiness. Violence and crime was practically non existent and the economy was strong given favorable prices in international Bauxite and Aluminum exports markets. The population was around one million people. I’ve been told by more experienced Jamaicans that it was truly an island paradise.
Since Independence, power was swapped hands between the two main political parties. With the election of the PNP in 1972, the country adopted a socialist slant, aligning itself with its close neighbor Cuba. New social services were introduced, including schools, health facilities and welfare services.

In some respect Jamaicans were empowered by the new services, while in other ways it created a culture where ‘the government will take care of everybody.’ This culture of dependence has stayed on the island since the 1970’s. There was short term gain, but it did not take long before the cracks would emerge in this short sighted public policy approach.

Towards the end of the 1970’s, the honeymoon lurched to an end. The political parties created militia like armed detachments (I’d call it a gang or posse), with the purpose of protecting public officials. By this time the island was being used as an intermediate base for drug trafficking between Colombia and North America.

Weapons started spilling into the island predominantly coming from the drug trade. Guns quickly found happy fingers in the two main militias. The two militias lined up roughly with the PNP and the JLP and continue to fight out turf wars in the name of their respective parties (one disputed territory is not more than a five minute walk from where I live). Crime plateau’d in 1980, where the election period witnessed 800 politically motivated murders.

The 1980’s also saw a new government come into power and open up close relations with the United States and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Major restructuring took place to alter some of the massive socialist reforms introduced in the 1980’s. While of the neo-liberal reforms created the appearance of short term financial stability, it has arguably led to greater dependence on international actors (like markets and donor agencies) due to specialization nature of the reforms.

While Jamaica increased production of cash crops for export, they reduced staple crop production, increasing their reliance on imports for some basic necessities. This process can work, but it appears it was done prematurely, before Jamaica had a secure foundation. Jamaicans have excelled in tourism and it is reflected in its portion of the GDP (65%).
When the charismatic Manley and his PNP was re-elected in 1989 after two terms in opposition, they took a softer socialist tone than before. They remained close with Cuba and were a little more financially responsible.

The problem with public expenditures is rarely that they lack revenue – it’s that political leaders keep so much for themselves.
The PNP held onto power until 2007 when the JLP were re-elected by a razor thin majority. They did not inherit a garden of orchids when they took over the Government, but it appears they’re making the effort to improve the island. This is while the PNP goes through a leadership race to determine who will carry the message for them in the next general election.

Many Jamaicans have emigrated over time. It’s estimated while the population of the island has almost tripled to three million, there are a third as many living abroad. They are concentrated in Canada (Greater Toronto Area), USA (New York, Miami and Fort Lauderdale) and Briton (London). Remittances from Jamaicans living abroad make up an increasingly significant portion of the GDP.Election violence has diminished in recent years, though crime and violence is still unequivocally the number one issue affecting Jamaicans. More to do with that in weeks to come on danielito.

Jamaicans are a proud people, and the majority is descendant from the original black slave population. Their identity has been shaped by a history of overcoming struggle and oppression. The struggle continues today in the face of violence and crime but now there is a growing sense of national effort to combat these challenges. The island’s dynamic culture was largely shaped by the colonial experience, but be certain that it is 100 per cent Jamaican.

With the Olympics taking place in Beijing this year, Jamaicans are enthusiastic about their medal chances, particularly in track and field. They currently are the world record holder in the 100 metre. Success at the Olympics has the ability to instantly bring the country together. The newspapers forecast the world’s fastest man will be wearing black, green and gold on the podium. With any luck, I hope they’re be right. DPE.

Independence Day Fireworks

feel da rhydm

Jamaican Independence - Jamaican History (Part 5)

Workers conditions improved at the dusk of the 19th century and at the dawn of the 20th century. Jamaicans fought in the First World War with the British, which opened the eyes of many Jamaicans to the world for the first time. Jamaican soldiers came back from the war full of ideas.

Following the end of slavery, workers unions slowly emerged giving voice to the workers. The great depression caused pain to the economy and by extension hurt the workers as well. Fortunately, Jamaica was saved by massive amounts of Bauxite, which could be easily produced in Aluminum Ore (a major export).

In an effort to improve their situation in the boom, unions organized massive riots in 1938. These riots ended fatally and resulted in a major turning point in Jamaica’s political history. The union leaders who emerged from the strike, eventually ended up leading the independence movement.

The unions played a decisive role in articulating the lack of self determination in Jamaica. Following the major riots, the two most prominent union leaders, also cousins (and fathers of independence), founded Jamaica’s two political parties.

Out of the National Workers Union, John Manley founded the People’s National Party (PNP) and led the country towards self government. In 1943, the Jamaican Labour Party was founded under the leadership of Alexander Bustamente, who would eventually become the first Prime Minister of an independent Jamaica. In the first election with universal suffrage (1944) the Labour Party took it.

During the Second World War, British Jamaicans were subject to the war draft, but the draft was never used because Jamaica’s volunteer enlistments met the colonial quota. In part due to Jamaica’s contribution to the war and partly due to the anti-colonial global movement, the British granted Jamaica a new constitution. This document established a Jamaican elected Government with real power and autonomy over its affairs for the first time!!

Before independence, the Caribbean countries also had a score to settle before the next chapter could begin. They had to decide if they wanted to be governed by a Federation made up of the former British Caribbean colonies, or if each island was to be governed independently.

In 1961, Jamaicans voted in a nation wide referendum to govern itself independently. One year later the draft Independence Constitution was unanimously approved by the elected Jamaican representatives. Jamaica was now an independent country!

For the first time in its history they were able to select their own head of state and have complete control over their affairs. Their Coat of Arms reads appropriately: “Out of Many, One People.”

On August 6th 1962, Jamaica lowered the British flag and raised its newly minted flag of black, green and gold.

Kingston Regatta

Had a brilliant weekend sailing! There was a regatta, which is a boat race with sailboats. The first regatta was racing gondolas in Venice, but as you can see, times have changed.

Spent the weekend on a boat call the Stephanie J. and was blessed with good company. Our mate Roger's experiences sailing across the Atlantic came in handy when we almost went over in a Squall. Pretty wild!

The weekend was made complete by being pulled over by cops in the countryside as I went for a morning stroll on my lonesome.
Now my hands are healing from the sails.



Tomorrow is Indepence Day in Jamaica!

Slavery and the Abolition Movement - Jamaican History (Part 4)

Over time, Jamaican slaves progressively resisted their oppressors. Passive resistance included poisoning their masters, destroying property and killing the children of their masters’; active resistance took place through open rebellions and fleeing to the Maroons’ Mountains.

Three classes emerged. The bottom class was black Africans, which was divided between domestic and field slaves. Domestic slaves cared for the houses of their white masters where the field slaves worked under the sun harvesting the crops. Black slaves were deprived of legal rights and humane treatment.

The middle class were poor whites, often British convicts who worked as de facto slaves for up to 10 years. If they were able to survive the ten years, they might rise up in status and be a petty trader or craftsman. The upper class was made up of white British planters and wealthy merchants.

During the 1700’s, the importation of slaves was dependent on the triangular trade and closely linked to sugar. By the beginning of the 19th century, the population more than quadrupled, with blacks consisting of over 90% of the population.

Pressure mounted on the Brits from abolitionists. Minor revolts and protests became a more frequent occurrence towards the end of the 18th century and it was more difficult for London to overlook it. Three Jamaicans were involved in the landslide case in London that saw blacks recognized as free men once they set foot in a free country.

The banning of the slave trade in 1807 was the beginning of the end of formal slavery. Given the momentum of the abolitionist movement, the British planters were no longer able to silence the cries of slaves.

By 1831, slavery was still in full force, although pressure was mounting on the colonial bosses. Reverend Samuel ‘Daddy’ Sharp, a powerful orator, organized a national strike day for slaves on Christmas Day; but, the British found out about it beforehand and prevented it from happening at any cost. The slaves responded with arson and other acts of violence killing 14 whites. The British responded by burning villages and killing 500 blacks. The stress was becoming too much for the British to bear.

Slavery was abolished all together in Jamaica by 1838. It led to construction of Free Villages and an escalation in peasant farming. Although planters feared a mass migration of ex-slaves back to Africa, only ten percent of ex-slaves returned home in the entire Caribbean region.

Legally, Jamaica was now a free country, but little changed in the lives of the ex-slaves. Given workers enhanced freedoms, planters’ profits decreased. Simultaneously, Cuba (one of the last to abolish slavery) began producing more sugar, which cut into Jamaican production and lowered wages.

Given workers limited access to the factors of production, they were still bound to working for the same old boys club at wages determined by the same old planters.

Led by the Black Baptist preacher Paul Bogle and his strong social justice oratory, workers eventually rebelled at Morant Bay in the 1860’s to demand an end to overwork and abuse. Over 1000 black workers were killed in response to the rebellion and this time around, London did hear the dissidents’ pleas.

The next two Governors led the push for Jamaican led development, including changing the capital to Kingston, building a number of schools (which are still used) and improving the water system. They also tried to diversify the economy by producing bananas and Blue Mountain coffee – some of the best coffee in the world.

Maroon Wars

Maroon Wars (1720-38 & 1795-96)



The Maroons continued to inhabit the inland mountains while the British settled in. The Maroons were former African slaves who had escaped the Spanish and held their own during the initial British invasion. Living isolated from the new Jamaica, the Maroons retained their African culture. Developing confidence, their population grew as they added new slave escapees to their communities to the point where they controlled much of the Jamaican interior.

The British fought back en masse on two occasions in what has become known as the 1st and 2nd Maroon Wars. Because the British were unfamiliar with the mountainous interior, they brought in the Mosquito people from Nicaragua and British bloodhounds to compete with the brave Maroons in the first War.

A guerrilla like battle ensued in tough terrain and left the two sides without clear winner. Eventually, Governor Edward Trelawny (of whom the Parish of Trelawny is named) worked out a settlement with the Maroons, which recognized the Maroons as a self sufficient community with rights to their lands.

The war created Jamaican heroes and heroines like Nanny who bravely fought off the British to maintain their autonomy and territory. In reality, this was a huge victory for the Maroons, which still brings assured smiles to the faces of Jamaicans.

The settlement lasted 57 years until 1795, when a Brit violated the agreement by beating a Maroon in Montego Bay. The settlement clearly stated that any Maroon suspected of wrongdoing was to be sent back to his own people for trial, not flogged in British territory.

This led to the 2nd Maroon war, which saw the British reverse their poor fortunes and achieve an efficient victory. Those Maroons who participated in the war were sent off to Nova Scotia in modern day Canada. Eventually, they were sent to Sierra Leone and Ghana, while those Maroons who didn’t participate in the war continued living on their own in the mountains.

British & Sugar - Jamaican History (Part 3)

Jamaica was no longer of secondary significance as it had been under Spanish rule. It was now considered a treasured jewel in the British Crown “lying in the very belly of all commerce.” British Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell saw its great potential and offered land to British settlers, enticing 1600 new Brits to settle in Jamaica.

Riches came flooding in from pirates, who used Port Royal as their home base. Kingston became known as one of the richest and nefarious cities in the entire world. That was, until 1692 when the great earthquake would shatter two-thirds of the city of Port Royal. The sinking of Port Royal symbolized the end of major piracy in the Caribbean.

The end of piracy was also the genesis of mass importation of African slaves. In Jamaica, they came mostly from the Coromantees peoples, who were originally from the Gold Coast, Benin and Mandingoes. They were used to work on the increasingly profitable British Sugar plantations as part of the triangular trade.

The triangle started with the Brits exporting goods to African Kings. The African Kings would deliver slaves to the ports in West Africa to be picked up by European ships. After being shipped across the Atlantic, the slaves would produce goods. Their finished products (sugar, tobacco, molasses & rum) would be sent back to Britain for consumption. The slaves were used as a commodity, placed in circumstances absent of human dignity.

All the while, Jamaica profited – profited from slaves and trade. When trade prospered, it was on the backs of slaves. When trade suffered because of exogenous variables (like Britain’s wars abroad), the slaves were punished. Slaves were punished by lashing, maiming and ultimately death completely at the discretion of their paternalistic European masters. Such was the nature of colonialism.

Globally, the demand for sugar soared; at times it was worth its weight in gold. Between 1720 and 1770, British demand increased 5 times. This surge in demand came from Europeans new found pleasure in jam, cookies, tea (sweetened of course) and cocoa.

I find two things ironic in this picture. First, one of Britain’s most defined traditions of afternoon tea is really adopted abroad from (maybe Canada still has hope!). Secondly, it’s ironic that something as sweet as sugar was made possible and available through something as acidic as slavery.

Jamaica was experiencing a sugar revolution and the entire country centered on its production. Really, sugar was the predominant reason people settled (by choice or force) on the island for centuries. For a while, Jamaica became the world’s largest sugar producer. Eventually, they would diversify their exports to include molasses and rum (both sugar based products), but sugar has remained a critical component of Jamaica’s economy to this day.

Lime Cay Island, just outside of Kingston Harbour

Captain Morgan

the notorious pirate patriarch

One of the most treacherous and profitable privateers that lurked the Caribbean seas, went by the name of Captain Henry Morgan (the guy from the rum bottles, or known as Captain Mo’s according to Scotty and Mike). Captain Morgan was actually a privateer as were the whole lot of them, until them were decommissioned by the British, where they were demoted to pirates.

Henry Morgan’s was no ordinary man; his uncle Edward Morgan, also Welsh, was one of the first Governors of Jamaica. Unsuspectingly, the world’s most notorious pirate came from privileged heritage. By the time he was a grown man, Captain Morgan was commissioned by the British Colonial Government in Jamaica to set sail to Haiti and Panama in a calculated move to solidify British control in the Caribbean.

Following the completion of his mission, Captain Morgan went beyond his mandate and plundered Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He then went on to ransack Portobello, Panama, infuriating the Panamanian Governor. He returned to Port Royal, the contemporary Jamaican capital, to celebrate his victories.
At this time, the British sent the Port Royal HMS Oxford as a gift to protect Port Royal (the Harbour in Kingston Jamaica). Port Royal gave it to Captain Morgan to further his privateering missions. Captain Morgan nearly died when his crew unintentionally blew up the new HMS Oxford from Britain while partying, having accidentally lit the ammunition depot. Britain would never hear of it…

Captain Morgan continued his looting in Cuba and Maracaibo (Venezuela), in spite of Spanish threats. The Jamaican British Governor responded to his wicked antics by making him Commander-in-Chief of all Jamaican naval vessels. He was commissioned to destroy all Spanish ships and was expected to bring back 10% of any plundered loot from those Spaniards swimming in gold and riches.

After wreaking havoc on Cuba, he returned to Panama and proceeded in burning the capital, Panama City. This turned out to be a violation of a Peace Treaty signed between Spain and Britain. News traveled back to Spain and then Britain. Captain Morgan was arrested and summoned back to Britain for his antics.

After claiming ignorance of the Treaty, Captain Morgan was Knighted by the Crown and sent back to Jamaica, this time as Lieutenant Governor. Governor Morgan spent the rest of his days as the legitimate ruler of Jamaica. His latest commission from the Crown was to decommission the privateers in the region (the same crews he was originally responsible for). Some turned over their guns, while others ignored the order and spitefully set sail on the seas in search of greater treasure. Arrrrrrr, true pirates indeed!!

Captain Morgan gained a notorious reputation for his drunken rowdiness. He is thought to have died of liver failure, due to his excessive drinking. His grave in the Palisadoes cemetery sunk along with two thirds of the city of Port Royal, in the 1692 earthquake beneath the sea. The sunken city is now one of the most famous underwater cultural heritage sites in the world.

Spanish Rule - Jamaican History (Part 2)

Within a decade of Columbus landing in Jamaica, the Spanish had conquered the island. The Arawaks/Caribs perished quickly from European diseases or were enslaved to work on Spanish plantations. Some were killed.

On the American mainland, slavery acted as a way to reconcile the dichotomous goals of gold and God. Jamaica lacked the gold, but there was potential to spread Christianity; as such, the Roman Catholics were unleashed and slaves were shipped from Africa to be Christianized. The slaves also filled the void of labor left over after the indigenous Arawaks perished due to internal conflict, disease and brutal conditions under Spanish slavery.

One of the ships carrying slaves was called Jesus. This has not been forgotten by some in Jamaica (like by the Rastas) and serves as an incredulous example of the wooly objectives of the missionaries and slave traders.

Even without gold, the Spaniards kept the island of Jamaica as an outpost for their New World Empire while it focused most of its energies on gold rich colonies like Mexico and Peru. They settled the island and imported sugar cane (from Asia), oranges, and bananas. They also brought goats, cattle and hogs. Another familiar Jamaican fruit, breadfruit was brought later by a planter, Captain Bligh from India for the slaves. One roasted breadfruit was (and still is) able to fill a worker for 2-3 days, making it an invaluable input for the planters.

Spain’s influence was felt across the world, but by the 1600’s it became apparent they were stretched too thin. Cracks began to show and the Dutch, French and British scored big. Britain firmly claimed Jamaica by 1655 after failing to capture modern day Haiti/Dominican Republic from the Spaniards and held Jamaica formally until 1962. The final push was led by the British naval Admiral, Sir William Penn (father of William Penn, the namesake of Pennsylvania, who was born in St. Thomas Parish, Jamaica).

Almost all of the Spaniards either surrendered or fled the island to Cuba in canoes (imagine eh? taking canoes around the Caribbean…I wonder if they used certified lifejackets). The Maroons, who consisted mostly of rebellious escaped African slaves, were the only ones who escaped the British on the island. They fled to the mountains and would harass the British for centuries (that’s quite a feat, really).

Britain did receive help in capturing the Island and from an unlikely ally. Pirates of the Caribbean were instrumental in helping consolidate British rule and were even granted authority under the Crown through the “Letters of Marque” to raid and plunder enemy vessels (British Enemy = French + Spanish).

The Indigenous Arawaks - Jamaican History (Part 1)

The next few articles will be a brief summary of Jamaica's history, which is both rich and scandelous....


Thus, the Arawaks (Taino Arawak), a peaceful people (said to be of the least aggressive people in the Americas) roamed the island for a couple thousand years before Columbus accidentally bumped into the island in 1494 on his second voyage to the new world. The name Jamaica is derived from the Arawak word “Xaymaca”, which means “land of wood and water.”

Columbus said of the Arawaks after being shipwrecked off the island of Hispaniola “On hearing the news the king wept, showing great sorrow at our disaster. Then he sent all the inhabitants of the village out to the ship in many large canoes….he himself, with his brothers and relatives, did everything they could both in the ship and on shore to arrange for our comfort….I assure your Highness that nowhere in Castille would one receive such kindness or anything like it.

The Arawak King had all our possessions brought together near his palace and kept there until some houses had been emptied to receive them. He appointed armed men to guard them, and made them watch over them right through the night. And he and everyone else in the land wept for our misfortune as if greatly concerned by it.

They were so affectionate and have so little greed and are in all ways so amenable that I assure your Highness that there is in my opinion no better people and no better land in all the world.

They love their neighbors as themselves and their way of speaking is the sweetest in the world, always gentle and smiling. Both men and women go naked as their mothers bore them; but your Highness must believe me when I say that their behavior to one another is very good and their king keeps marvelous state, yet with a certain kind of modesty that is a pleasure to behold, as is everything else here.”[i]

According to Columbus’s accounts, it sounds like the Arawaks had it all figured out. If they were still around, they’d be the envy of the world. Problem is, they’re not (damn Caribs!). Being unable to defend themselves against intruders effectively may have made such a paradise forever impossible.

In the Arawak culture, Chiefs had real authority and prestige, but little political power. Political power was seen as largely unimportant among the Arawaks. The society did not have a perpetual elite, nor group of people (including the Chief) who accumulated great relative wealth.

The society functioned peacefully and sustainably on its own, but was not organized in a manner that would withstand any kind of attack, like that of the Carib invasion. If the Chiefs’ heirs showed no promise for leadership, he/she was rejected in preference for a locally elected member of the common people. The Arawaks were socially and politically quite flexible.

The original crops harvested on the island were corn (though unimportant), potatoes, sweet cassava (manioc), peanuts, peppers, pumpkins, beans and arrowroots. They also ate coneys, agouti, lizards, spiders and various insects & reptiles. They fished with nets, hooks and spears’, though fishing was secondary to agriculture. Fishing was seen as a luxury to supplement the successful pursuit of agriculture. The food base was sufficient to feed the existing population.

When Columbus described them as “a people short of everything” it was only European colonial ignorance, reflecting differences of culture and material wealth. The Arawaks did not parish due to an inability to survive, but rather on weaknesses in the way of warfare.

Their conquerors were none other than the vicious Caribs who are the namesake of the Caribbean. They were considered by Columbus to be Cannibals…the similarity in the sound of Caribbean and cannibal is no coincidence. While on the surface the Caribs appeared similar to the Arawaks, they possessed a fundamental distinction. They were warriors!

As conquerors they did a great deal of moving around. Migration caused less uniformity in their customs and traditions. Their society was simpler than the Arawaks, who had developed a very sophisticated social structure and identity.

The Caribs eventually inherited much of the Arawak culture by absorbing Arawak women and children into their society through the acts of war (in my opinion, Canadians are wise to do the same, minus the acts of war bit and gender slant…). Many Caribs were as a result bilingual. By 1500, most of the Arawak’s had been destroyed or incorporated into the Carib nation.

Given their military successes and heavy doses of migration, the Caribs must have been experiencing great internal transformations. Because of this, they lacked firm identity or crystallization in social forms and customs.

The Caribs were undergoing significant internal change toward the end of the 1400’s. As such, it is little wonder they were a notch weaker by the time the Spaniards came.







[i] Knight, Franklin. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragment Nationalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. page 13.

In the beginning

Hello-lo!
Over the next six months, I'll be using this site to share stories, happenings and photos from the island of Jamaica. Facebook just seemd too complicated for this simpleton, so I'm sorry if this inconveniences anyone. Hope to hear from you too!
God bless!
Daniel.