A Jamaican In Exile

The dead-end realities of Jamaica's gangster life It would be interesting to know the background of the author of this piece. Like most young ghetto youth, if I were born in the ghetto, I would probably have been a gangster too. I was not born rich but I was born outside of the ghetto, attended church, had parents who cared and family who helped me to leave Jamaica. I therefore had options to live a fairly decent life. Most ghetto youth do not have such options. Sure, the exceptional are able to rise above the heap but most people are not exceptional. I certainly am not so that is why I say if I were born in the ghetto, I would have been a gangster. People make choices in life. One uneducated youth from the ghetto can choose life but he/she may be bullied and beaten in school, females are raped as teenagers and then upon leaving school the future holds a life of standing on the corner as life and time goes by. No wonder many choose the allure of gang life: nuff gyal, brand name clo...

Tactics for Crime Fighting in Jamaica When the rot has become endemic and normalized as in Jamaica, fighting crime in Jamaica is easier said than done... Every 4 - 5 years, we have general elections in Jamaica. Parties are changed but nothing else. As the economic hardship increases for the majority of the people, they become more preoccupied with survival than with voting. Also, as 'black dawg is swapped for monkey', the majority becomes disenchanted with the political process altogether. This along with the garrison communities' ethos guarantees that nothing will change substantially when it comes to crime. The crime mostly impacts the poor so the corrupt political and corporate elites don't really care - despite electoral rhetoric to the contrary. Crime will continue to remain at unacceptable levels in Jamaica for the foreseeable future...For most Haitians and Jamaicans it is time to abandon ship - get a visa. Raymond D. Grant

 Diaspora wary about future.... In the past, the birth of Jamaica's politics was heavily influenced by our diaspora. Most Jamaicans do not know that it was Jamaicans in New York who formed the Jamaica Progressive League (JPL) which advised Norman Manley and financially supported the start-up of the PNP. According to 'the other newspaper', over one million Jamaicans now live overseas. With the vast resources (financial, educational, experiential) at our disposal, we in the diaspora could again be a huge force for change. However, we lack the committed leadership so all that happens is the occasional weak pleading for 'the vote' in an electoral system hamstrung by the two political gangs. Pity.... Ref: JPL - https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/jamaica-progressive-league Powerful Diaspora Engagement - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/powerful-diaspora-engagement-10-tips-government-loksan-harley-%E9%92%9F%E4%B9%90%E5%B1%B1/ Ra...

Prof. Louis Grant, 1913 - 1993 By Dr. Rebecca Tortello The saying   "we likkle but we tallawah"  can be applied to many aspects of Jamaican life, not the least of which is Jamaica's contribution to world science. This article, the first in a two-part series featuring Jamaican scientists, considers the work of Professor Louis Grant, microbiologist, one of those whose work had immense local and international impact. PROF. LOUIS GRANT, M.D., C.H., M.P.H., DIP BACT., FAPHA, F.C. PATH, F.A.A.N. (1913-1993) A microbiologist and pathologist, Prof. Louis Grant was affiliated with the University of the West Indies for 20 years where he achieved the highest academic honour, being named professor emeritus in microbiology. Young Louis Grant was surrounded by science from an early age ­ born in Vere, Clarendon in 1913, his father worked in a chemical laboratory at the Appleton Estate. As a student, Grant showed promise and received the Vere Trust scholarship to attend Jamaica College....

  https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20230312/don-anderson-jamaican-democracy-risk The Jamaican state and its politics have been hijacked by a cabal made up of corrupt JLP/PNP politicians, a corporate elite who finances them, a corrupt police force, a loyal army and a compliant media. Jamaicans, wise to that fact, have withdrawn from the process. This withdrawal delegitimizes the whole electoral process. Normally, such a situation would give rise to new political movements but the system is set against that happening. Both parties have a lock on corporate financing as they do the bidding of the corporate elite. Both parties start with the advantage of at least 13 guaranteed garrison constituencies' support between them. The media ignores any new political movements such as the United Independents' Congress. Without media or corporate financial support it is very difficult for any new political movement to get traction. In this scenario, there should be a social expl...