Who is the Culprit, Education or Society?

Educational Coaching

Over the past week the quality of education has taken center stage in the Jamaican media, with the Minister, Andrew Holness chiding elementary/ primary school teachers for the general ill-preparedness of students for secondary schools.This news comes at the dawn of Jamaica’s presentation of a status report on its achievements towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Institutionalizing Human Rights at Fort Augusta Correctional Centre

Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre (entrance)

I recently concluded a series of human rights workshops with inmates at the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre,  located in Portmore, St. Catherine (Jamaica). The experience has left me hopeful–on account of participants’ enthusiasm to learn about human rights and quickly apply their newly honed skills to secure better living standards and quality of life; as well as institutional leaders’ enthusiasm to obtain materials and demand that workshops be designed for them as well.

Over the duration of my visit I have sought to: impart knowledge about human rights, advocacy, the Access to Information Act, networking and communications, leadership, conflict, group development, and participatory governance; transfer skills in: leadership, advocacy, and networking and communications; and gather data about inmates’ experiences realizing their economic and social rights (ESR), as well as the preparedness of Fort Augusta for development and participatory governance, via large group discussions, surveys, face-to-face conversations, and general observation.

Reinstating Maroon Police and Justice System in Charles Town

Queen Nanny of the Maroons (Jamaican $500 bill)

Quao’s Act gave the Jamaican Maroons, freedom and autonomy to govern their lives and community, independent of the Jamaican or any other external government. This Act positions them in a very unique socioeconomic and cultural space–where land taxes are not paid, as is the case of  the Moore Town and Scots Hall Maroons, and until recently, the Charles Town Maroons, through their Council,  policed their community and tried criminals in indigenous courts for all crimes, except murder.

Are You Ready for Music 2.0?

What Is Music 2.0

Music 2.0 is revolutionizing the entertainment industry in ways that were previously unimaginable. Gone are the days when music was marketed on the basis of scarcity. Such approaches are merely relics, which will die in the face of networking via the personal computer (PC) and telephone.

Music 2.0 presents opportunities for fair play and equity in the industry; enabling independent and established artists to be promoted, played, and judged largely by their personalities rather than the investment of record companies. Independent and emerging artists are, therefore, liberated from the challenges associated with ethnocentrism and payola.

‘Romping’ with Copyright

Ne-Yo

The directive for the censorship of Romping Shop is not simply an assault by the state on ’slackness’ or Dancehall culture. In fact, its familiar rhythm, copied from Ne-Yo’s, Miss Independent, has brought international pressure on the Broadcasting Commission to regulate musical content and place a ban on the distribution and promotion of Romping Shop. It seems as if this situation has added fuel to a burning fire, as the ban was not limited to the ‘copyright offensive’ song, rather it sought to curtail many elements of the ’socially offensive’ Dancehall culture.

Romping Shop: Lyrics & Video

Vybz Kartel & Spice

Intro:]
[Kartel:] Ah di techer
[Spice:] And ah spice
[Kartel:] Every man grab a gyal
[Spice:] And every gyal grab a man
[Kartel:] Man to man, gyal to gyal dats wrong
[Spice:] Scorn dem
[Kartel:] All wen a nite yuh pussy feel like sun hot; wen yuh come inna mi ramping shop
[Spice:] Mek sure yuh kno how fi wuk and ah nuh chat yah ah chat

Banned: Exorcising Dancehall Language and Popular Social Themes?

Vybz Kartel and Spice (Male and Female DJ 2008-09)

The Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) awards was held on February 5, 2009 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. The highlights of the night’s event were Vybz Kartel and Spice, who were awarded the coveted and highly competitive titles of: Male and Female DJs  of the Year (2008-09). Their combination song, Romping Shop, which has been at the nucleus of much controversy was awarded Song of the Year.

‘Daggerin’ Headlines Reggae Month!

Daggering- The Dance

Until recently, Jamaicans celebrated February as Black History Month, following on the African American tradition, which is aimed at commemorating our history and achievement as Africans in the West. Now, we celebrate February as Reggae Month in order to mark the immense contribution of Reggae music to the development of Jamaica. At this time, Dancehall, which is currently Jamaica’s most popular genre and an offshoot of Reggae, has come under serious fire and is currently a hot subject on the lips of many as the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica has banned songs containing the word “Daggaring/ Daggering” from the Jamaican airwaves.

Advocacy Works!

People-centred Advocacy

Michael Moore is a favorite of mine. I think he has been doing very important work using film as an advocacy tool for resisting, engaging, creating, strategising, and bridging gaps in order to improve people’s lives. It is often times said that a picture tells a thousand words, and since discovering the power of film, I believe that it tells people’s stories, as seen in the following video of illegal immigrant workers to the United States of America.

Demonstrating for Social Change

Demonstration against Policies of the World Bank and IMF, 2005

Over the past three years, I have conducted social research amongst 30 communities involving some 600 Jamaicans, and over that time, I have realized that people are genuinely convinced that public (political) demonstration is the single most successful advocacy strategy that can bring about social change. In a recent workshop involving members of the Maroon Town community in St. James, I was informed by a participant that demonstrating was the tactic employed by their forefathers to fight the system of slavery, and “until now it is only thing that we, the people, can do to get the politicians to respond to and address our social needs”. Other participants alluded to popular news (video) clips of local demonstrators and their apparent success in getting needs addressed on account of demonstrating.