Why Jamaica, indeed.
The answer depends on three factors:
Your own personal desire to answer that question.
Your own personal knowledge of the country.
Your own personal experience of having visited Jamaica.
Many, just the same are quick to answer based on hearsay, unreliable news stories and the opinions of others.
Wendy, of TV fame, allegedly said … why would anyone even want to visit Jamaica..” Supposedly, one of her sponsors on the day she said it was another island paradise.
But back to those three factors I mentioned earlier.
Yes. I do have a desire to answer the query.
Yes. I do have personal knowledge of the island country.
Yes. I do have lots of experiences about Jamaica.
One of the most talked-about factors concerning Jamaica is its crime. OK, let's talk about that. On any given hour of any given day, check the crime rate of any one of America's major cities:
Detroit, St Louis, Oakland, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Baltimore, Stockton, Cleveland…
and I haven't even mentioned Chicago or New York City and these are cities in the land of unlimited opportunities.
And yet, Jamaica a country is much maligned… by the very people who should not be so negative about Jamaica. Jamaicans living overseas.
As for me?
I have never been to Jamaica and not regret leaving this beautiful land of wood and water.
As a photographer, On leaving, I always miss the beauty of the country; so beautiful that words, not matter of eloquent and colorful, can never really do justice to its beauty.
Most of all, though, I miss the people. The many diverse faces with the ready smile and a willingness to share everything they have. Jamaicans, as a whole, does not tolerate laziness. Nor do they suffer fools very well.
One video I made highlighted a lady who said that she couldn't find a job so she created a job. She now makes Meringue wine. No, she said, I don't need a distributor, I can hardly keep up with the demand.
In another video, Another man said, without even a hint of a smile on his face (which is unusual in Jamaica), but he wanted to be very clear about his point: This point: If you find a man begging for food in Jamaica you should let him starve. Then he points to the hills. Those lands, he said, belongs to the Forestry service. More than enough food up there.
Later, I was to find out that many people have plots; little farms in the hills where they grow their own food, undisturbed. There's the honor system there. It's simple: If you see land being cultivated, you leave it alone. How simple is that?
When I go to Jamaica, I don't go to the beach. I have no need to. In my home-city, we have 35 miles of beaches. When I go to Jamaica, I go to get what I don't have here. The exposure of one of the most fantastic histories of the Western Hemisphere.
I go to commune with the people of Jamaica. Up in the hills of Jamaica. My Rasta friends treat me with respect and dignity as I do them.
I go to hear the ambitious children demand that I call them by the future titles; Dr this, or Attorney that… all seeming to want to become somebody.
One little girl, all of 12 years old, told me that she has no desire to leave Jamaica except on vacations and to further her education. I can live in another country as a second-class person for a few years if I can get what I want, I don't need to be called… and she used a very derogatory word… when I am a queen in my own land. I think she got them impression from American TV… trust me, the people in Jamaica are more informed about America and its politics than most Americans are. But, I am getting off subject.
Yes. Jamaica has problems. Not enough Jobs… Not enough money for higher education… not enough of many things. But they are working on solving their own problems.
As for me, two things I wish Jamaica would do: Expand its own renewable energy programs and manufacturing, and, recycle all of its motor oil which would mean less dependency on importing motor oil.
This narrative, as you have guessed, is just my impressions based on my own knowledge and experiences. You, no doubt, have your own. Please share in the comment section because your addition will add to my knowledge and together we will learn.
It's going to be cold here pretty soon and I will be longing to the hills of Jamaica.
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