Born Jamaican in 1959
Love Jamaica to de bone – to de marrow - like most Jamaicans
Proud of the feel of being Jamaican
Haffe talk dat first so when mi talk later, remember these words
I realize that I love how Jamaica and Jamaicans make me feel. This is based in ‘Jamaica love’ a symptom of most Jamaicans and a few non-Jamaicans
Migrated to Canada in 1976
Done nuff reggae showcases with the talent performing in Canada for about 30 years - managing IBADAN then hosting live music gigs - and aware that we have never truly penetrated into the music fabric of Canada
Nuff nuff fans out there but not enough to feed the industry or the genre. Not enough to pay the bills of the musicians or performers and definitely not enough in music sales on the various formats to buy a coffee for some
In the home of reggae, Jamaica, I see so many lost opportunities for the genre of reggae as well
Being a member of the 'commonwealth', labeled by the colonizer Jamaica has always been considered and treated as a slave colony and it is an expected (exploited) behavior by many of its citizens as well as a global phenomenon
“A vacation destination”
Like that is all that we are
Herb McKenley, Arthur Wint, Bob Marley, Donald Quarrie, Harry Belafonte, Louise Bennett, Ranny Williams and millions more are Jamaicans
We are far more than just a place for the colonizer to come and play
We are made to accept this continued disrespect decade after decade
As a vacation destination, there is nothing wrong with the privatized hotels and beaches… I love sharing that with the world but that subservient culture isn’t all that Jamaicans are
This music has basically penetrated all world cultures like nothing else in the history of man
Reggae music's spiritual energy is a language that speaks differently than a physical or intellectual language
We sometimes can't explain what we "feel" yet spiritual upliftment is a path any living being seeks
Music is a spiritual energy all by itself
The reggae frequency seems to amplify the spiritual energy
Colonialism is a hateful, cowardly culture that has a need to enslave black humans which most caste systems have black skin as the least valuable
Reggae bun dat
Wi nuh cater fe dat
Win nuh less dan NOBODY!
Keep your cowardly racist systems to yourself
"They", "the bigger heads" have Jamaicans bought into this self degradation as is evidenced by the current murder rate
We have been violently murdering Jamaicans for decades now. I say “we” because I have personally not been able to come up with a solution for this murder of I people so I am definitely a part of “we”… until I find a path to solving this and reaching our people
“Stop killing Jamaicans” should be our mantra or, “If you love Jamaica, stop killing Jamaicans”
This is a BIG message to I prime minister(s) and other government officials since 1962
Ever since "independence"
"Most churches and guns in the entire Caribbean"
Yeah, mi get it. We are a part of a major system of African degradation and need to accept our place but Jamaicans are not built to accept slavery or colonizer fuckery
So we continue to murder each other and we continue to die
We have totally ascribed and bought into gun culture so it is acceptable in Toronto, Detroit, Miami, New York within other members of the African community{s}
"Bad man ting"
This is being totally confused with the "rude bwoy" or "rudey" mentality
Back in my formative years, nuff a de rude bwoy dem were the mentors for the youths who used to protect his family as well as the community. They showed some of the youths how to act right as well as to protect young sisters from the predators from within the community. They were fearless leaders in I n I community yet were proud lions that I emulated
Nuff of my mentors were these people
The message has become predatory for all involved in this time
So living in Canada allows me to take a step back as I did live in the pressured streets of JA
I see youth trying to emulate 'bad man' culture when we ought to be elevating our communities, our children, our women and our men instead
We all love Jamaica
We should all protect Jamaica and stop letting the colonizer distract us with politics and idiotic schemes when they (the politicians) should be creating commerce for Jamaican citizens within our own country
Reggae and Rastafari are two exports of Jamaica that are not ever exported effectively
Ever!
We (Jamaica) has always been exploited or sold out by rich Jamaicans and created a despicable class system, copied from the colonizer that has proven for decades now to be detrimental to Jamaican people
Reggae music and RasTafari come from the ghetto
Two of the most spiritually uplifting things on planet earth, come out of Jamaica's ghetto
The wisdom of the ghetto is beyond the cowardice of the Jamaican middle class
I'm not trying to divide the people of Jamaica, I am pointing out what we know as a truth
The answer{s} to uplifting changes in Jamaica lie with its people at home as well as what is called "the diaspora" ie; Jamaicans around the globe
I for one am TIRED of this decades long, continued abrasive system to the Jamaican people in our own country by the colonizer aided by the upper class - as these idiots consider themselves
Money in your bank accounts does not make anyone superior to I man or any other RasTafari humans
Honor, respect, integrity, nobility
These traits we seek in our people and our leaders
This colonizer mentality need to bun out of the cowards that perpetuate the murdering of Jamaicans
In order for "the system" to work it needs cowards, Judas{s} to sell out their own people
Real Jamaicans need to step to the Judas Jamaicans who continue to abuse its own citizens
Where are the real Jamaicans?
Where are the 'humans' among the native Jamaicans as well as the diaspora?
Humans
“Out of many, one people” I grew up to love how romantic that sounded. When Usain Bolt ran, or Tessanne won the Voice it felt like that for a minute. But only a small minute
Most cyaa talk because of aggressive, murderous repercussions
I get that
Yet, as the iconic Tupac Shakur was once quoted to say, as I paraphrase, “I may not be the person to make the change, but I will inspire the mind{s} that will”
I put these words out to the universe
There will probably be some criticisms yet somewhere it will become clear that the truth remains the same
Stay focused on the truth
Allow Reggae and RasTafari and music and creativity and art and intellect to flourish in Jamaica
“If you love Jamaica, stop killing Jamaicans”