Norris McDonald | The ‘kren-kren’ years– Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the fight for justice

Political independence in 1962 started the lengthy process of changing the Jamaican society. There have been many positive and progressive gains but, I believe, a lot more needs to be done to rid the country of its racist and elitist past.

Jamaica’s influence on world politics, sports and culture has been profound.

Marcus Garvey was one of Jamaica’s leaders whose philosophy of self-development and black consciousness strongly influenced great leaders such as India’s Mahatma Gandhi.

Many other leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Martin Luther King Jr, Hon Elijah Muhammad, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela were also strongly influenced by Garvey.

Jamaica’s influence on the world has been strongly felt in many areas. The richness of music; sports and culture; our unique ethnic cuisine; the beauty of the land and beaches and the strong, ‘tallawah’ spirit of our people have helped to create this authentic brand.

It is good, therefore, that this unique national brand is marketed through tourism. But it ought to be done in a way that no Jamaican feels left out.

Tourism, privatisation, and private development of the beaches are key issues of public policy concern.

From the 1960s to now there have always been charges of racist treatment towards black Jamaicans and black foreign guests.

Professor Henrice Altink’s study on Race and colour discrimination in the Jamaican hotel sector, 1962-2020 (May 2021) concludes that there is “a persistence of practices of race and colour discrimination in the Jamaican hotel sector since independence in 1962”.

Clearly, this is not a new issue, but it warrants a strong focus now that the country is celebrating its 60th year as a politically independent nation.

What does having a nation-state really mean if any of our people feel discriminated against or excluded from the gains of social and economic progress?

A couple years ago, Dr Maziki Thame raised the issue of lack of beach access, in terms of tourism development and in the general elitist nature of the private development of beaches.

Writing in The Daily Gleaner, August 17, 2018, Dr Thame opined that “the state has been involved in expanding the effort of privatisation, in a way that denies Jamaican black people access to the beaches”.

According to Dr Thame, Jamaica is “content to allow for the exploitation of black bodies in the tourism sector, offering cheap labour to investors and the beaches and possibly sex to (preferably white) tourists, free of any contact with the real (black) locals”.

Dr Thame’s strong comments bring to light a pattern and practice that makes us wonder if it is either a requirement of foreign investors or just a ‘hand-mi-down’ legacy, perhaps of a neocolonialist mentality, that is ingrained in our society.

Is the lack of social and cultural rights a part of the development model?, we must ask ourselves.

Are Jamaican black people being ‘kept in their place’, to allow the capitalist development to thrive?

It this is so, clearly this is a major problem that must end.

The problem of open market, free enterprise development, and globalisation is that it is all about increased wealth for local and foreign ‘tuppanris’ while the mass of the population is left behind.

But whether it is the ordinary people being left behind by political economic development, or social and cultural issues of discrimination, public policies that are not people-focused are clearly elitist.

Increasingly, as prices barrel out of control and the working class gets more and more hungry and angry, things that they would perhaps ignore, such as the lack of beach access, are motivating them to fight even harder for social rights.

Even if we concede that, given the prevalence of crime and violence, the Government is worried about Jamaica’s ‘national image’, the prevalence of any form of social discrimination is clearly unacceptable.

PUERTO RICANS DEMAND INDEPENDENCE

It is matter of major concern that Jamaica’s prime beach lands are being bought by foreigners. And development of these properties is being done in a way that soon black Jamaicans may not have full access to beaches.

Puerto Ricans have confronted this problem. Mass demonstrations are organised under the slogan, “The beaches belong to the people”, which is the rallying cry against the privatisation of public beaches.

Puerto Ricans are so upset about the years of neocolonialist oppression from America, they don’t just want their beaches back, they are now saying, ‘give us our country back!’

“Puerto Rico’s relationship with the US is rooted in a history of racism, exploitation, and oppression,” Hon Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia (Illinois) recently said. He was commenting on a HR 8393, Puerto Rico Status Act, introduced in the US House of Representative to promote the decolonialisation.

“The colonialisation of Puerto Rico is a shameful part of [the United States of America] our country’s history,” Rep Garcia said.

These were and are truly kren-kren years.

THE ‘KREN-KREN’ YEARS

It is kren-kren years in terms of the social and cultural evolution of the Jamaican society, and the mostly primitive way people prepared meals, by curing the meat over the smoking kren-kren, for long-term use.

Emancipating stories can help to lift our moral consciousness about who we are, and can give us a greater sense of purpose in life.

My dear friends, life brings challenges. It is the nature of the struggles we face in life that helps to shape one’s political character: it helps to mould the human spirit, helping to create a true national identity.

We can cure meat, to save its substance, but it is an awkward thing to cure the human mind, unless people do so themselves; by freeing themselves from mental slavery.

That is just the ‘bitta’ truth!

Norris McDonald is an economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and miaminorris@yahoo.com