Building bridges

Social media are powerful transformational tools. Earlier this year, a wave of popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa were largely orchestrated through social media. From a network of Facebook accounts, a group of determined, young activists lit the fuse that toppled once untouchable regimes. Arab Spring, as the revolts have been dubbed, showcased the true power of the people - and the power of the Internet.

The Clifton Brown interview on TVJ news, as remixed by DJ Powa, also highlighted social media's potency. Two weeks ago, Mr Brown was just another Jamaican seeking the best for his family in these challenging times. A half-million views later, Clifton has become an Internet sensation. By no fault of his own, he has been made into something else: a 'poppy-show'.

I imagine Clifton, who has rocketed to fame by virtue of his peculiar accent, would rather be regarded as a serious spokesperson for his community. Instead, he seems to inspire some of Jamaica's most venerable media personalities to behave like complete buffoons. He recently appeared on TVJ's morning show, 'Smile Jamaica'. Hosts Simon Crosskill and Neville Bell could hardly avoid giggling like giddy schoolgirls each time Clifton opened his mouth to plead his case.

On his show, between bouts of laughter, Mutabaruka tried to play promoter - practically negotiating a deal for Clifton to take his unintended act to the musical stage. I, too, participated in the circus, using the majority of my 700-word allotment last week to solicit cheap laughs at Clifton's expense. People are still laughing - from FAME FM to Facebook, Clifton continues to be roundly mocked.

We should all feel ashamed. A man has striven to detail his and his neighbours' plight in being repeatedly marooned during severe rains. We laughed. A man has spoken, as passionately as he could, about the risk to life and limb faced by those in his community who are often swept away by the treacherous waters when it rains. We laughed. A man - a father of five - has lamented the danger posed to children and the disruption to their education whenever the heavens open. Still we laughed.

It seems Clifton Brown has indeed been an impassioned champion of his community's most pressing cause. It is us who have been the poppy-shows.

At the end of Clifton's segment on 'Smile Jamaica', Neville briefly attempted to get serious - inquiring about the bridge. His question was immediately dismissed by an imperious Simon, who exclaimed: "Who cares about the bridge?"

This is Who cares

An entire community in rural St Andrew cares about the bridge. Communities across Jamaica, to whom this story is all too familiar, care about the bridge. And a random collection of Jamaicans - at home and across the globe - care about the bridge. In fact, a Facebook page has been created to pledge support for Clifton's bridge. In barely 24 hours, the page (www.facebook.com/Wecancrossit) has garnered more than 1,500 supporters. They have dubbed themselves 'The Bridge Builders'.

As far as I know, Mike Henry, the minister of transport and works; Joseph Hibbert, member of parliament for East Rural St Andrew; Patrick Wong, CEO of the National Works Agency, are not among these Bridge Builders.

Perhaps they have found better ways to communicate their plans to Clifton and the many others who care about this issue. Maybe they have already educated the masses about the Canadian R.A. Murray programme to construct, rebuild, or repair a number of bridges across the island. Maybe they have resolved questions about how Clifton's bridge, and others, will - if at all - fit into the US$400-million Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme. Or maybe, like Simon, they have simply dismissed the people's concerns.

The deposed Arab leaders dismissed their people's angst. The result: powerful names - Ben Ali, Mubarak, and soon Gaddafi - have become residents in the barren wasteland of disgraced despots. And to think the historic Arab Spring movement, like concern for Clifton's cause, began rather innocuously in front of some computer in some nondescript place.

I wonder if a 'Jamaican Summer' can be as scorching as an Arab Spring. But I digress. Let's stop joking around and seriously address Clifton's concerns.

Din Duggan is an attorney working as a consultant with a global legal search firm. Email him at columns@gleanerjm.com or dinduggan@gmail.com, or view his past columns at facebook.com/dinduggan and twitter.com/YoungDuggan.