Mutti Lewis appeals to Glendevon

The St James community of Glendevon has been hard-hit by poverty and violence for many years. Yet, for native son Owen Mutti Lancelot Lewis, the area holds fond memories.

Lewis, a Bridgeport, Connecticut-based roots-reggae singer, dedicated his latest album, Loaf Of Bread, to the area, which has slowly shaken its negative image in recent years.

Loaf Of Bread was released in late 2010 and is Lewis' third album. His previous efforts are Love Will Survive and Conscious Revolution, which were released in 2004 and 2007, respectively.

Lewis said Loaf Of Bread's uplifting message is aimed at getting wayward youth in Glendevon, and other troubled communities in St James, to stay away from crime.

"If even one youth in Glendevon, Bottom Pen, Canterbury or Blood Lane can hear this CD and it helps to change their lives, then my living would not have been in vain," Lewis said.

Lewis told The Gleaner that he grew up in a family of eight brothers and one sister, in a two-bedroom house in Glendevon. He emigrated to the United States in 1983, but has maintained ties with his hometown where many of his relatives still live.

He said he has lost a nephew to the violence that has scarred the community for more than 20 years. Recently, it was announced that the Government will upgrade the Glendevon Primary and Junior High School, and build a training centre there, through the assistance of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund.