A FEW Mondays ago, 37 Haitians alighted from a small canoe off the coast of Portland seeking, ostensibly, a better life. The irony here should not escape anyone. For a country like ours, where nearly a third or more of our citizens live overseas,...
Were the political ombudsman’s office occupied, Isat Buchanan’s crude sexual advice to Paula Llewellyn and Michelle Charles’ hand-up-her-skirt admonition of one of her constituents would be matters ripe for her investigation. But that post has...
Michelle Charles’ recent offensive treatment of a constituent was another example of the incivility in public discourse of which P.J. Patterson laments. It is good that Dr Charles, the governing Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) member of parliament (MP...
Beat drums, beat! Beat out a riddim of joy! Beat out a riddim of pain! Beat out those times of trouble; We feel again and again… Jamaican Reggae Girlz’s dazzling success in creating history by knocking out Brazil in the first round of...
Over the past week, as we celebrated Emancipation and Independence and with visitors coming in from overseas, I found it necessary to visit some stores looking for souvenirs. I was reminded of the extent to which Jamaican souvenirs are now imported...
With swaggering and anxieties receding after the annual ranking of high schools based on results in Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams, the time is perhaps ripe for a conversation about a broader, and more inclusive, index of how much...
On Sunday, Jamaica marked 61 years of “Independence” but has, over time, drifted further and further from that ideal. In reality, the only true independence available is independence of thought as certified by expression. In everything else we are...
Last week, a patient of mine related a disturbing story to me. While travelling to school on a bus, a little boy told her six-year-old daughter to “s**k yuh mother” and slapped her in the face. My patient, being mature and level-headed, had a civil...
Fayval Williams has perhaps the most unenviable job in Jamaica’s Government. She is the island’s education minister, overseeing a system that delivers poor outcomes. Yet, Ms Williams has an opportunity to turn things around and be an outstanding...
With the FIFA Women’s World Cup in full swing and the history-making Reggae Girlz making us proud with every kick of the ball, now seems like an opportune time to revisit the topical issue of gender diversity in sports, specifically female...
Two contrasting events touched my heart since last writing. Both represent the deep, lively, spiritual energy of this nation and give witness to the best of who we really are this Emancipendence. And what kind of people we should purpose to become...
Last week’s arraignment of Donald Trump for attempting to subvert an election and cling to power in America says something positive about the United States, which Jamaica should want to emulate: though harried and badly stressed, the US governance...
Too many Jamaicans barely make the effort to come out to vote. At one point in our democratic history, voter turnout was often over 75 per cent. By 2011, it was 53.2 per cent, in 2016 it was 48.4 per cent and by 2020 it was 37.9 per cent. Who knows...
Louise Bennett, popularly known by her stage name ‘Miss Lou’, went to England in 1945 to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She had been awarded a scholarship by the British Council. According to Wikipedia, Miss Lou was the...
The transaatlantic slave trade was exceptionally egregious. It was exploitative, cruel, inhumane, and racist. Slavery has been practised within various cultures from time immemorial. Many people will be surprised to learn that it still exists today...
At St Patrick’s Primary School, another little eight-year-old was being jeered because he sat on the toilet while emptying his bladder. It wasn’t funny, because my parenting taught me that one should never kick someone when he is down or trample on...
The global spotlight is shining brightly on Jamaica as she turns 61. The sweetener for Independence Day celebrations this year is the spectacular triumphs in netball, football and volleyball, recorded by our sportswomen in recently concluded or...
No one should yet be pouring champagne to celebrate the announcement by the US government that Kenya has agreed to lead a multinational police force to help subdue gangs and improve security in Haiti. This announcement is rightly far from a done...
A 78-year-old man was working out in a gym when he spotted a sexy young woman. He asked his trainer, “What machine should I use to impress a girl like that?” The trainer replied, “I would try the ATM in the lobby.” I will be 78 next Thursday, and I...
Isat Buchanan’s crude remarks about Paula Llewellyn last week injected crassness into a serious debate. It was a reminder, however, that there are battles that women still need to win, and of the value of civility in public discourse. For...
This is the time of year when we reflect on two turning points in our history as a people: the end to legal slavery in the 1830s, and the formal end of colonialism in the 1960s. We must be careful not to romanticise these two events; both brought...
The sound mind is perhaps the greatest and most significant asset gifted to man. The mind is much smarter and more sensible than we give it credit. Because it is so smart, the silly manipulations that we subject it to typically don’t work. For...
TWO WEEKS after the release of Educate Jamaica’s most recent academic rankings of Jamaican high schools, things have begun to settle back to normalcy. At least until the 2024 numbers come out to set tongues wagging again, that is. It’s a familiar...
Kenya’s willingness to lead a multinational security force in Haiti is a critical development for millions of Haitians traumatised by more than two years of internal insecurity, since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Hopefully...
“ Action – not ah bag a mouth”, exhorts the hit song by Nadine Sutherland/Terry Fabulous. This is what is required in a number of areas in Jamaica, including education. Through the years our leaders in education have travelled to countries that...
