Book Review: Creatively exploring issues
Published:Sunday | December 18, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Title: Parable of the Mangoes
Written by: Jean Goulbourne
Publisher: Abeng Press
Reviewed by: Jean Small
The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's 2010 gold medallist for short-story writing, Jean Goulbourne, has wasted no time in producing her newest collection of stories, Parable of the Mangoes, published by the Abeng Press.
Born in Black River on Jamaica's south coast, Jean developed a keen eye and ear for all that happened around her in rural Jamaica. These 12 stories express a love of the land, a commitment to the development of the nation, and a sympathetic and compassionate understanding of the lives of a people whose ancestors experienced the harsh circumstances of colonisation and slavery.
As a historian, Goulbourne has an academic knowledge of a society that is based on an Africa world view. She uses this knowledge to creatively explore the reality of the present cultural, political and societal issues without being pedantic. The simplicity of her language belies the depth of the central message of each story, making them, at the same time, accessible to all readers. The tree, as in African cultures, is symbolic of life firmly rooted in the ground. In these stories, the mango tree is a central image of strength transferred to a local context.
The journey from slavery to independence has been a long and difficult one, so that one needs to ask the question, as in 'Massa Day Done', if some of the conditions of the past are not still existent in the present. The prejudices against skin colour and the acquisition of knowledge as in 'The Naming of a Thing' result in a deep-seated anger in a people that is shown through the vengeful action of the protagonist in 'Mountaintop'.
Goulboune forces us to look critically at our society, the bottleneck lives we may be leading, and provides an understanding of the historical sources of our pent-up emotions. She manages to incorporate her skills in writing poetry to produce a collection of stories that are a joy to read.