Featured stories about Jamaica
Stories about Jamaica
13 November 2018
The Caribbean Court of Justice loses again — this time with voter apathy and distrust
"People do not trust the power institutions, the hierarchies in the region — and that's not going to change for a long time to come."
18 September 2018
At the peak of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Jamaicans remember ‘Wild Gilbert’
Jamaicans can't recall a storm worse than Gilbert in 1988 -- and as this year's Atlantic hurricane season gets active, they hope they won't have to.
10 September 2018
Jamaica finds new appreciation for beloved cultural icon and language activist, ‘Miss Lou’
"Underneath her wily comedic style, she forced the society to face unpleasant truths. But it is the unapologetic championing of the Jamaican language that so endeared her to many Jamaicans."
12 June 2018
Could Jamaica's Data Protection Act shield politicians from journalistic scrutiny?
"This Bill [...] does not adequately distinguish gathering ‘data’ for journalistic activities from gathering data for regular commercial purposes [which] may have a chilling effect on press freedom."
7 May 2018
‘Get involved in your communities': An American woman who fought for justice urges stronger activism
"I think the police need to be held accountable. Without accountability, there is no justice. That’s the biggest problem, no one is ever accountable."
16 April 2018
School history assignment stirs up a storm in Jamaica over how slavery should be taught
"Now to the assignment at hand, would Hillel have asked on an assignment about World War 2 to come up with ways for Nazi Germany to annihilate the Jewish people?"
14 April 2018
Jamaican Reaction to Trinidad Buggery Law Ruling is Predictably Mixed
"It is easier to break the chains of the law than those of the mind. Bigotry is Herculean."
Jamaican Dancehall Star Buju Banton's Impending Release from Prison Sparks Renewed Controversy
"If Banton[...]retracted his hideous views on homosexuality and sought to amend the damage he has done to men and women across the Caribbean, he would be worthy of a platform."
4 April 2018
‘It Is Sad to Realise That When Police Officers Are Sued, the Victims Are Judged Instead’
"His case was not an exception. Every day, black young men are killed by the police in favelas and other marginalised areas."
28 March 2018
A Journey for Justice in the Americas, Part 1: Three Women Tell Their Stories in Kingston, Jamaica
"To stop [my activism] would mean that I am giving another police officer permission to kill another of my brothers, or anyone else for that matter."
19 March 2018
A Respected Ceramicist and a Skilled Novelist: Jamaica Loses Two Much-Loved Creatives in Two Days
"Jamaica, we mourn the passing of sculptor Gene Pearson and writer Garfield Ellis. But we will celebrate them always."
9 March 2018
Pastor's Reduced Sentence for ‘Sex With Minors’ Casts Cloud Over International Women's Day in Jamaica
"Disgraced Moravian pastor Rupert Clarke got a slap on the wrist...He egregiously breached the trust and confidence of the people who look to him as a man of the clergy..."
28 February 2018
‘Ready to Reckon With the Colonizing World, Daring It to Try’ — What the ‘Black Panther’ Film Means to Trinidad & Tobago
"Black Panther is sublime. Not because it's a perfect narrative. No such thing exists. [...] It's sublime because it's an ardent vehicle for black joy."
8 February 2018
As the World Celebrates Bob Marley Day, Reggae is Changing and So Are Its Fans
"Consciousness and liberation are some of the messages we expect from Rasta, unfortunately, it [appears] Rasta has lost its value locally and as an agent of change in our society."
3 February 2018
It Is Not Only LGBT Jamaicans Who Welcome the Government's Ban of Controversial U.S. Preacher
"The Caribbean region has had a long history of oppressive teachings in the name of church and evangelism. We now need to facilitate healing and protection from further division [...]"
1 February 2018
Jamaicans Call for Tougher Anti-Crime Measures as Yet Another Police Commissioner Resigns
"All eyes will be on the Police Service Commission as it prepares Jamaica for an uncertain future."
20 January 2018
State of Emergency Over Worsening Crime Has Some Jamaicans Relieved — But Is It an Effective Approach?
Is a state of emergency "making progress", or is it a shot in the dark as Jamaica grapples with addressing the social and economic inequity that fuels violent crime?
13 January 2018
This Week in the Caribbean: From ‘Shithole’ Comments to ‘Wining’ Laws
This week, Caribbean netizens rail against the US president's "shithole" comment, discuss violent crime in Jamaica and debate the new "wining" law that will impact Trinidad and Tobago Carnival.
12 January 2018
Does Free Speech Mean Free to Preach Hate? An American Fundamentalist Pastor Tests Jamaica’s Limits
"Allowing this American pastor into Jamaica, and giving him platforms at schools to spread his lies would threaten the fundamental rights of Jamaican women, children, and LGBT people."
Post-Earthquake Tsunami Scare in the Caribbean Region Highlights a Shaky Range of Preparedness
"I want to know, now what? How will these alerts be communicated to the citizenry that's not on Social Media? This is quite sobering I tell you."
