· July, 2008

Stories about Jamaica from July, 2008

Jamaica, India: Signs of the Times

  28 July 2008

The recent bombings in India trigger Jamaican blogger Annie Paul‘s memory about “one piece of graffiti by a Muslim group that had struck me with the simple force and stridency of its message.” In examining the many murals around Kingston, she wonders if “the signs are on the walls.”

Jamaica: Crime Plan

  24 July 2008

As the Prime Minister announces new measures to deal with crime, Jamaica and the World wonders “if they will make any difference at all…”

Jamaica, U.S.A.: Obama the Hero?

  23 July 2008

“As the days, weeks, and months have gone by, it has become increasingly clear that Barack Hussein Obama…has been stepping into this role of the ‘selfless superhero'”: Jamaican Geoffrey Philp says time will tell if the Democratic US Presidential candidate can fulfill the “mythical role” that has been hoisted upon...

Jamaica, U.S.A.: Getting Connected

  22 July 2008

“I remember learning not to try to hold on to people after moving to the U.S. After all, the chances were good that I would never see them again. In Jamaica, the opposite is true”: Francis Wade blogs about the feeling of connectivity he enjoys in Jamaica.

Jamaica: Glass Casket

  21 July 2008

Francis Wade has the strange experience of driving behind a hearse that was transporting “the dearly departed” in a glass casket: “Perhaps this is something that every Jamaican who lives abroad should aspire to return home to accomplish… a fashionable and public exit.”

Jamaica: Patois Parlance

  18 July 2008

Transition Sunshine says that “all Jamaicans are multilingual, and while some may not speak patois, they all understand it”. Posted with video to prove her point.

Jamaica: Stolen Beach

  18 July 2008

“Apparently, some ‘enterprising’ Jamaicans have figured out a solution to the growing problem of private ownership of our beachfront lands”: Long Bench reports on the stealing of a beach, adding: “If this kind of theft weren’t a sign of how actively we are digging a serious hole for ourselves in...

Jamaica: Green Space

  17 July 2008

Montego Bay Day By Day posts photos of The Old Hospital – an area that many Jamaicans agree “should remain as one of the very few green spaces in the city.”

Jamaica: Sex Tapes

  17 July 2008

Jamaican youngsters are engaging in a “[not so] new form of sexual exploration and entertainment” – the sex tape – and Long Bench says: “It's the absence of healthy attitudes about sexuality that creates the market and the appetite for these videos.”

Jamaica: Press Freedom

  14 July 2008

Jamaican blogger Diatribalist uses news clips showing an ugly interaction at a council meeting to illustrate how the media self-censors itself.

Jamaica: Conference Call

  14 July 2008

Active Voice gives an insightful report on a number of note-worthy academic gatherings, including the conference held in honour of the eminent Jamaican-born sociologist and poet MG Smith.

Jamaica: Heat in the Dancehall

  8 July 2008

Several countries have banned Jamaican dancehall artists because of the violent, misogynistic and often homophobic content of their lyrics. Claude Mills.com discusses the marketing nightmare that this offshoot of reggae has become, and asks “Is Dancehall Dying?”

Jamaica: Just a Cartoon?

  4 July 2008

A caricature depicting Robert Mugabe as King Kong gets the attention of Jamaican blogger My View of JamDown from Up So. Is it just a harmless political cartoon, he asks, or a racist portrayal of the Zimbabwe President?

Jamaica: Biblical concerns

  3 July 2008

A project of the Bible Society of the West Indies to translate The Bible into “Patois” and have it published, is getting much attention in Jamaica. Living in Barbados joins the debate.