Stories about Jamaica from February, 2009
Jamaica: Passion
Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Phlip republishes text from a lecture he gave about the importance of pursuing your passions.
Jamaica, Guyana: Action or Reaction?
Both Active Voice [Jamaica] and Guyanese blogger C.D. Valere (writing at Baiganchoka) continue the discussion about recent attempts by the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission to “clean up” the airwaves.
Jamaica: The Power of Words
“Everybody who has felt the need to prove their Jamaican-ness has said it: gays and lesbians ought to be expelled from the national body…”: Long Bench has had enough of that kind of talk, saying, “maybe we are ready to start acting like we live in a democracy, where every...
Caribbean, USA: Stanford Charged with Fraud
Fresh on the heels of the latest regional financial meltdown comes another: news that U.S. billionaire Allen Stanford has been slapped with charges for investment fraud - more than 8 billion dollars' worth. The potential fallout for West Indies cricket appears to be concerning Caribbean bloggers as much as the economic ramifications.
Jamaica, Spain: Considering the Environment
As the King and Queen of Spain visit Jamaica, Snailwriter is concerned about what an alliance between the two countries could mean for the environment: “‘Spanish hotels have become part of the geography of Jamaica and they are here to stay.’ And that is the tragedy. When the economic downturn...
Jamaica, Antigua: Pre-Election Violence
Jamaica's YardFlex.com reports on the “increasingly violent” pre-elections atmosphere in Antigua.
Jamaica: Explicit music banned
The long-standing controversy over the appropriateness of certain music for public airplay has once again reared its head in Jamaica. Bloggers make their voices heard.
Jamaica: Sex vs. Erotica
“I have no problem whatsoever with sex in fiction. But I do have a problem with erotica”: Jamaican author and blogger Marlon James explains.
Caribbean: Let's Talk About Love
The Caribbean has not historically been a region that celebrates Valentine's Day in a big way, but three bloggers (two from the diaspora) take the opportunity to share their perspectives on love.
Jamaica: All That Glitters
Homophobic statements from a member of the Jamaica Prime Minister's cabinet prompts Abeng News Magazine‘s Kadene Porter to say: “The abundance of divisive nonsense-statements that he and his band of ministers seem to come up with is drawing more than ribaldry from a nervous and watchful public.”
Jamaica: Dancehall Ban
Following the broadcast ban on Rampin Shop and other sexually explicit songs, Raw Politics…Jamaica Style! thinks that dancehall must rehabilitate its public image, while Long Bench believes that while the ban should have been enforced a long time ago, now it's being done “for the wrong reasons, and under the...
Bahamas, Jamaica: Cultural Solidarity
Bahamian blogger Nicolette Bethel has called for the observation of a Day of Absence today in honour of all cultural workers – Womanish Words and Jamaican Geoffrey Philp are showing their solidarity.
Jamaica: Broadcasting Ban
Stunner's Afflictions supports the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission‘s ban on “the promotion of the activity called Daggerin and songs such Rampin Shop which feature an overdose of sexual references and violence.”
Jamaica: View from Mount Diablo
“Two facts to bear in mind: I am white and I am 80 years old. the first precludes me from using Emancipation or any other black triumph as a poetic epiphany; the second allows me to focus, more or less, on an 80 year span of Jamaican history to which...
Jamaica: Learning from Black History
As Jamaican blogger Stunner recognizes Black History Month, he says that “not just people of the black ethnic group, but everyone…can learn from these pages of history.”
Jamaica: Hunger Strike
“I've come to believe more and more strongly that all or each of us has to take more and more radical steps to contribute to changing what we all agree is a completely untenable situation in almost all our countries”: Jamaica-based Annie Paul joined in yesterday's worldwide fast to draw...
Caribbean: WI Cricket Website
West Indies Cricket Blog thinks that “the official website of the West Indies Cricket Board…is now a waste of space on the world wide web. An embarrassment and a disgrace…”
Jamaica: 50 Years of Reggae
“No matter the label attached to it, Reggae continues to uphold its tradition of speaking on social, political, religious, and sexual issues…”: Life, Unscripted, on the Rock is celebrating Jamaica's “reggaelution”.
