Jamaica, land of wood and water. A Caribbean paradise endowed with white sand beaches, and idyllic waterfalls. Come to our island, and rock slowly to reggae rhythms while strolling through the streets of our quaint resort communities. Once you go, you know.
This is probably the Jamaica you have heard of. It is a Jamaica I do not know. When I am in Jamaica, the sun oppressively bears down against my neck. The forested hills above my town have never intrigued me, and I don't intend to trek to the highest peak anytime soon. The beaches I walk by are ordinary; I can't remember the last time my half naked body was cleansed by the Caribbean Sea. Music defines my people, but it drones on in the background while I work to eke out a bare existence. Dreadlocks look cool, but here they are a way of life, a religion. Marijuana is cheap, but we do not rejoice for this; getting high is our only means of escape.
Walk through my community on any given day and you will find scores of young men and women sitting in the town square, chatting, laughing, bitching. You see 'community', we see lack of opportunity. We're here not because we want to be, but because there is nothing better to do. Our anemic economy edges along. Our career politicians seem flustered as they try to solve decade old Jamaican problems. Our society is morally depraved; it currently ranks number three on the podium of highest murder rate per capita (in the world). Sexual assault is an all too common reality that few people report. Criminals plunder and kill almost with impunity because of a failed justice system, and gang warfare often shuts down entire areas, which prevents people from getting to schools or hospitals.
This is probably not the Jamaica you have heard of. If you belong to a sexual minority, you can never live openly. Mob attacks are a common reality for people perceived as being LGBT. People are hostile to difference, because in a country of just under three million people living on an island, your reality becomes absolute. Non-conformists are easily identified, and urgently reformed. Children pray four times a day in schools, and there is no room to question religions dogma, because your teachers too are probably staunch Christians. You stop thinking, because all the answers are given to you by your superiors. Everything is black or white.
Everyone's face lights up when I introduce myself as being from Jamaica. "That's so amazing", they offer in excitement. "I'll switch places with you any day," I always think to myself. I sometimes jar their sense of reality when I say I actually dislike being from Jamaica. And that I don't have fun when I'm there, because having fun requires money that I don't have. And that I'm in America because I was running away from my island. And when they ask if I will return I bluntly say no, and they look at me as though I should somehow feel obligated to return to a country that gave me so much heartache.
For other developing countries, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa, the media misses no opportunity to highlight the negatives that the world has used to define these countries. Jamaica has the opposite problem. The world focuses so much on our stellar athletes, our music and tourism offerings that the things that Jamaicans find unbearable never see the light of day. The idealized, romanticized view of Jamaica that people have come to know is the view people expect that I will embody. An Italian guy even suggested once that I couldn't possibly be Jamaican, because I do not speak like Jamaicans are supposed to (i.e. mixing Jamaican Creole with English).
How does a country with so many issues manage to construct an identity internationally that many envy? What is it about the Jamaican cultural product that is so appealing internationally? The video below is a music video by Bob Marley's son Damion Marley, whose song Welcome to Jamrock was a big hit in the US. But this video garnered some enemies as well because it depicted scenes that were counter to the images carefully constructed by the tourism ministry. The video clearly presents a damning counter narrative, though it is one that Jamaicans can better relate to. We complain that the media objectifies the experience of African people and construct a limited view of Africa that has now been popularized. Who though should we blame for constructing a false identity of Jamaica, the Jamaican government, which has a vested interest in projecting the best image possible, or gullible tourists who refuse to look beyond the high walls of their resort properties to see the Jamaica that most Jamaicans see?
On a slightly different note, am I Jamaican because my passport says I am? Growing up, I defined myself as everything Jamaicans were not. But as soon as I left the island and entered different societies where people were all bonded by their nationalities, I needed to use the label to help define myself in that new world. When I say I'm Jamaican it means nothing else to me except- that is where I was born. Most of my best friends hail from different countries, like different foods, and had vastly different experiences growing up. We get along amazingly well. Yet still people continue to use constructed national identities to make assumptions about how people (can) interact. We create walls that first need to be hammered away before we can see people for who they are as individuals (who admittedly are not independent of the cultural context of the place where they grew up). The same thing happens when we identify strongly with racial/ethnic differences. Me being "Jamaican" tells you very little about me. Don't assume. Ask.
You make a rather intriguing argument about the distinction between culture and nationalism. In some countries, there is no difference between culture and nationalism. These countries tend to be homogeneous in culture, ethnicity, religion and whatnot. An example of this homogeneity can be seen in Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, where everyone in each country speaks the same language, eat the same food and share the same ancestors. In the United States, we are the opposite. We pride ourselves in our diversity of cultures. Nationalism in the United States does not mean cultural homogeny. My family is from Nigeria. Nigeria, like the United States, is filled with different languages and ethnicity, and our sense of nationalism, of what it means to be a Nigeria is different from our cultural affiliations.
ReplyDeleteBut contrary to my expectation, you pose an argument that says, that nationalism in Jamaica does not mean cultural homogeny—at least from your own personal perspective that it does not. To my understanding, you say that while you are a Jamaican National, you are not, or at least, you do not feel like a Jamaican in culture. For an untutored person like myself, I would’ve put Jamaica in the same category as Japan and Korea, as countries whose culture and nationalism are one and the same. For in Jamaica, unlike in Nigeria, you share the same language, the same music, the same heroes, the same foods and whatnot. I would have expected Jamaican nationalism to be the same as Jamaican culture.
However, I wonder which sense of culture you’re repudiating as not been representative of who you are. I see the internal Jamaican identity and the external Jamaican identity. I wonder if you’re repudiating Jamaican culture as it exist in reality, meaning that you do not feel like a Jamaican, as the Jamaicans themselves define what it means to be Jamaican; or if you’re repudiating the perception that others have of Jamaicans, meaning that you do not fit the perception of others have of what it means to be Jamaican. Perhaps you’re repudiating both Jamaican identities—the external and the internal.
Either way, I wonder if more people feel the same way as you.
Having watched the two videos you posted, I must admit that the discrepancy is highly notable. But, tourist commercials, like any commercials, are meant to glorify just the positive sides of their advertisement subject. I look at the Montenegrin touristic commercial that plays on international television and I wish to go back to all that beauty. But then, when I actually go back, I cannot wait to return. Our reality and the reality of people who come to tour Jamaica, or Montenegro, is entirely different.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of nationalism (or nationality, if they can be equated) vs culture, and the image these two convey, is very interesting. Culture has values that we bear within us as a consequence of having a certain nationality.Nationality is a label that we get upon birth, but we have the option of accepting or rejecting our cultural heritage embedded in the granted nationality. However, defining a culture is not always that simple. Sometimes I would catch myself saying I am acting like a Balkan, sometimes like a European, and sometimes like a Montenegrin. The point is to find yourself such that those cultural values live up to your personal values. Even though sometimes, as in your case, that means detaching from your nationality. My question is: How wide are our options? How far can I go in accepting some other cultural values, without compromising the expectations of my ingrained nationality?
The third point to address would be nationalism. For me, nationalism is a glorification of ones cultural values, in conjunction to their nationality; a very strong feeling of belonging and its righteousness. Ultimately, people and governments determine what kind of image of their country they will sell to the rest of the world. Such image usually creates a sense of nationalism, concealing the negative elements while pushing forward the positive ones; emphasizing only one, desirable, side of reality. The question becomes: Do people want to face the reality? You did, and probably still do, but an island is also a small bubble, and for some, its hard to escape. The line between actual reality and the created one is blurry. I consider myself a nationalist: I talk about the honor of my country, the long heroic history, the wild beauty and pure nature, the gorgeous see and beaches, the warmth of people, hospitality, the warm-bloodiness, the fun..... But, why I am I miles away today instead of being there?
The previous posters raised good questions about culture and nationalism and belonging, so I'll leave those issues alone. What strikes me most is the irony of your situation: "Growing up, I defined myself as everything Jamaicans were not. But as soon as I left the island and entered different societies where people were all bonded by their nationalities, I needed to use the label to help define myself in that new world." I think it must be rather painful to accept a "skin" that you have worked to slough off.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that, I'm curious: you say that you spent your time in Jamaica condemning the culture, but is your condemnation similar to Damion Marley's, or is your condemnation of an entirely different ilk? I note that the rage in Marley's song is palpable -- very different from the kind of message his father worked to put out. Do you share that particular rage? Or is is some other feeling that drives you?
These questions are personal and need not be answered here. But you've invoked Marley, and I wonder if he is intended simply to condemn Jamaica, or if on some level he also represents you.
“How does a country with so many issues manage to construct an identity internationally that many envy?” I think the answer to this question has to do with the nature of tourism. The relationship tourists have with Jamaica is a “no-strings-attached” deal. They get to experience the novelty, the beauty, the exoticness, and then… go home. No need to get tangled up in Jamaica’s reality.
ReplyDeleteWhen I studied in Rome in the fall, one of my biggest fears was to be a tourist. I didn’t want to skim the surface -- walk the Corso, snap a photo at the Pantheon, gape at the Colosseum for ten minutes. But what you find when you dig in is not all glamorous -- a corrupt government, rampant racism, homelessness and hunger. I wonder if Jamaica’s constructed identity also relies on a façade of sorts.
While the positive side is presented in national branding campaigns, it is interesting to also notice how hard it is to present a coherent story for the "real" reality out there when society is found between constantly faces contradictory facts. As you point out, on the one hand, kids pray four times a day, on the other hand, Jamaica could also be considered morally deprived because of its high crime rate. On a similar note, ironically, while we want to criticize governments and media for showing only the positive side of the story, we similarly reject the negative side of the collective story when constructing our own personal identities.
ReplyDeleteWhile the difference between being born in Jamaica and "being" Jamaica is large in your case, drawing conclusions based on national heritage can be useful and accurate. The real problem comes from the misinformation from tourist-based sources. I often make assumptions about certain people form places that I am familiar with because I know what some of their experiences have been and how those can affect who they are. These aren't broad judgments because no single experience that I would associate with a region could make that kind of impact, but these assumptions do offer me some guidance in relating to other people.
ReplyDelete@ samtilly: I guess i'm rejecting both the internal and foreign constructions of Jamaica's identity. Jamaica's foreign image has been commodified to attract tourists. I don't like Bob Marley all that much, and I hardly go to the beach to swim when I'm home. The Jamaica that foreigners expect me to know is one that I too see on the tv. Then there is the Jamaican image constructed on the island itself, characterized by, among other things, social norms and values that i have never abided by as a "Jamaican". (Quick note....If Jamaicans could vote on whether I should be able to return to the island as a 'same-gender loving person' the majority of people would probably vote NO. I'm not even welcome in the country that I am expected to identity with.)
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point about the interplay between culture and nationalism. I would say that they play off each other in Jamaica too, as in Korea and Japan. What I want to get across is that we cannot assume that every "Jamaican" will embody the cultural traits we have come to associate with Jamaicans. Many people feel trapped by their given identities, no matter how homogenous the cultural landscapes they inhabit.
@ Sladja: It's funny. At the end of your post there I could swear that I was reading a tourism commercial :D. I've become quite nationalistic myself. I witnessed a lot of things that made me uncomfortable as a child, and now I am itching to start a revolution so that things can change... but this is not in support of culture- quite the contrary. I want to deconstruct everything and start from scratch (never going to happen, I know. A guy can dream). Jamaica, the country, is the place that I know best. I know the language, the cultural expectations, the challenges faced by communities, and I have thought of probably solutions to these problems. My thoughts about that island are a great burden I carry everywhere. I have been shaped by (my hatred for) Jamaica in unimaginable ways.
I'm glad you mentioned the living on an island thing. There is nothing like it. 10 years ago my world was as big as the island itself (4,243 sq mi). They told me I could see Cuba in the distance on a clear day, but I didn't know much about this "Cuba". When you live on an island, there is very little awareness that people in the world do things differently. You are left to believe that your cultural values are absolute, and you reject every new idea, or way of doing things as a corruption of Jamaican purity. Thankfully, the media and the internet are changing this.
@nhmediablog: I had the very same experience in France. I had heard so much about France, and I have always wanted to visit. But when I settled in well enough to understand what life was like for the average person my excitement about the country dissipated. It was like any other place with its fair share of social, political and economic problems. The chateaus, walled Medieval cities, blinding lights of Paris etc kinda faded into the background. I saw poverty, and racism, and notions of "french" national+ cultural superiority. I wasn't quite able to use the standard line of "It was sooo effin amazing", to describe my experience in France. Every country has vested interest in preserving as good their international reputations. We the consumers of these calculated projections of reality must be aware, and critical of them.
ReplyDelete@writ8gentstein: You note something that I have always found remarkable; Jamaica is the land of contradictions.
We have the most churches per square mile of any country, but also the third highest murder rate per capita. The majority of children are born out of wedlock, and cheating on one's partner is culturally sanctioned, yet homosexuality is widely frowned upon, because the bible says it is an abomination.
80 % of University students are women, and a ridiculous percentage of families are led by women, so one would assume that Jamaica has made enormous strides in achieving considerable levels of gender equality (and it has), but we still have some of the highest rates of sexual abuse against women in the world.
We bitch and moan everyday about the seriousness of the crime problem, while simultaneously chanting the mantra popularized by Jamaican music, "all informers must die."
I have made some effort to honestly represent my own story. I don't romanticize about my childhood now after going to bed many nights crying, wishing I wasn't born or was born somewhere else. If Jamaicans were more honest about the experiences they faced, perhaps we would be better able to heal the gaping wounds that fester and weaken the country's prospects for development.
@jwolf: When you say you are familiar with a place, what do you mean? I agree with you that drawing conclusions based on national heritage can be useful, but I wouldn't assume that a Kenyan has been starving all her life, that a Zulu girl from South Africa dances around in circles for community celebrations, or that an Ethiopian runs well just because those the images I consistently see on American tv. These images, while breeding familiarity are carefully constructed to achieve certain aims. Jamaican tourism ads are the same. Today there is tons of stuff on the internet for us to educate ourselves with, but I still wouldn't make assumptions when I meet people from different backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteInstead of asking, "so you smoke weed, right?" how about asking- "I've heard that marijuana is widely available and heavily smoked in Jamaica, is this true?" Few people even know that possession of marijuana is illegal in Jamaica.
This is a fascinating post, and it leaves me wondering about the extent to which tourism is a double-edged sword for countries like Jamaica. On one hand, it allows for the commodification of the culture with the careful branding crafted by the tourism industry. Americans will travel to Jamaica (or the Dominican Republic, or any other popular tourist destination) and experience a sanitized version of culture, isolated from the country's realities. On the other hand, tourism is often an prime economic driver, creating a ton of jobs and funneling a lot of money into the economy. I wonder, then--is the idealized version created in the advertisements a necessary evil?
ReplyDeleteI found myself quite literally nodding my head and even saying “word,” in my mind after I read the last line of your blog. I have to admit that before I read this blog, I was poorly ignorant of the degree to which gangs and violence were active in Jamaica; the actual Jamaica, not the Hollywood-Bob Marley constructed Jamaica. And while I found your last paragraph particularly inspirational and close to how I’ve viewed the world quite a few times, I must admit I am not completely satisfied with one part. When I read that you would not return to Jamaica, I instinctively felt sad. I feel that there are few people who have the potential or capacity to change Jamaica for the better in a big way. I also think there are even fewer people who are both in that position and in addition, understand what life is really like for people who live in Jamaica. I feel a Dartmouth student from Jamaica would definitely qualify as one of these rare people who could really change Jamaica.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that "culture" tends to arise out of poverty/the poorer classes.
ReplyDeleteSome worry that the cultures of New York City or San Francisco are disappearing as rising property values push everyone else further away from downtown. The "culture producers" are pushed out of the cultural centers as the wealthy "culture consumers" move in, leaving a "concrete jungle" devoid of what attracted people to their in the first place.
It seems that elements of Jamaican culture that make it a desirable vacation spot also arise out of poverty. Pot is an escape,the laid-back community exists for the lack of anything better to do, and the music is inspired by anger or hope about poverty.
It's too bad that the culture consumers see culture producers only as producers and ignore the back story.
I think that Jamaica, similar to many other developing countries, needs leaders. Many of these countries are simply not ready for changes. A leader can only unite people who want to follow.
ReplyDeleteI believe that real changes happen gradually, and people have to be ready for these changes. Who knows, maybe in 10 years everything will change.
Excellent entry. It brought my memory back to Dominican Republic. As an outsider, I always fantasize the beautiful scenery of Caribbean countries, without thinking about the authentic life lived by the natives. I don't bother to think because all I want is what has been advertised, which may or may not be authentic. Is this ethic or not? I'm not quite sure. As a tourist, I just expect to have some fun and make the money I spent worthwhile. People always think tourism contributes to the prosperity of the region. However, most of the money goes to Americans who own the industry in a Caribbean country.
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