Our Jamaican Problem (1955)

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Holness Fortress!

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By Torsdag ©  ©  inmyownwords A friend recently sent me pictures of Andrew Holness’ house being built in Beverly Hills. Looking at the pictures brought several things to mind; some good, some indifferent, some bad. What it did remind me of, from an architectural standpoint, is an article I read that addresses the trickle-down theory of architecture written by Professor Witold Rybcyzynski. My thoughts prompted me to muse upon this said trickle-down theory of architecture as it pertains to the Jamaican house and what passes nowadays for Jamaican architecture. The fascination with the architecture of wealth and privilege still reigns supreme in our psyche. Though this is nothing new or specific to Jamaica, the way in which we classify and embody this notion, is. It is developed mainly through voyeurism: what we see on TV, the internet, social media, word of mouth and of course, what we – see. The big house on the hill was always, at least in my brief lifetime, someth...
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The British Cornish Pasty vs. The Jamaican Beef Patty

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I love my Jamaican Beef Patty and I do love the English Cornish Pasty. I am not sure which one came first or if they are even related but the concepts are the same. Take a delicious baked crust and fill it with tasty meaty goodness. In the case of a Cornish Pasty that tasty goodness is chunks of Genuine beef cooked with potatoes and swedes (turnips) and for an Authentic Jamaican Beef Patty,  the finest Genuine Jamaican beef. Maybe the English Cornish Pasty is related more to the Jamaican Meat Loaf than the Jamaican Beef Patty. What does a Cornish Pasty and a Jamaican Beef Patty Have in common? The British Government decided to impose a 20% VAT (Value Added Tax) on hot Cornish pasties. This resulted in a nation wide protest lead by the people of Cornwall against the proposed tax. Even people living in Calumet, Michigan, USA gathered a petition of 500 signatures to show their support. In the end the government was forced to reverse its plans to impose VAT on Cornish p...
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Jamaica Education Then and Now

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There is nothing Jamaicans love to talk about more, when they get together than the Socioeconomic and political state of the country. The second most talked about thing when Jamaicans get together is about their Primary and High School experiences. The glory days when we had not a care in the world, fun was our mission and the mission was fun. For the most part the person we are today was shaped by the schools we use to attend and the friends we use to hang out with, coupled with the type of education system that existed in those days. A system that instilled pride in who we are and what we are about. A system that not only gives us a sense of the world we live in but who we are in relation to that world. Who we are as Jamaicans, our goals in life, our responsibilities towards our country, ourselves and our fellow man. In my days, we were told that we are our brothers keeper. If the current generation was supposed to learn from the past generation, inherit our fine qualities, the...
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