Four Days in May: Kingston 2010
On Friday, March 8,
2019 there was a screening of the film Four Days in May: Kingston, 2010 at the
Neville Hall Lecture Theatre held at the University of the West Indies, Mona
Campus. The film, Four Days in May: Kingston 2010 is an experimental 40 minutes
documentary about the State of Emergency declared in West Kingston by the
government of former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding. Prior to the incursion by the security forces into West Kingston the United States of America had requested that Christopher Coke be extradited. The “Tivoli Incursion” as the
military operation is referred to in Jamaica resulted in the deaths of more
than seventy civilians. However, this number is disputed by those in West
Kingston who lived through and lost family and friends during the military invasion.
Four
Days of May” Kingston 2010 is a collaborative effort between anthropologist and
film maker Deborah A. Thomas, composer Junior Wedderburn and psychologist Deanne
M. Bell. The film speaks to the testimonies, oftentimes emotional, of residents
of Tivoli Gardens who lived through this ordeal in May of 2010. The lecture room was packed to capacity, a few
persons stood at the side of the lecture room. There was a wide representation of
the Jamaican public; from those in academia, to social commentators and
bloggers, to residents of Western Kingston and members of the legal fraternity.
The evening’s proceedings were quite riveting in which members of the audience
experienced a range of emotional strings. The evening’s entertainment was
provided by Ancient Vibrations.
History of Western Kingston
How many of us know of the history of Tivoli Gardens? The community of Tivoli Gardens was previously called Back-O- Wall and was a slum at the time. According to the Gleaner archives, residents lived in old cars and cardboard shacks. Jamaica experienced some amount of urban development in the 1960’s which led to Tivoli Gardens being developed between 1963 and 1965 by Edward Seaga. Mr. Seaga was elected Member of Parliament for West Kingston in 1962 and held that sear for forty three consecutive years. He became Jamaica’s fifth Prime Minister in 1980. The community was named after the nearby cinema called Tivoli. Four Days in May: 2010 provides a platform and a voice for the many families who lost loved ones during the military operations in Tivoli Gardens which gained international scrutiny. The discussion which followed the viewing of the documentary was just as, or even more poignant. Many in the audience were brought to tears as residents of Tivoli Gardens shared firsthand accounts of their experiences during those four days in May of 2010. One mother who was featured in the documentary and who lost two sons ages 17 and 20 was overcome with emotions and barely could speak. A male in the audience who introduced himself as a resident of Tivoli Gardens said his hands were tied behind him with tie straps, and that he along with scores of other men were transported to the Denham Town Primary School also located in Western Kingston where they were processed. There were moments of silence throughout the viewing of the documentary as an orgy of emotions became one. The pockets of silence extended as well to the firsthand accounts of those in the audience who briefly shared their experiences. In what was clearly humiliating for the male resident of Tivoli Gardens, he mentioned that the men who were detained had to perform for members of the security forces. The documentary started by showing what appears to be footage from a drone over the community of Tivoli Gardens. The images also included coordinates of buildings and clearly showed members of the security forces getting themselves ready. Prior to the 2010 incursion of Tivoli Gardens the community had developed a sort of mythical aura in which some in the society viewed it as having a state within a State. There were previous military attempts to infiltrate the community, yet somehow Tivoli Gardens remained a bastion of resistance. This resistance led the community to be labeled and feared. Not surprisingly all the labels have had negative connotations; among them is the mother of all garrisons. Historically, the community of Tivoli Gardens is aligned to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Four Days in May: Kingston 2010 is certainly worth viewing. It brings another angle to the events which occurred in West Kingston. Clearly, this film cannot capture in 40 minutes all that happened during those 4 days. However, the documentary provides a platform for the society to have a deeper analysis of events as well as to facilitate a more inclusive discourse. It has been nine years since the Tivoli incursion.
Human and Social Transformation
The society still needs to do some self retrospection. As a society do we know or do we care to know what the state of affairs is for the residents of Tivoli Gardens nine years after the incursion? Many young adults who lost parents during the incursion are still angry. There are still unanswered questions. The State needs to do more investment and training of the human capital within the community to truly transform the space. The society needs to take ownership of the narrative. Almost ten years later, the community is undergoing major social transformation facilitated by the State agency, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). Perhaps this would be a good venture for some local filmmaker to do their perspective on documenting what happened during those four days in May of 2010. The raw emotions which were evidently on public display clearly speak volumes that healing and closure remain elusive for many. It bares thought what lessons have we learnt as a society as we move forward in fulfilling Jamaica’s 2030 Vision of making Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.
In the words of a Hannah Town resident and mother of four sons. “ A nuh everybody who live inna garrison area a criminal.”
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
History of Western Kingston
How many of us know of the history of Tivoli Gardens? The community of Tivoli Gardens was previously called Back-O- Wall and was a slum at the time. According to the Gleaner archives, residents lived in old cars and cardboard shacks. Jamaica experienced some amount of urban development in the 1960’s which led to Tivoli Gardens being developed between 1963 and 1965 by Edward Seaga. Mr. Seaga was elected Member of Parliament for West Kingston in 1962 and held that sear for forty three consecutive years. He became Jamaica’s fifth Prime Minister in 1980. The community was named after the nearby cinema called Tivoli. Four Days in May: 2010 provides a platform and a voice for the many families who lost loved ones during the military operations in Tivoli Gardens which gained international scrutiny. The discussion which followed the viewing of the documentary was just as, or even more poignant. Many in the audience were brought to tears as residents of Tivoli Gardens shared firsthand accounts of their experiences during those four days in May of 2010. One mother who was featured in the documentary and who lost two sons ages 17 and 20 was overcome with emotions and barely could speak. A male in the audience who introduced himself as a resident of Tivoli Gardens said his hands were tied behind him with tie straps, and that he along with scores of other men were transported to the Denham Town Primary School also located in Western Kingston where they were processed. There were moments of silence throughout the viewing of the documentary as an orgy of emotions became one. The pockets of silence extended as well to the firsthand accounts of those in the audience who briefly shared their experiences. In what was clearly humiliating for the male resident of Tivoli Gardens, he mentioned that the men who were detained had to perform for members of the security forces. The documentary started by showing what appears to be footage from a drone over the community of Tivoli Gardens. The images also included coordinates of buildings and clearly showed members of the security forces getting themselves ready. Prior to the 2010 incursion of Tivoli Gardens the community had developed a sort of mythical aura in which some in the society viewed it as having a state within a State. There were previous military attempts to infiltrate the community, yet somehow Tivoli Gardens remained a bastion of resistance. This resistance led the community to be labeled and feared. Not surprisingly all the labels have had negative connotations; among them is the mother of all garrisons. Historically, the community of Tivoli Gardens is aligned to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Four Days in May: Kingston 2010 is certainly worth viewing. It brings another angle to the events which occurred in West Kingston. Clearly, this film cannot capture in 40 minutes all that happened during those 4 days. However, the documentary provides a platform for the society to have a deeper analysis of events as well as to facilitate a more inclusive discourse. It has been nine years since the Tivoli incursion.
Human and Social Transformation
The society still needs to do some self retrospection. As a society do we know or do we care to know what the state of affairs is for the residents of Tivoli Gardens nine years after the incursion? Many young adults who lost parents during the incursion are still angry. There are still unanswered questions. The State needs to do more investment and training of the human capital within the community to truly transform the space. The society needs to take ownership of the narrative. Almost ten years later, the community is undergoing major social transformation facilitated by the State agency, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). Perhaps this would be a good venture for some local filmmaker to do their perspective on documenting what happened during those four days in May of 2010. The raw emotions which were evidently on public display clearly speak volumes that healing and closure remain elusive for many. It bares thought what lessons have we learnt as a society as we move forward in fulfilling Jamaica’s 2030 Vision of making Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.
In the words of a Hannah Town resident and mother of four sons. “ A nuh everybody who live inna garrison area a criminal.”
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
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