The Intersection of Gender, Culture and Education: Jamaica: The Next 50 Years!

“Trafficking in persons is a vile crime that feeds on inequalities, instability and conflict. Human traffickers profit from peoples’ hopes and despair. They prey on the vulnerable and rob them of their fundamental rights.”- Antonio Gutterres- United Nations Secretary-General. Evil exists in various forms. Human trafficking especially of a child is perhaps among the vilest of evils the human mind can conceive of and engage in. Recently, I came across a heart-wrenching documentary which is the focus of this blog. The Rescue List takes the viewer in the underworld of child labour and human trafficking. Set in Ghana, this true to life drama focuses on the battle to rescue children who have been sold into slavery by their parents. With just a few main characters, The Rescue List is able to bring to the viewer’s attention the murky and dark side of human trafficking. One character is Kwame who himself was trafficked to the lake masters when he was a child. Two other important characters in ...

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”- Jim Valvano. It is often said that as one grows older one becomes wiser. It is a human tendency to take people for granted. Unfortunately, we live in a society where many fathers are just sperm donors. As a result on Father’s Day there is not much buzz surrounding the day’s activities. Sadly, a growing percentage of youngsters are fatherless; in fact we have heard of gangs who go by the name fatherless. This reality of the Jamaican society speaks volume to such members of the gang who have never known the love and support of a father. Many young men turn to gangs to feel a sense of belonging and loved. My experiences have been different. My dad, Fitzroy was present in our home. He was and continues to be supportive of my endeavours as well as those of his other children. I grew up seeing my dad going to work daily to support our mother Vinette and children. I find it strange that some men are c...

“Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory or an acceptance of the way things are. It’s a celebration of progress. It’s an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible and there is still so much work to do.”- Barack Obama. We have all seen the upsurge in racial confrontations in the United States of America. Unfortunately, some of us have been victims of this increased racial tension between whites, who believe they have an entitlement to all things, and minority groups, who are engaged in a struggle for justice and equality. Minority groups led primarily by African Americans have formed themselves in various movements in this ongoing fight for equal rights and justice all across the United States of America. The call for racial justice has become louder in recent times as advocacy groups have marched for justice on behalf of those black men and women who have been shot and killed by white law enforcement officers. Professor Vincent Brown;...

“Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?”- Jeremiah 8:22. Perhaps you have heard of the phrase Balm of Gilead. In our first year at MICO Teachers’ College there was a compulsory course called Use of English. Our lecturer, Miss Bryan always referenced the phrase “balm of Gilead” on the eve of examinations. I was aware that the phrase had Biblical reference; however, beyond that basic knowledge I was clueless. Recently, I learnt that Gilead was actually a real place in the Bible. Since my college years I have heard the phrase “balm in Gilead” numerous times, however, it was only a few weeks ago I did some research and discovered the background. There are three instances in which the phrase “balm of Gilead is mentioned in the Bible. It is first mentioned in Genesis 37:25 which describes a caravan with balm on its way to Egypt. “As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmae...

“It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the world in which we all live.”- Dalai Lama. We often think that the protection of the environment is the responsibility of the government. As a result many of us go about gleefully throwing our garbage through the window or into the gully. Sadly, too many of us appear to have a disconnect between our survival on planet Earth and the protection of the environment. Unfortunately, many of us have divorced ourselves from the personal responsibility that we all should have regarding the protection of the environment. Environmental protection to some extent is still lagging in developing societies where the legislative framework and enforcement of breaches are lax. Funding or the lack thereof is another critical element in the fight to protect our environment. Governments worldwide struggle to set aside enough funds concerning matters of the environment. All around us we see and are experiencing the degradation of...

“The international community must offer short-term emergency measures to meet critical needs. But it must also make longer-term investments to promote food production and agricultural development, enhance food security and maintain and accelerate momentum towards the MDGs.”- Ban Ki-moon. Most of us fondly remember the glory days of the 4-H Club. The Jamaica 4-H Club was established in 1940 as a merger between the youth arm of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) and the Jamaica Welfare Limited, now known as the Social Development Commission (SDC). The Jamaica 4-H Clubs is the leading youth training organization with over 105,000 members across Jamaica. It provides various training opportunities to young individuals. Clubs are found in schools, churches, communities, and special youth facilities. The 4-H’s core function is to provide training to persons between the ages of 5 to 25 in agriculture, home economics, social skills, entrepreneurship, environmental awareness and healthy li...