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

We are almost at D day-well, E day for the alphabet-conscious. The pollsters are busy and the major political parties are caught up in the last days of election campaigning from Morant to Negril Points as the nation goes to the polls on February 25 to elect a new government; a government which will be responsible for chartering the future of Jamaica.   Election is oftentimes referred to as the silly season; however, an election is a serious exercise of citizen engagement and participation in the political process in which a selected number of candidates are given the task making legislation to govern the wider society. Disturbingly, over the years more and more Jamaicans have become disengaged and have been turned off by the divisive nature of politics in Jamaica. As a result the base support of both major political parties continues to dwindle while conversely the percentage of the swinger voters continues to increase. Recently, a number of critical issues have come to the fore ...

February 6, is the International Day for Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. Female Genital Mutilation is the ritual removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. This procedure differs according to the ethnic group and is most prevalent between ages 0-14 years. however, female genital mutilation is also done to women up to age 49.  This procedure is typically carried out by a traditional circumciser using a blade, with or without anesthesia. A t least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation, with half of them living in Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia. The latest figures, provided by UNICEF, show nearly 70 million more girls than previously thought have been subjected to ritual cutting. Female Genital Mutilation is a creation by males to keep women subjugated and powerless. Men have no rights to tell women what they should do to their bodies. While I understand that female genital mutilation is stee...

The recent awkward incident involving Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle and a female journalist is probably a good launch area to have a discourse on Caribbean masculinity. The construction of Caribbean masculinity needs to be re-examined in light of the Chris Gayle incident involving female Australian journalist Mel McLaughlin. Gayle’s sexually coded comments were inappropriate. He was fined for his sexually suggestive remarks to the journalist who, after all, was only doing her job in trying to get an interview with him. Historically, the threads of masculinity and manhood are deeply entrenched and linked to the sexual objectification and harassment of women. Alarmingly, not much has changed in the 21 st century and the prognosis suggests not much will change any time soon.   This toxic notion of masculinity is very much celebrated throughout the society and is being eagerly passed on to our boys, especially when juxtaposed with our homophobic culture. Disturbingly, our edu...

New Years Sunday Sermon Bible Verse- Psalm chapter 127 verses 1&2 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman watcheth but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Theme: Say No To Vain Living. Many of us are currently living a vain life. A life without God is an empty, fruitless and useless one. We can and should examine our own lives to see whether or not we are living an empty life. If our life is primarily concerned with superficial issues while excluding God then we are guilty of such. Are you concerned with how many followers you have on Social Media? Are you concerned with your looks? Are you spending less and less time reading the word of God? Are you spending less time in worship to God? If you answer in the affirmative, then you too are guilty of this. I know it is not easy in this world...

May you soar like the eagle. May joy, prosperity and good health be yours. May you find spiritual renewal as you journey through 2016. May the Lord bless and keep you always. Wishing everyone a happy New Year.

Most of us in the Caribbean speak an English Creole as our first language.   Despite this, we are expected, and sometimes forced, to speak and write a standard form of English in formal situations, such as what occurs in the classroom. As a result, we are likely to learn a standard, Caribbean English as our second language. However, this process has become more challenging with the influence and interference of text language which has seeped into formal writing and expression. Text language is an abbreviated form of jargon and or vernacular which has gained acceptance by users of various social media platforms. It is widely utilized by users of cellular phones to communicate with each other. Some educators refer to the process of development which all second language learners experience as interlanguage. Interlanguage includes some forms of the second language, with a mixture of other structures from the first language as well as from environmental influences. Ever since the increa...

December 1 is celebrated globally as World Aids Day. As in previous years this year the call to action is for an expansion of antiretroviral therapy to all people living with HIV which is the key to ending the AIDS epidemic within a generation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The day is also a way to demonstrate international solidarity for people living with HIV and to commemorate the spirit of those who have died battling the deadly disease. The theme for the 2015 “On the Fast Track to End AIDS” According to the World Health Organization (WHO) some 35 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, of this number 3. 2 million are children. Since the first cases of HIV/AIDS were reported in 1981 some 39 million individuals have died.   It is estimated that some 240,000 people in the Caribbean are living with HIV/AIDS. Jamaica has an estimated 32, 000 people living with HIV/AIDS. The Caribbean is second to Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of HIV prevalence. The WH...