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

“Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.”- Bill Clinton The society has been in a state of shock since Saturday when news emerged of the brutal murders of a five year old boy and his grandmother by her machete-wielding son who was said to be of unsound mind. Mental illness is a complex health and societal issue. Mental wellness oftentimes is not spoken about. It is viewed as being separate and apart from one’s overall state of well-being. Mental wellness requires the support of the family and the wider community. In most instances the mentally challenged find it difficult to take their medication. This is where the support of family is crucial in ensuring that those who struggle with this issue take their medication as directed. Sadly, many families do not wish to be associated with the mentally challenged resulting in many of those individuals living on the streets and fending for themselves. We tend to forget that those who are mentally chal...

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”- Robert Browning    What do I know about motherhood? Jamaica like most of the islands in the Caribbean is a matrifocal and matrilineal society. Women are visible and their voices make a difference. Motherhood is celebrated as much as the barren woman is talked about and ridiculed. Women have been the backbone of the society. Our women folk continue to play multiple functions, from the historical roles of caregiver and nurturer to that of a scientist. Can you imagine a world, indeed a Jamaica without the significant role women play?   Life would not be the same. Words such as dull and boredom comes readily to mind. What words come to your mind? Would there be life at all? What if suddenly all women took the stance of pro-choice instead of pro-life? What if abortion became legalized and was made available upon request?   What if motherhood was no longer celebrated?   Imagine a world without Mother’s Day! I suspect for...

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...

The venue was the Eon Nigel Harris Council Room, UWI Regional Headquarters, Mona Campus. Jamaicans from all walks of life turned out to what was the first lecture by the honorary distinguished fellow, The Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller, former Prime Minister of Jamaica. The lecture was the initiative of the Institute of Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) of the University of the West Indies (UWI).   Speaking on the topic: Gender Justice and Equity in a Post-Colonial Society: A Critique of the Ideology of Pulling Ourselves up by Our Own Bootstraps, Simpson Miller contextualized gender justice and equity since Jamaica gained her independence in 1962.   Simpson Miller was first elected as Member of Parliament for St. Andrew South Western in 1976 before resigning in June 2017.   According to the Third Wave Fund, gender justice is a response to people's lived experiences of violence and oppression that legal and civil protections alone cannot tackle.  Gen...

Have we lost the significance of The Cross? As we look within ourselves to chart our own destiny, And as we turn our backs on God and religion. And as social media becomes that God in our lives. Have we lost the significance of Good Friday? Does it matter to you? That Christ gave up his life on Calvary's Cross. For the sins of the world, He died alone. Forsaken, wiped and jeered, Christ paid the ultimate price. Alone on that sin laden Cross He gave up his life. To free mankind from their sins, To show the world a new beginning. The Cross signifies hope. Hope which the world seeks. A time of spiritual renewal. The Cross reinforces the spirit of determination as much as it speaks to restoration. It symbolizes the Passion of Christ. His unfailing love towards us. How can we say thanks? Do we really care? That One so great gave His life for all humanity to share. - Wayne Campbell      ...

Our motionless bodies, met the morning sun. Unscripted perhaps. Definitely calculated.    Our images went viral. Such is the power of social media. What were your thoughts last night? Did you sleep well, did you toss and turn? Or did you pace the floor as you contemplate my demise? "Do you remember that day"? In which we exchanged our vows before "God and family"? Were those words mere words, Spoken aloud to appease your ego, in the beautifully decorated cathedral When our lips touched, and our tongues embraced each other For the first time? I saw tears in your eyes Were those tears of what was to come. A tragic end! It should have been a fairytale. but your constant abuse drove me away. Far away! Was it just a public show? Paid for by both of us? In blood. Did you think about my child, your child, our child? Orphaned now! Why was it so difficult for you to let go? To let me live. Did you sleep with the fully loaded Browning the ni...

“Disease, sickness and old age touch every family. Tragedy doesn’t ask who you voted for. Health care is a basic human right.”- Senator Elizabeth Warren Successive governments over the years have spoken about universal health insurance for all Jamaicans; sadly, nothing has been done to bring this into reality.   We live in a time when more and more people are living beyond three scores and ten. Advances in medical sciences have facilitated the average life expectancy age to increase in many societies. However, with longevity comes the possibility of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma and cancers.   According to the Ministry of Health, non-communicable diseases are a major public health burden in Jamaica. In 2015, an estimated seven out of ten Jamaicans died from the four major NCDs, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory disease. A World Bank report states that non-communicable diseases (NC...