THE TRUTH IS, we were taught to hate JAMAICANS. As a little girl in primary school, our teacher taught us that Barbados was the jewel of the Caribbean. We were taught that any mad/crazy slave or any slave who could not take instructions, were shipped off to Jamaica. This was the mandate, I supposed in my little head (or was that taught to me also), of every Caribbean island. Send the mad and **aggressive slaves to Jamaica. Then as time passed and you start to see clearer, meet people and question things, you soon realize that the insurgent slaves were the brave ones. They were the men and women who could not be broken. There were the men and women who remembered their rich past and knew of their dark future away from their homes.
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They didn’t need the new religion and they certainly didn’t need to bake in the sun! As time went on, I learned of the *MAROON settlement and of the slaves who fled to the mountains in Jamaica. Obviously their quest for freedom continued and even the government fought to contain them! As mad/crazy as they were (supposedly), these humans knew they didn’t want to be slaves. Call them what you might, but they were not getting on their knees! I thought who are the mad people here, the ones who ran for their freedom or the ones who bowed down and remained slaves?
The sad part about this history is that Jamaicans came to believe the propaganda. They heard it so often and wanted their freedom so badly that they started to believe something must be wrong with them. Why didn’t they bow down and be normal? Why are they so outspoken and demand the freedom to speak? Why up to this very day are Jamaicans still considered aggressive, criminals and unduly outspoken?
TRUTH IS, Bajans and Trinis are not going to let up, so it’s up to you Jamaica to make your formal statement. It’s up to you to see your strengths for what they are!
Respect! Respect, Jamaica!
THE TRUTH IS this is why you are disliked, hated even, by other islanders, your other side of the family. You show them their weaknesses. You show them their ‘yes sir, no sir’ shame. You show them your strength in the face of all odds being stacked high against you. You are an affront to other islands Jamaica! You stand tall in rooms filled with short people.
TRUTH IS JAMAICA, heroes are never hailed by people who don’t know how to get off their knees. Article courtesy http://www.buzzebly.com
