#Jamaican literature

[gennsoup]

Say this about a child. In you they will always find a use. Say this as well. They cannot imagine a world where you do not love them, for what else should one do but love them?

Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf

[alliwanttodoiscollectpoetry]

Haiku by Geoffrey Philp

Between Babylon  and the sea, I’ve built a home  with the sea’s whispers. 

[aroundmes1tsthen1ght]

"Time is a cobra. Coiling and coiling,"

Marlon James, from 'Moon Witch, Spider King', first published in 2022.

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

[victorletras]

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[waywordsstudio]

Expanded Review: "Skin Folk" by Nalo Hopkinson -

Not merely a collection of horror tales, Hopkinson expands the horror genre, never forgetting that stories are about character, only underscored by the supernatural. Offering breadth and depth, the only thing wanting in these tales is room to stretch for more still.

[theglowsociety]

The idea that the Irish were enslaved before Black people—or that they were enslaved in the same way—is a myth that has been widely debunked by historians. While the Irish did experience severe oppression, indentured servitude, and forced labor, it is important to distinguish these experiences from the transatlantic chattel slavery that African people endured.

The Truth About Irish Indentured Servitude

During the 17th century, many Irish people were forcibly deported to British colonies like the Caribbean and North America. This happened primarily under English rule, especially after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653). Thousands of Irish men, women, and children were sent to places like Barbados and Virginia as indentured servants—a system that involved working under contract for a set number of years in exchange for passage, food, and (eventually) freedom.

However, unlike African slaves:

• Irish indentured servants had legal rights and were promised freedom after completing their term (typically 4–7 years).

• Their servitude was temporary, while African slavery was lifelong and hereditary.

• They were still considered human under the law, whereas African slaves were legally treated as property.

Were the Irish “Slaves” in the Caribbean?

Some Irish indentured servants were treated brutally—enduring harsh conditions, beatings, and even death from overwork. This has led some to claim they were “white slaves,” but this misrepresents the reality. The term “slave” implies permanent, hereditary bondage with no path to freedom, which was the case for Africans but not the Irish.

In places like Barbados, Irish laborers worked on plantations alongside enslaved Africans, but there were key legal and social differences:

• African slaves were enslaved for life and their children were born into slavery.

• Irish indentured servants had an end date to their labor, after which they could gain land and status.

• Over time, Irish indentured servitude faded, while African slavery became more entrenched and brutal.

Where Did the Myth Come From?

The “Irish slaves” myth has been spread largely through misinformation and has been used in modern times to:

• Downplay the horrors of African slavery.

• Suggest that white people suffered just as much under slavery.

• Create a false equivalence between indentured servitude and racial slavery.

This narrative often appears in misleading social media posts and is sometimes used by white nationalist groups to dismiss discussions about racism and systemic oppression.

Acknowledging Irish Struggles Without Rewriting History

The Irish did suffer under British colonialism—facing land dispossession, famine, and forced migration. Their experience was brutal, but it was not the same as African slavery. Recognizing this difference doesn’t diminish Irish suffering but instead allows us to accurately understand history.

Instead of comparing oppressions, it’s more productive to acknowledge the unique struggles faced by both Irish and African peoples—and how colonialism shaped their histories in different but deeply impactful ways.

[guayaba-podrida]

Caribbean Writers & Their Art: History, the Caribbean and the Imagination (1991)

Kamau Brathwaite in conversation with Edward Baugh as a part of the Caribbean Writers Summer Institute at the University of Miami.

Speaking on comparative literature in the Caribbean, Brathwaite says, "It is necessary that we do this because the Caribbean although artificially divided into English-speaking, French-speaking, Dutch-speaking, Spanish-speaking, is really part of a whole underground continent of thought and feeling and history."

Commenting on the fragmentation of the region he remarks, "In the days of the Caribs, you could take a canoe and travel easily from St. Lucia to Martinique. Now with the arrival of Europe, despite Europe's technology, it is almost impossible to move from St. Lucia to Martinique, and let me explain that they are within hailing distance from each other."

[briefcasejuice]

unfortunately i have the kind of autism that makes people have to explain things to me/i have to bounce my ideas around with people who know things before thoughts become anything for me

[ihearttseliot]

It ain’t special, but it’s something. White rice, dumplings, saltfish, okra, tomatoes, and onion.

[gennsoup]

"Nobody ever gets betrayed by their enemy."

Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf

[shotbyshe]

Words of the Day

"Me likkle but me talawa" -- just want to put this here, 'cause I heard someone say it this week.

untoward:

Improper; unseemly.

Unfavorable or adverse.

Froward; perverse.

carceral:

Belonging to a prison.

Of or pertaining to prison.

A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained.

~~~

Though similar, a pergola is different from a gazebo.

[blackbritishdrive]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-IF5-bqf-S2aCJ7wkHDolWAOFYMx3hgx Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks has now been added to the Black and British drive!!

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

[johnrgordon]

Like most writers and artists, award-winning gay icon, JOHN R GORDON, is camera-shy. This image of GORDON was styled and photographed by his friend and collaborator, the reclusive queer British-Somali maverick, DIRIYE OSMAN. 

DIRIYE lensed this portrait in his own joy-filled home, The Blue Temple. 

JOHN R GORDON'S Faggamuffin, a prescient novel about gay Jamaican immigrants in London, which predates the Windrush scandal, is available to purchase via this link. 

[waywordsstudio]

3 Word Review: “Skin Folk” by Nalo Hopkinson -

3 Word Review: “Skin Folk” by Nalo Hopkinson -

A startling, wide-ranging hybrid of folk horror and contemporary challenges.