#Jamaican politics

[jamaicahomescom]

Jamaica in the 1970s and 1980s: Reggae, Diaspora, and the Path to Homeownership

Jamaica in the 1970s and 1980s was a period marked by political unrest, cultural evolution, and a deepening connection with the global diaspora, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. The influence of reggae, New York street culture, and European culture, particularly in the UK, where Bob Marley spent considerable time, had a profound impact on Jamaica’s socio-political and…

[cleopatrachampagne]

i know i’m far from an expert on history but it always bothers me to see bob marley’s portrait hanging in my local weed shop. like, i’ve loved reggae music since i was young, well before i ever smoked weed, i know listening to music is pretty rad when stoned, and i admit i understand that a lot of prominent figures and concepts idolized by the hippies and revolutionaries of the 60’s and 70’s in the usa eventually became synonymous with drug use, esp marijuana, due to smear campaigns against counterculture so maybe it is a kind of defiance to display it proudly? but while i understand the admiration a lot of disillusioned young people in the usa in the 60’s and 70’s would have felt for the people fighting the class war in jamaica and the reggae music emerging with lyrics about said war but still pushing for peace, for one love, as they worked to topple inequity and corrupt systems while redefining perspectives on race, oppression and intergenerational trauma but how did bob marley become “the weed man” in the cultural consciousness when he was a spokesperson for political change and class revolution? is it only that way in the us? do other countries and cultures see him as more than a stoner icon with his face on rasta memorabilia sold at jacked up prices to college kids who have never even heard of the rastafari revolution, the pan-african movement or the jamaican civil war, idk why but it really does bother me to see a strong voice for peace and change reduced to a face plastered on drug paraphernalia and stoner t-shirts. like… damn. that’s the death of a revolutionary in the capitalist tradition, i suppose. bob marley’s portrait hanging above the bud hut cash register, “grunge” clothing sold by fast fashion corporate hellholes, t-shirts with kurt cobain’s suicide note written on them being sold for 800 bucks a pop, eat the rich stickers for sale on amazon of all places, santa muerte being sold as a goth accessory or a “hardcore” generic tattoo in the us stripped of what she symbolizes to me and many other latina/o people who were raised with mexican neopaganism and folk catholic traditions, sanitized street art commissioned by some silicon valley suit that is purely aesthetics with no heart, no soul, nothing related to the authenticity of artistic vandalism, just imaginary street cred points for a rich dick. i get the same feeling in my stomach seeing the “aesthetic” whitewash of counterculture, the clownery of “alt” culture on apps like tiktok, the cashing in on the suffering of the oppressed for a quick buck and the tragic victory of cementing hippies and beatniks and freedom fighters in the minds of the following generations as degenerate druggies (thanks nixon and crew) that i get when i hear that pop remix of “the hanging tree” and it’s a lot to take in while i’m just trying to buy a box of strawberry cough prerolls.

[marshmellowtea]

it's during politically fraught times like these that i like to think about chris's all but canon confirmed tory parents

[tinynerdycthulu]

ok ignoring all the discourse about kamala harris this quote is like irrationally funny to me and me only probably. like to understand imagine ur australian and in order to prove that some random candidate is in touch with his australian roots to appeal to you there's an quote from some random famous guy "we spoke in flawless Australian English, "i said g'day mate' and 'thanks cunt' plus we had a scintillating discussion on vegemite" like yes sambar is a staple food but its also like the most surface level one imo. personally id go for rasam which is the blood of any southie.

the one thing ill give her is that this is very "i stopped speaking tamil as soon as i left home and now i sound like a white person whose learned three words out of a phrasebook" core and thats actually quite relatable. its funny to me personally that my grandparents are from the same city (chennai) that kamala harris' mom is from i mean its not rly suprising considering that like 6 million ppl live there but like imagine...maybe my grandma honked at shyamala gopalan on a two-wheeler in the 50s or smth.

note: this quote is from some random article in like 2020, personally i thought kamala harris was half white half black, and then assumed she was half northie so didnt care she was indian (tamil nationalism go brr) but then i found out she was a TAMIZHAR so obv i googled whether she could speak the language and then chanced upon the article which was just titled "i spoke briefly to kamala harris in tamil" or smth. anyway the original tamil isnt offensive only my australian approximation is. kamala auntie அமெரிக்காவை காப்பாற்ற.

[vmures]

Because I need some reminders that hope is a powerful thing. Just follow Bob's footsteps and put in work to support the hope.

[real-artemis]

the annoying thing about ska fans is that they're so optimistic that they'll completely forget about everything that happened in the ska scene before they were alive. its getting better with the 4th wave nowadays but damn...the 90s kids ONLY remember the 90s...

[forbidden-interlude]

When I was in college my professor suggested I do my thesis on Bob Marley. Partly because I was Caribbean and also I would wear a Bob Marley shirt sometimes. Now I love his music, it’s excellent. But also I feel like everyone has had a Bob Marley shirt at one point. I wasn’t making a declaration when I wore it. It was a clean shirt and I was going to class.

[jamaicahomescom]

The History of Politics and Property in Jamaica: A Comprehensive Exploration

Jamaica’s political landscape has always been intertwined with the question of land ownership and property rights. From the colonial era to the present day, the evolution of politics in this island nation has often centered on who holds the land, how it is distributed, and the socioeconomic implications of such ownership. Understanding the trajectory of this relationship is crucial to…

[authordenisefyffe]

Jamaica Festival Song History - 1971 to 1980

#Jamaica Festival Song #History - 1971 to 1980 now posted

The second decade of the Jamaica Festival Song competition burst onto the scene with tremendous energy, delivering a continuous stream of chart-topping hits. Even today, Jamaicans continue to groove to the soulful rhythms of Jamaica Festival Song champions from 1971 to 1980. Toots and the Maytals Here’s a nostalgic journey through those remarkable years: 1971: Eric Donaldson with the timeless…

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - What better way to sustain the valuable works of an icon than this tribute to his memory.

[1900scartoons]

The Earthquake Not In It 

January 22, 1907

Death on the Rail smokes and talks to the earthquake horror. Various tallies of earthquake dead show "dead in recent years by earthquake horror all over the world 17,520 people." The gravestone Death on the Rail sits on reads "Killed and Injured annually by railroad disaster in the U.S. 50,000 People.”

The caption reads "Death on the Rail (to the Earthquake Monster) - ‘Go get a reputation; you're a mere amateur.’"

A recent earthquake had killed many in Jamaica, but railroad deaths were far higher.

From Hennepin County Library

Original available at: https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/Bart/id/6912/rec/23