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Celebrate Jamaica, quality leader extraordinaire
Geof Brown
Friday, January 04, 2008
Over the past two weeks, this column has focused on the worst of Jamaica as manifested in our highly disturbing crime rate. This is a reality; we do ourselves no good by playing ostrich in denial. But there is an overriding reality that we would be guilty of false modesty to deny. At the beginning of this new year, we Jamaicans can and must take pride in the fact that pound for pound, as they say, no nation on earth can exceed us with regard to quality leadership in a variety of areas. I freely stand to be challenged on this bold assertion.
Judged on a per capita basis, this nation of less than three million souls at home and even with twice that number in the diaspora, has made a world impact unmatched by any nation of 10 million or more on this planet.
We are truly a unique people. For despite the imperfections in the national motto "Out of many, one people", we have achieved this boast more truly than any nation, with the possible exception of some of our Caribbean friends and neighbours. World-beating racial tolerance in itself is so taken for granted by our people, that we fail to notice how a nation of distinctly majority African lineage makes no racial distinction in our self-description.
We do not designate Chinese Jamaicans, Asian Jamaicans, Caucasian Jamaicans or any other minority racial stock as some kind of separate but equal (or superior). Take our great neighbour to the North. The African minority there has inhabited the land for virtually as long as the invading Europeans who displaced the truly native Indians. Yet the Caucasian majority cannot bring itself to designate native blacks as simply Americans. No, the blacks there are singled out for the dubious honour (or escape from guilt by the white majority) of being African Americans.
This Jamaicanness of our people is one of our greatest strengths. We all rejoice in our triumphs on the world scene without regard to what kinds of racial lineage (or mixes thereof) represent our achievements. And these world-beating triumphs we must celebrate. Whether it is a Bob Marley (African/Caucasian mix), virtually a household name across the world, a Marcus Garvey (African lineage) who has mentored several black leaders of large nations, or currently the world track and field record holders Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell, (African stock) Jamaicans have been world-beaters past and present. Then, commercially, there are such as a Butch Stewart (Caucasian lineage) with the world's leading all-inclusive Sandals hotel chain for 12 years in a row, or a Michael Lee Chin (Chinese lineage) of world-class financial achievement. Jamaicans of varied backgrounds are incredible performers. But such world-beaters of international repute apart, let us look closer at home at the triumphs of innovative and top-performing Jamaicans.
If you walk through mid-town Kingston on Knutsford Boulevard, or through the Liguanea shopping area with its modern supermarkets, you could believe you are in a typical North American town. There, American fast-food franchises like Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King and Wendy's are well established. But look, there are competing home-made fast-food outlets doing either as well or better than those. Companies like Juici Patties, Mother's and Island Grill are leading examples of Jamaican cuisine brought to operational excellence by Jamaican entrepreneurs. They compete very successfully with the internationally famous fast-food chains. You will always find amongst their drink stocks bottled coconut water competing successfully with Coke or Sprite. As far as I know, bottled coconut water is a Jamaican first, copied elsewhere.
Because of the success of these Jamaican fast-food companies, Jamaican cuisine is bidding fair to conquer the world, no less than our world conquests in the fields of entertainment and sports. The millions of tourists who trek annually to our shores, are taking back with them affection and even addiction for Jamaican cuisine. Where once upon a time an island (England) conquered the world geographically and culturally, little but talawah Jamaica is looking more and more like the next cuisine and cultural world centre to be.
The Information Technology revolution being what it is and our achievements to date being what they are, this suggestion is not as far-fetched as it may seem on the surface. Unfortunately, the flip side of our ability to be world-beaters is reflected in our murder rate where the home-grown criminals are showing they are better at their nefarious trade than their counterparts in the rest of the world.
Let us, however, pause to celebrate the greater good of which we are capable, as we tackle the deflecting evil defaming our international image.
Apology
I apologise to the University of the West Indies (UWI) for incorrectly stating in a previous column, "Unsafe any and Everywhere", that a University of Technology student was shot and killed on the UWI campus while walking home from a late night fete. That was an erroneous print media report which I unwittingly accepted.
-browngeof@hotmail.com or
-geofbrown07@gmail.com
Geof Brown
Friday, January 04, 2008
Over the past two weeks, this column has focused on the worst of Jamaica as manifested in our highly disturbing crime rate. This is a reality; we do ourselves no good by playing ostrich in denial. But there is an overriding reality that we would be guilty of false modesty to deny. At the beginning of this new year, we Jamaicans can and must take pride in the fact that pound for pound, as they say, no nation on earth can exceed us with regard to quality leadership in a variety of areas. I freely stand to be challenged on this bold assertion.
Judged on a per capita basis, this nation of less than three million souls at home and even with twice that number in the diaspora, has made a world impact unmatched by any nation of 10 million or more on this planet.
We are truly a unique people. For despite the imperfections in the national motto "Out of many, one people", we have achieved this boast more truly than any nation, with the possible exception of some of our Caribbean friends and neighbours. World-beating racial tolerance in itself is so taken for granted by our people, that we fail to notice how a nation of distinctly majority African lineage makes no racial distinction in our self-description.
We do not designate Chinese Jamaicans, Asian Jamaicans, Caucasian Jamaicans or any other minority racial stock as some kind of separate but equal (or superior). Take our great neighbour to the North. The African minority there has inhabited the land for virtually as long as the invading Europeans who displaced the truly native Indians. Yet the Caucasian majority cannot bring itself to designate native blacks as simply Americans. No, the blacks there are singled out for the dubious honour (or escape from guilt by the white majority) of being African Americans.
This Jamaicanness of our people is one of our greatest strengths. We all rejoice in our triumphs on the world scene without regard to what kinds of racial lineage (or mixes thereof) represent our achievements. And these world-beating triumphs we must celebrate. Whether it is a Bob Marley (African/Caucasian mix), virtually a household name across the world, a Marcus Garvey (African lineage) who has mentored several black leaders of large nations, or currently the world track and field record holders Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell, (African stock) Jamaicans have been world-beaters past and present. Then, commercially, there are such as a Butch Stewart (Caucasian lineage) with the world's leading all-inclusive Sandals hotel chain for 12 years in a row, or a Michael Lee Chin (Chinese lineage) of world-class financial achievement. Jamaicans of varied backgrounds are incredible performers. But such world-beaters of international repute apart, let us look closer at home at the triumphs of innovative and top-performing Jamaicans.
If you walk through mid-town Kingston on Knutsford Boulevard, or through the Liguanea shopping area with its modern supermarkets, you could believe you are in a typical North American town. There, American fast-food franchises like Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King and Wendy's are well established. But look, there are competing home-made fast-food outlets doing either as well or better than those. Companies like Juici Patties, Mother's and Island Grill are leading examples of Jamaican cuisine brought to operational excellence by Jamaican entrepreneurs. They compete very successfully with the internationally famous fast-food chains. You will always find amongst their drink stocks bottled coconut water competing successfully with Coke or Sprite. As far as I know, bottled coconut water is a Jamaican first, copied elsewhere.
Because of the success of these Jamaican fast-food companies, Jamaican cuisine is bidding fair to conquer the world, no less than our world conquests in the fields of entertainment and sports. The millions of tourists who trek annually to our shores, are taking back with them affection and even addiction for Jamaican cuisine. Where once upon a time an island (England) conquered the world geographically and culturally, little but talawah Jamaica is looking more and more like the next cuisine and cultural world centre to be.
The Information Technology revolution being what it is and our achievements to date being what they are, this suggestion is not as far-fetched as it may seem on the surface. Unfortunately, the flip side of our ability to be world-beaters is reflected in our murder rate where the home-grown criminals are showing they are better at their nefarious trade than their counterparts in the rest of the world.
Let us, however, pause to celebrate the greater good of which we are capable, as we tackle the deflecting evil defaming our international image.
Apology
I apologise to the University of the West Indies (UWI) for incorrectly stating in a previous column, "Unsafe any and Everywhere", that a University of Technology student was shot and killed on the UWI campus while walking home from a late night fete. That was an erroneous print media report which I unwittingly accepted.
-browngeof@hotmail.com or
-geofbrown07@gmail.com
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