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The United States of Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago?!?
TRINIDAD, TOBAGO & JAMAICA: A TRIPLE ISLAND STATE?
Trust me peoples, Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) and Jamaica always make for an interesting, and sometimes contentious comparative study.
I have been travelling to T&T almost every year for over 20 years now, and I'm still constantly amused and intrigued by the similarities and differences shared between our two nations. Given the increasing power and presence of the Trinis in our economy, and the growing influence of culture on their lifestyles, the comparisons may actually be increasing in relevance. What you think?
African heritage
One of the things I have noticed, for instance is that black people in T&T seem to be a little more into their African heritage. My senses tell me that the keenness to represent their 'African-ness' may be due in part to the very strong, assertive presence of their Indian counterparts, who proudly and unapologetically emphasise their heritage and culture in very visible and tangible ways. Whatever the reason, though, I find that compared to us in Jamaica, more black people in T&T have African names, wear locks and Afrocentric fashion, embrace African ancestral spirituality and espouse pan-African views. And although Trinidadians have bought into many of our Jamaican-lifestyle ills (like the 'Gully vs. Gaza' graffiti now covering the walls at the St Augustine campus of UWI) the skin-bleaching epidemic has yet to reach them.
Last month, I got a belly laugh in Trinidad when I publicly pondered the possibility of an official merger between us and the Trinis. Could you imagine it? A triple-island state called Trinidad, Tobago & Jamaica! That would call for some serious adjustments eh? For starters, they would have to learn to 'wine' slower. Trinidadians would also have to stop 'walk and wine' and instead learn to stand up and 'dagger', and many steel-pan bands would probably end up as jerk chicken stands. Of course, there would have to be an 'ackee & saltfish roti'.
Seriously though, I got some interesting and varied responses to the comments I shared in my 'roti rebellion' report last week. For those who missed it, I shared my experience in a Trinidadian roti shop where I witnessed two white customers being given priority attention by the staff, and except for the person who was being skipped, no one seemed to care.
disagreed
One reader disagreed with my assertion that it wouldn't happen in Jamaica, and shared a similar experience he had in a pizza place in Montego Bay. Many people though, seem to agree with me that a Jamaican crowd would not respond with the same kind of apathy of those Trinis I saw in the San Juan restaurant. Some readers suggested that if the scenario I shared happened in Jamaica, the other people in the line would very likely join the disgruntled victim to mek up noise and gwaan bad. And if it comes to that, we would quickly organise a road block!
Is true man! You ever see how the grounds staff look alert and on standby to run on with tarpaulin and things to cover the pitch when rain threatens a cricket match? Well that's how I feel our people always on standby to run on with some creatively worded placards, as well as an old car chassis, a fridge body or two and a couple burning tyres. We in Jamaica are more willing, I think, to disrupt normalcy as a way of registering disagreement, while our neighbours to the south seem contented to just sing a calypso about the issues and dance off the stress.
Leh meh hear from all yu, or di whole a unnu!
box-mi-back@hotmail.com
T&T, JAMAICA: A TRIPLE ISLAND STATE?
Trust me peoples, Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) and Jamaica always make for an interesting, and sometimes contentious comparative study.
I have been travelling to T&T almost every year for over 20 years now, and I'm still constantly amused and intrigued by the similarities and differences shared between our two nations. Given the increasing power and presence of the Trinis in our economy, and the growing influence of culture on their lifestyles, the comparisons may actually be increasing in relevance. What you think?
African heritage
One of the things I have noticed, for instance is that black people in T&T seem to be a little more into their African heritage. My senses tell me that the keenness to represent their 'African-ness' may be due in part to the very strong, assertive presence of their Indian counterparts, who proudly and unapologetically emphasise their heritage and culture in very visible and tangible ways. Whatever the reason, though, I find that compared to us in Jamaica, more black people in T&T have African names, wear locks and Afrocentric fashion, embrace African ancestral spirituality and espouse pan-African views. And although Trinidadians have bought into many of our Jamaican-lifestyle ills (like the 'Gully vs. Gaza' graffiti now covering the walls at the St Augustine campus of UWI) the skin-bleaching epidemic has yet to reach them.
Last month, I got a belly laugh in Trinidad when I publicly pondered the possibility of an official merger between us and the Trinis. Could you imagine it? A triple-island state called Trinidad, Tobago & Jamaica! That would call for some serious adjustments eh? For starters, they would have to learn to 'wine' slower. Trinidadians would also have to stop 'walk and wine' and instead learn to stand up and 'dagger', and many steel-pan bands would probably end up as jerk chicken stands. Of course, there would have to be an 'ackee & saltfish roti'.
Seriously though, I got some interesting and varied responses to the comments I shared in my 'roti rebellion' report last week. For those who missed it, I shared my experience in a Trinidadian roti shop where I witnessed two white customers being given priority attention by the staff, and except for the person who was being skipped, no one seemed to care.
disagreed
One reader disagreed with my assertion that it wouldn't happen in Jamaica, and shared a similar experience he had in a pizza place in Montego Bay. Many people though, seem to agree with me that a Jamaican crowd would not respond with the same kind of apathy of those Trinis I saw in the San Juan restaurant. Some readers suggested that if the scenario I shared happened in Jamaica, the other people in the line would very likely join the disgruntled victim to mek up noise and gwaan bad. And if it comes to that, we would quickly organise a road block!
Is true man! You ever see how the grounds staff look alert and on standby to run on with tarpaulin and things to cover the pitch when rain threatens a cricket match? Well that's how I feel our people always on standby to run on with some creatively worded placards, as well as an old car chassis, a fridge body or two and a couple burning tyres. We in Jamaica are more willing, I think, to disrupt normalcy as a way of registering disagreement, while our neighbours to the south seem contented to just sing a calypso about the issues and dance off the stress.
Leh meh hear from all yu, or di whole a unnu!
box-mi-back@hotmail.com
T&T, JAMAICA: A TRIPLE ISLAND STATE?
