The tributes are many and heartfelt for Jamaica’s supreme lyricist Bob Andy. Thank goodness he heard many before he passed. Over 20 top artistes gathered in Kingston in 2011 to honour the great man. They included Marcia Griffiths who had teamed with him as “Bob and Marcia” to cover Nina Simone’s “Young, Gifted and Black”, a rendition which rose to Number Five in the UK and sold half a million copies. Nadine Sutherland, Big Youth, Freddie McGregor, Luciano, Denyque, Chevaughn, Protoje, Desi Jones & Friends, Lloyd Parkes and We the People all sang and played their hearts out for the legend.

As I write this, Roy Black is playing the Bob Andy classic “I’ve Got to Go Back Home” on KLAS-FM – it lit up the dance floors of our youths. How we would sing out the trumpet bars when the DJ stopped the music! Now he is playing one of Bob Andy’s strong social commentary “Fire Burning”:

“I was drawn into myself
Observing all this time
From every angle I could see
My people, you’re meeting hell
Brothers have turned to crime
So they die from time to time
We’d like to ask you leaders
What have you got in mind

I see the fire spreading
It’s getting hotter and hot
The haves will want to be
In the shoes of the have-nots
If the sign is on your door
Then you will be saved for sure
But if you are in pretence
You’re on the wrong side of the fence.”
My husband Hubie recalls that the company he worked for in the seventies, Total Sounds, produced Bob Andy’s radical “Check it out”.

“Open your eyes
It’s time you realise
That the rise in the price
Is to make more money
For who’s got plenty
And the trick of the trade
Is to keep all the hungry bellies empty”.

On the Bob Andy website, we learn that, “In November 1987, Bob assumed the post of A&R and Promotions Director for Tuff Gong (the group of companies founded by Bob Marley). … Bob’s stay at Tuff Gong provided him with many opportunities to express his life-long desire for higher standards in Jamaican music, both in its business operations and in the quality of its musical output.”

A great legacy in so many spheres of Jamaican music – rest in peace Bob Andy.

 

So here we are on lock down, working remotely and watching the unrelenting spread of this global pandemic. Some are describing this as Mother Nature’s revenge. In the wake of warnings about climate change and global warming, they say that skies are clearer. But this is little comfort to those mourning the loss of their relatives and friends. When we have natural disasters, we appeal to developed countries for help and they are generous in their response. Now we pray fervently for them as they grapple with unbelievable challenges to their health services.

We in Jamaica are still counting our blessings. We are heartened by the hands-on approach taken by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Health & Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton, Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, Permanent Secretary Dunstan Bryan, other Government Ministers and indeed JLP and PNP MPs, Councillors and caretakers. Our healthcare workers are heroic, working long hours to keep us well. Our security forces are not only on SOE but also on quarantine duties.

Corporate Jamaica has stepped in to provide well-needed support to the less fortunate. Food for the Poor has been assisting with food distribution to the communities in Bull Bay under quarantine. Banks are extending due dates for mortgages and loans and the NWC has assured that they will not be disconnecting water supply for unpaid bills.

The reports of careless behavior on the part of an entertainer are troubling and so we are happy that, as of Saturday night, Jamaica’s airports and ports will no longer receive passengers, though folks are free to fly out. I am concerned that an airport worker noted a lot of hugging taking place on the last few flights in from New York on Saturday. People, we have to understand that this is a highly contagious virus! We each have to take responsibility for our behavior and practise social distancing. Let us have a heart for our health personnel who are working night and day.

As we avoid unnecessary commuting, we are happy that there is a website where one can visit local doctors digitally – www.themdlink.com . Kudos to Dr Mike Banbury and his colleagues for creating this site which we understand has daily visits increasing tenfold.

It is important that our at-risk elderly citizens are receiving special attention. The National Health Fund is extending prescription quotas so they can stock up on their meds.  Sagicor who underwrites the CCRP Health Plan for seniors have assured that they will cover illnesses associated with this pandemic.

Our local media have left no stone unturned in keeping the public well-informed. Of course we are riveted by the international reports of this global crisis, but please ensure that you check in with local newscasts to know what is happening closer to home, and to offer any assistance you can, even if it is a phone call to a lonely elder.

Outstanding Budget Presentations

We applaud Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Finance & Planning Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke for their outstanding contributions to the Budget Debate.  It was gracious of the PM to acknowledge the work of Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips in our struggle for economic well-being. The PM, a former Education Minister gave us encouraging news on the merger of the Heart Trust and the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning, now HEART-NSTA which will see over 150,000 enrolled this year. Their NVQJ programme offers courses up to graduate and post-graduate levels, an affordable way to get quality education.

The PM noted the significant investment of Michael Lee-Chin and Gassan Azan in agriculture; timely initiatives to shore up our food security. Still, we must salute our diligent small farmers and fisherfolk who have produced consistently despite the hardships they face. We appreciate the timely lowering of asset taxes and the reduction of GCT announced by Dr. Clarke.

Thank goodness for the leadership of the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) co-chaired by PSOJ President Keith Duncan and Bank of Jamaica Governor Richard Byles. Their deliberations and reports have helped to keep the various players on their toes and now, even in the face of this crisis, the credit rating agency Moody’s is optimistic about Jamaica.

The Jamaica Observer noted, “the the agency said compared with other Caribbean islands, Jamaica’s vulnerability to tourism is moderate.” The Moody’s release stated: “While we expect growth to slow from declining tourist arrivals, the effect on Jamaica’s external accounts will be partially offset by the high import content of tourism earnings, which will reduce the country’s import bill. Moreover, lower oil prices will also have a positive effect on Jamaica’s current account … We believe that the country has sufficient fiscal and external buffers to cope with a shock in the tourism industry, limiting the immediate credit negative effect.”

We can be proud of the stewardship of our leaders as well as the support of our private sector, and non-governmental organisations. Together, we shall overcome.

Can we do this for crime?

I am seeing calls on social media that we need to use this same emergency approach to our crime problem. We must. There is speculation that some politicians still have alliances with so-called ‘dons’, hamstringing our national security efforts. Well, now that we see all hands on deck for the pandemic, let us see which hands will not come on deck for crime.

The police remain everyone’s favourite beating stick, because it distracts us from those who are under the radar stoking criminal behavior. Why don’t we have CCTV in our crime-ridden communities – is it because there are some who do not want their comings and goings recorded?

The Police Youth Club is the biggest youth club in Jamaica: after their long, dangerous hours of fighting crime, our police still make time for the youth in their communities. If our 63 MPs and caretakers and our over 200 parish councillors decide to support this initiative and strengthen their alliance with the police, we could witness a sea-change in security.

Let us use the same will for Jamaica’s wellness to create the long-awaited peace for our people.

Reading Owls International, a U.S.-based non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting literacy in Jamaica, hosted its “Jammin’ for Books!” fundraising celebration on March 7. The event, which included a local reggae band and silent auction, was held at the Woodman Family Community & Performance Centre at Moses Brown School in Providence, R.I. IGT was proud to be among the sponsors of this lively and uplifting event.

Brendan Hames, IGT Regional Director of the Caribbean, commented, “We were very happy to partner with Reading Owls International for this event. We are firmly committed to the integration of technology into the classroom experience for students from underserved communities in Jamaica, through our After School Advantage Programme. There should be no barriers to our children achieving their full potential. Books and technology are the tools to enhance their understanding of the world and broaden their horizons. We applaud Reading Owls International for its vision. We wish the organisation all the best in reaching its goals in 2020 and beyond.”

Hames noted that Reading Owls’ goals tie in closely with those of IGT’s signature After School Advantage Programme, which seeks to bridge the digital divide for children who have challenges in accessing the technology required to boost their educational performance. Since 2011, IGT and its subsidiaries have established 39 After School Advantage Centres in the English-speaking Caribbean. These Centres provide computers, software, printers and other equipment, and are regularly maintained and updated.

Co-founder of Reading Owls International, Elaine Dickson, observed, “Having a sponsor and partner such as IGT greatly strengthens our capacity to execute on our strategic priorities, making it possible for us to help raise up the next generation of leaders. Also, this symbiotic partnership highlights IGT’s commitment to education and showcases their corporate social responsibility, given their presence in Jamaica. They were a significant help to us as we further our vision of a world in which every child has the resources to help them succeed. We again extend our deep appreciation.”

Founded in 2013 by Elaine and Easton Dickson, Jamaican-born residents of Cumberland, R.I., Reading Owls International’s mission is to improve the literacy rates of Jamaica’s at-risk school-aged children. It seeks partnerships with schools and community-based organisations to provide access to books and other learning resources. To date, Reading Owls has built or supplemented 24 libraries (including infrastructural improvements), donated almost 30,000 books and impacted the lives of over 7,000 children. The organization’s goal is “Fifty in Five” – that is, to support 50 more libraries in the next five years.

“This feels like wartime,” says my friend, as we discuss our stocks of various meds and supplies. Yes indeed, we are in a war against an invisible enemy, but we can be grateful that the Jamaican government has taken timely steps to safeguard our health.

We have been in Covid-19 preparedness mode for a good two months. Health & Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton, Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie and team have been sharing prevention information religiously.  My friend who has strong connections with the health sector said that in January she knew of moves being made to stock up on the necessary meds and hygiene items.  There have been advertisements on traditional and digital media about hand-washing and other precautions to be taken. Press briefings held by the Minister informed us of the first two cases and subsequently, six additional cases.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ press conference last Friday was comprehensive and reassuring.  The participation of his Cabinet members demonstrated that he had all hands on deck. We can understand the quarantine measures set up in the Six Miles and Seven Miles area of Bull Bay where ‘Patient Zero’ had attended a funeral, and her father and a close friend have now tested positive for the virus.  Let the two-week incubation pass so that, if present, other cases can be identified.

We are particularly impressed with the measures being taken to protect the residents of the 13 Government infirmaries island-wide

. We learned from Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie that of the 3,500 residents, 98 percent were high-risk and therefore provisions are being made for a good stock of medications, hygiene supplies and isolation areas.

Building of additional accommodation will take place at some of these infirmaries for some 50 ‘social patients’ in our public hospitals.  Who are these individuals? They are fully recovered patients who have been abandoned by their families. It makes one nervous for the elderly in our communities during these trying times. Some of them may be terrified of commuting to get supplies. We can check on such neighbours to ensure they have their supplies and call them regularly, as loneliness can lead to depression.

Our days worker arrived in gloves last week.  We explained to her that it was safer not to wear gloves generally, but to observe a strict hand-washing and hand-sanitizing regimen as gloves will carry germs and can give a false sense of security. As has several other organisations, last Friday we decided to have our team members at PROComm and CCRP work remotely, as several of them use public transportation and we would not want them to have that level of exposure.

It took a while for some church leaders to see the light, but thankfully it is happening. Now pastors are advising their elderly members that they should stay away from church services.  My friend in New Jersey says his Roman Catholic Archdiocese has suspended Mass. We have to remember, “God helps those who help themselves.”

We cannot thank the members of our essential services enough for their dedication: medical personnel, the security forces, the fire department, power and telecoms providers. As we gear for the challenges in our health system, we thank the Government of Cuba for assisting with medical personnel.  May we ‘flatten’ the curve of this virus by taking personal responsibility in safeguarding ourselves, our families, our workplaces and our churches. Wash your hands and keep your distance.

IDB’s Turner Jones on digital transformation

As we plan to work remotely for the next fortnight, we recall the repeated calls of IDB’s Caribbean Regional Manager Therese Turner Jones that we need digital transformation in our businesses, government agencies and educational institutions to maximise efficiency and keep in step with our global partners.

Jamaica Observer business reporter Kellaray Miles quoted her at a recent event: “Most firms in the Caribbean region, about some 19 per cent or less than one in five, rely on any kind of research and development to grow their businesses — that’s an appalling number!”

“It’s coming,” she declared, “artificial intelligence or over the Internet — we are not applying new and innovative ways of doing things to the ways businesses are operating in the Caribbean.”

Turner-Jones noted, “It’s not about mastering 15 or 23 CXCs as they do in Guyana, that’s not really a good way of educating our kids for the future. Kids for the future need to be global citizens, knowing how to be multilingual, digitally literate, and able to collaborate and work with each other in teams.”

This applies to Jamaicans of all ages. We see constant complaints from seniors about long waits in banking halls, so we need to help them understand the convenience of online banking.  CCRP Board Director and retired civil servant Vilma McDonald attests to the ease with which she not only does banking but also pays her utility bills online. This Covid-19 situation should motivate us to download those apps and make good use of our smartphones.

EU-UN Spotlight Initiative

EU Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska and UN representative Michelle Gyles-McDonnough jointly launched Jamaica’s participation in the worldwide Spotlight Initiative last week.  This EU-UN programme aims at eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. They are turning the spotlight on the importance of protecting women and girls towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment, crucial to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The UN website reminds us that:

• Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today.
• 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence.
• Women and girls are disproportionately subjected to violence, including femicide, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, trafficking and harmful practices.

With strong support from the diplomatic corps including Canada’s High Commissioner Laurie Peters, Honorary Consul for Thailand Thalia Lyn, US Ambassador Donald Tapia, French Ambassador Denys Wibaux, Ambassador Wasilewska noted that the largest tranche of the 500M Euro sponsorship, 7.5M Euro, would be invested in Jamaican programmes.

As we share the distress of the father of UWI student Jasmine Dean, who has been missing for over two weeks,  the families who have suffered a similar fate, and those grieving the 20 women murdered since the beginning of this year, we see the urgency of this programme.  We have only one shelter for battered women, founded and nurtured by Woman Inc’s Angela Jones and Joyce Hewett, and look forward to the additional three to be built by the government.

We have a transportation system that is overburdened, and no public transportation system outside of the Corporate Area, leaving our girls and women at the mercy of sexual predators posing as taxi drivers. It is a tall order for a small country to develop an islandwide transportation system, but perhaps we could begin with a school-bus project organised by the Ministry of Education.

We have to applaud the efforts of Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in piloting the Anti-Harassment Bill through the House, as we are sick and tired of the anti-social behaviour of some men, even those who should be setting a better example. Let us turn the spotlight on these dark corners and clean them up!

Students from five institutions that are home to IGT After School Advantage (ASA) Centres enjoyed a stimulating educational visit to the Scientific Research Council (SRC) recently. The learning tour was specially designed in partnership with IGT Jamaica, which arranged for the students to visit the St. Andrew-based institution to learn about the latest developments in science and technology.

The group included students and staff from Sunbeam Children’s Home; Mustard Seed Communities – Mary’s Child; Mustard Seed Communities – Matthew 25:40; Spring Village Development Foundation and the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation in Spanish Town. All these institutions house IGT’s flagship ASA Centres, where students have access to the digital world and can pursue their studies through the provision of up-to-date computer technology.

Coordinator of the visit at the Scientific Research Council, Michelle Morris, explained that the first part of the tour focused on biotechnology. The students observed the process of preparing disease-free, healthy plants, which are propagated in a lab using a soil-free technique in optimal conditions. The group moved on to the shade house, where they participated in planting out activities. The tour also focused on the SRC’s research into eco-friendly, aesthetically pleasing wastewater systems, which produce clean water for irrigation and biogas to create organic fertilizer.

The ASA Centre students were enthusiastic about the trip. A student from Mary’s Child noted, “It was fantastic, we learnt a lot about water treatment.” Another student mentioned, “It was a very informative tour, I had no idea that so many things could be extracted from plants.” A student from Sunbeam Children’s Home said, “I learnt a lot about plants.”

Morris said the students’ response was very much hands-on. “We appreciated the young people’s enquiring minds and we were happy to have the opportunity to show them our work. It was an absolute pleasure to host them at the SRC today.”

IGT Jamaica General Manager Debbie Green shared that IGT continuously seeks exciting learning opportunities to widen the exposure and enhance the knowledge of students within its ASA Centres. “In recent years, we have organized visits to the Mona Geoinformatics Institute at the University of the West Indies and the Northern Caribbean University, exposing them to new and exciting cutting-edge technology in 3D modelling and imaging, virtual reality and robotics.  IGT Jamaica is proud to be partners in this process of empowerment for our young people and to continue our support for the teachers and administrators at our ASA Centres. We wish to thank our friends at the Scientific Research Council for their very generous hospitality today.”

Randy Finnikin, Executive Director of Spring Village Development Foundation in St. Catherine, declared that this was a “great opportunity” for the students who attended. “IGT Jamaica has already expanded their world through our ASA Centre,” he said. “The tour helped to expand that world further. They loved it!” The Spring Village Development Foundation is the most recent site of an ASA Centre, opened in November 2019. It administers a Community Centre, Youth Club and a HEART/NSTA Trust Training Institute, in the busy community near Old Harbour, educating rural youth.

IGT has been the online lottery technology provider to Supreme Ventures Limited since 2001. All IGT After School Advantage locations, including the 15 Centres established in Jamaica to date, are supported by regular updates and maintenance programmes.

 

After women leaders shared their thoughts at an event kindly hosted by French Ambassador Denys Wibaux, Nigerian High Commissioner Janet Olisa extended a challenge.  She noted that Jamaican women having made bold strides, should seize the power they have to make the changes we wish for in our country. She favourably compared our record for women’s equality with that of her own country and urged us to maintain our momentum.

Human rights activist Dr Carolyn Gomes, Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn and historian Professor Verene Shepherd reminded us of the heroic struggles of our women in their determination to forge a better future for their fellow Jamaicans – from Nanny (we were told that the correct title should be ‘Nana’), to Mary Seacole, to Louise Bennett, to Rose Leon.

 

In acknowledging the continued struggles of women enslaved by poverty, WMW Jamaica co-founder Hilary Nicholson reminded us that they did not choose this way of life and it was up to us to help them find a way out of it. “Have you informed your household worker that there is a Union that she can join?” she asked.  She asked us to remember the plight of the elderly poor, that there were generations of women locked in a cycle of poverty, living under the same roof.

In the instance of a teenage mother who was charged for negligence after a fire took the lives of her child and two others, social entrepreneur Yaneek Page asked about the responsibility of the father, to which DPP Llewelyn noted that, in this case, ‘the law is an ass’ for this omission, as responsibility is ascribed only to the caregiver at the time of the incident.

As we consider the number of missing children and young people including the heart-rending case of UWI visually-impaired student Jasmine Dean, the under-age ‘shottas’, the attacks on our teachers, the crime and road crash statistics, we must ask ourselves, how are we going to, as Paula Llewellyn says, “connect the dots” to safeguard our people?

The answer must be a joint resolution for excellence, unity and integrity. Some businesses discriminate against women who are mothers, but those who have mothers in their employment discover that they are the most organised and disciplined, because they are time management gurus.

Then there is the continued issue of sexual harassment.  We await the ‘Act to Make Provision for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment and for Connected Matters’ aka the Sexual Harassment Act which is being piloted by Minister Olivia Grange. Let us be aware that, like the backlash on women after the #metoo movement, this is not going to be an easy road for the Minister. Those of us who consider ourselves as influencers should step up and strengthen the cause.

 

Imani Duncan-Price on Patriarchy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imani Duncan-Price, PNP Chairman of the Central Kingston constituency and this year’s presenter of the 2020 Rose Leon Memorial Lecture last Monday, declared that “patriarchy is alive and well” in Jamaica.  She called for more women in leadership, describing the position taken by herself and JLP Senator Kamina Johnson Smith as members of the Joint Select Committee on regulations for the Integrity Commission.

“There was a clause regarding withholding information on an investigation until it was complete – I call it the anti-Greg Christie clause,” she said. “I recall Senator Kamina Johnson Smith and I argued against that clause (along with the then Contractor General Dirk Harrison). But in the end it was maintained by votes from both parties. My memory may be dim, but we were the only voices on that matter and we are female. And today it haunts us in Jamaica and must be changed. This is why a critical mass is important – we need more female politicians so get the ‘backative’ to fight for the things you know are right.”

She described two suggestions as her ‘big ideas’: longer school hours, citing the Finland model, with greater participation of social workers, and ‘reproductive independence for young women’, noting that condom use is still not widely practised.  Hopefully, the emphasis on discipline and values she proposes as part of this proposed expansion of our educational system will promote a more responsible attitude to sexual behaviour in all students.

Our responsive NHF

However, we cannot agree with Mrs Duncan-Price’s statement that “the health care system has since fallen apart where people can’t even get Panadol.” At a stakeholders meeting called by NHF CEO Everton Anderson last Friday, we learned that last year the National Health Fund covered 2 million prescriptions at a cost of J$4 billion. They have partnered with 476 pharmacies, and since 2011 have end-to-end operations, handling procurement, distribution and dispensation.

Mr Anderson noted that the NHF same-day card service has been expanded to 21 locations islandwide and that a single digital platform has been created to process the NHF, JADEP and the planned National Health Insurance.

As soon as news broke on the emergence of Covid19, Mr Anderson said the NHF was pro-active in contacting all their suppliers globally to procure certain recommended pharmaceuticals.

Our seniors organisation, CCRP, wrote on behalf of a member to ask that drugs for Parkinson’s Disease be added to the NHF list and as a result, a specialist on the condition has been contacted, so we are hopeful that this will materialise soon.  CCRP representative at the meeting Dr Winston Dawes, is concerned that some pharmacies are reluctant to honour the JADEP cards; Mr Anderson said that the NHF will institute performance contracts to monitor unethical behaviour.

 

“A Force for Good”

At the launch of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics Jamaica, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson noted that the over thirty years of support of our special needs family by the JCF, reminds us that they are “a Force for good”.

In this Women’s Month, let us note that this positive aspect of our security forces is reinforced by the outstanding women who have dedicated their lives to protect their fellow citizens. We applaud the smooth management of the LETR event by Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay and Inspector Natalie Palmer, and recall the contribution of amazing SSP Rosie McDonald-Barker, Supt Ionie Ramsay and DCP Novelette Grant.

SSP McDonald Barker was head of late PM Manley’s security team.  Later, she went on to win the hearts of the residents of Grant’s Pen, quelling political tension, and was so beloved that she was asked to be Godmother of several babies in the area!

Supt Ionie Ramsay, as the first woman motorcycle cop, stamped her courage into the consciousness of Jamaican women. She remains a symbol of strength and determination, now immersed in outreach activities in her community.

DCP Novelette Grant, my fellow ‘Westmorelite’ remains a force to be reckoned with, even after her retirement. She has lectured here and abroad on the issue of domestic violence, and will be a presenter at the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica (AMCHAM) event tomorrow, on the topic “When Domestic Violence Comes to Work”.

Thousands of Jamaican women carry the name of Pamela McNeil in their hearts. This unsung heroine who passed away on February 6^th, was the Founder and first Director of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF). In her 1998 report, 20 years after the founding of the WCJF, Mrs McNeil reported that the Foundation had seven main centres and seven (at present eight) outreach stations islandwide.

Mrs McNeil matched her passion for the education of teenage mothers with solid research which proved the social and financial worth of the programme. She wrote: “Dr. Sanshu Handa of the University of the West Indies also did a cost-benefit analysis of WCJF’s Programme for Adolescent Mothers, and … concludes that each Jamaican dollar invested in the WCJF Programme for Adolescent Mothers results in 6.7 dollars worth of benefits to society. In fact, due to the savings to the government, it now funds all salaries, wages and utility expenditures of the Women’s Centre.”

Mrs McNeil shared some of “the real achievements” of the WCJF : “A decrease in the negative societal attitudes formally displayed towards the teen mother; the breakdown of the barriers within the Ministry of Education and the changes in the Education Code (a regulatory law) to allow teenage mothers to return to the school system; the thousands of young women who have been able to achieve academic successes and social advancement; the scholastic achievements of the children of teen mothers involved in our programme.”

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, in her tribute to Mrs McNeil noted that she was “a visionary who saw it as her purpose to take an active part in assisting teenage mothers to carry on with their education and realise their dreams.”

Some 50,000 graduates of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica have achieved successful careers. I have heard their stories and seen their resolve and confidence. We hold precious the memory of this good woman, Pamela McNeil who helped us to judge less and love more.

Daily, this student could be seen after school on her knees, a tiny figure in the imposing surroundings of the Holy Trinity Cathedral on North Street.  She had taken one look at the crowded bus stop by Emerald Road (now George Headley Drive) and escaped to the Cathedral to pray until the crush subsided. That student was me and I am forever grateful for the interludes of grace in that holy space.

Thank goodness that Thalia Lyn, on hearing that the Cathedral was in a maintenance crisis, reached out to then Ambassador Jesus Silva for the assistance of the government of Spain. The NCB Foundation, chaired by Lyn, joined forces with the Cathedral Restoration Committee, led by then Archbishop Lawrence Burke, May Lowe, resident architect Clifton Yap, Enith Williams, Errol Moo Young and then Monsignor Kenneth Richards. The goodly Professor Antonio Sanchez Barriga visited the Cathedral in 2006, and volunteered his services pro-bono to 2010. Recruiting and training 34 young women and men from the surrounding communities, Professor Barriga was able to uncover the exquisite creations by the Jesuit priest Father Francis J Schroen in 1910 –1911, that had been coated with marine paint.

Ambassador Silva’s successor, Ambassador Celsa Nuño continued this support, hosting concerts so the public could enjoy the refreshed environment.  The baton was passed to the keen Spain Chargée d’Affaires Carmen Rives.  Now Ambassador for Spain Josep Maria Bosch has once again welcomed Professor Barriga to Jamaica, to update and complete several aspects of the restoration.

“Dear friends of the Holy Trinity Cathedral,” said Ambassador Bosch at a recent reception in Prof Barriga’s honour, “to have on board on this project , Professor Sanchez Barriga is a real privilege as he is one of the leading world experts in conservation and restoration … He has been a restorer at the Museo Del Prado, in the National Archaeological Museum Of Madrid and he has established a restoration centre in Jerusalem and has been working in important archaeological sites in Egypt, Rome and London.”

No wonder then that the popular tour company “Island Routes” now includes a tour of the Cathedral for international visitors, who have compared our Cathedral with some of the finest in Europe.

Hon Denis Lalor has blessed the project with his kind patronage and is inviting Jamaicans to support the continued maintenance of this exquisite National Heritage Site.

For those of us who danced through the transitions of ska to rocksteady and rocksteady to reggae, this Reggae Month has special meaning.  The music that had you singing along and livened your gatherings dances forever in your memories.

My husband Hubie has great stories of the artists he met while working as an engineer at Total Sounds (later Sonic Sounds). He recalled the dictionary and notebook that was Jimmy Cliff’s constant companions. The legendary singer explained that whenever he heard or read a new word, he would look it up, write it down with the meaning and try to use it several times until it became a part of his vocabulary and enriched his lyrics.

One day Hubie took home a record: his boss Herman McDonald wanted my opinion (I was theatre reviewer for Daily News) because Bob Marley had requested a sizeable deposit before they could distribute. The only thing I could say after he played it was, “Tell Mr Mac he should give him double.” So Bob’s request was granted and the record was Number One for six straight weeks; it was “Rat Race”!

Neville Garrick who was creative director at the Daily News, designed album covers for Bob Marley, creating striking images to match the enduring legacy of Marley’s music. And so, our lives reverberated with sounds from Bob, Cliff, Toots Hibbert, Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown, John Holt, Delroy Wilson, Byron Lee, Gregory Isaacs, Hortense Ellis, the amazing I-Threes – Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt (I wish their song “Neighbour” was more popular – we should use it for community building) . Later we were thrilled by the Marley children, Buju, Nadine Sutherland, Cynthia Schloss, JC Lodge, Carlene Davis, Queen I-Frica, Tony Rebel, Cocoa Tea, Freddie McGregor, Beres Hammond, Fab 5 and Bare Essentials. How beautiful the story about Bob Marley’s mentorship of Nadine Sutherland carried in the Jamaica Observer.

I have been close to the Sisters of Mercy almost all my life and so I knew the late, great Sister Mary Ignatius Davis, principal of Alpha Boys School. You can imagine my surprise when I was watching a music programme on television and there was Sister Ignatius featuring in a Leroy Smart music video.  I called to tease her but she was not amused. “My dear,” she said. “That boy Leroy called to say he wanted to visit me and when he came in I saw these cameras! I had no idea!” Sister Ignatius, her predecessor Sister Marie Therese Watson (aunt of Merrick Needham) and successor, Sister Regine Isaacs loved those students like their own and encouraged them to create their own sounds. Thus the school became the cradle of ska. Now, former Alpha student the great Sparrow Martin continues to guide the young musicians. Dr Joshua Chamberlain, founder of Alpha Boys Radio, supported by I-Heart Radio, has overseen the collection of music featuring Alpha graduates played on that station – you would be amazed at their range and reach.

And so, this past week, as we celebrated the 75^th Birthday of Bob Marley and also Dennis Brown’s Birthday earlier in the month, we are again overwhelmed by the richness of the music with which we have been endowed.

Last Wednesday The Ghetto Youth Foundation, brainchild of the Marley siblings Steven, Damian and Ziggy and headed by philanthropist Eva Silverstein, opened the Cornerstone Learning Centre in Trench Town. This is one of the best tributes to their father who sang out the tribulations of the poor in his community.

Koffee – ‘Gratitude is a must’

There are many reasons to Toast (pun-intended) Koffee, our youngest and only woman Reggae Grammy-winning artist. Give thanks for her mother Jo-Anne Williams; check her Instagram page @jojothekoffeemaker and imagine the unique upbringing of her daughter. “Gratitude is a must” from Koffee’s lyrics is her constant hashtag, a phrase now well woven into virtually every vote of thanks.

We enjoyed Koffee’s introductions on YouTube videos by Chronixx, her Spanish Town neighbour on a BBC special and Cocoa Tea at Rebel Salute. It is heartening to see the mentorship and collegiality among our musicians. The young star’s return to Jamaica was a bright spot in a week which had some heart wrenching news. Can we try to reach those cold hearts with our music?

VP Records’ “Miss Pat”

We met the generous Patricia ‘Miss Pat’ Chin, co-Founder of VP records with her late husband Vincent ‘Randy’ Chin at an event hosted by Ambassador of France Denys Wibaux, last Tuesday. The couple is credited for guiding emerging stars on their rights, regarding copyright and royalties. Starting with Randy’s Record Store in 1958 in Downtown Kingston, the couple moved to New York in the seventies, opening up new marketing opportunities for Jamaican music. Now the VP Group has offices in New York City, Miami, Kingston, London, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg.

Pat Chin (Convent of Mercy Academy ‘Alpha’ alumna) is currently writing her book, ’60 Years of Jamaican Music’.  That will be a keeper.

Ambassador Wibaux and Senator Tom Tavares-Finson, Chair of the National Gallery urged us to visit the “Jamaica Jamaica!” music exhibition at the National Gallery. We met the gifted David Cairol, a Bob Marley devotee from France who has been linking high school students in Jamaica and France. His music video shows the unifying power of music: a song about togetherness with the French verses sung by students of St. George’s College and the English sung by French students.

 

We first met Greg Christie when he was legal counsel for Kaiser International and quickly realised that this was an outstanding professional of the highest integrity.  During his seven years as Contractor General of Jamaica, Christie’s tough approach to corruption met with both plaudits and brickbats. Now with Jamaica moving down a few notches on the corruption scale, we should welcome the news that this fearless Jamaican will return to head the Integrity Commission, a merger of the Office of the Contractor General, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, and the Integrity Commission under the Integrity Commission Act 2017.

According to a Jamaica Observer Report, “The Integrity Commission was established in February 2018 with a mandate to promote and enhance standards of ethical conduct for parliamentarians, public officials, and other individuals. Under its mandate it is to consolidate the laws relating to the prevention of corruption and the awarding, monitoring and investigating of the government contracts and prescribed licences. It is also mandated to strengthen the measures for prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of acts of corruption.”

Jamaicans should be heartened at this appointment, as the cost of corruption is too much for our country to bear.