The image of Jamaica that is marketed outside of Jamaica and the Jamaican community is one of place that is made up of white sand beaches, crystal clear water, luxurious resorts, constant reggae, Bob Marley, rastafari and ganja. These are elements of Jamaica, but not the end all be all of Jamaica. The truth is there are many aspects of Jamaica which are not marketed to habitancy living abroad. One of the less involving aspects of Jamaica is the crime and specifically the violent crime connected with the drug trade.
As in many countries where there is a large whole of unemployment, urbanization and socioeconomic inequality, an underworld exists. Jamaica is no separate in this regard, Unfortunately, to those who know and do a bit of investigating, Jamaica has been plagued by crime for well over 20 years. In fact, many habitancy say that in the 1970s, Jamaica "run a red." Meaning that Jamaica was a rather violent place. Some of the violence was connected with politics, but the drug trade cannot be separated from the violence. Ordinarily, you do not hear about violence in developing countries spreading abroad, but Jamaica is an irregularity to this notion. There are large Jamaican communities in England, Canada and the United States of America with strong ties to the island. Most of the Jamaicans living in these countries are there for honest hard working jobs and to make a best life for their feelings, but as mentioned there are always a few "bad apples." This is what "Yardies-The Jamaican Don" exposes to the world.
Kingston
In Jamaican Patois or Jamaican Slang, a "yardie" is a Jamaican. It is plainly a man from Jamaica, a local. The term "Don" can probably trace its origin to the term used to quote an Italian mafia boss. And the drug gangs described and highlighted in Yardie can be paralleled with the notions of the Italian mafia. Yardie shows a very intricate network of Jamaican syndicates in New York, Toronto, Miami and London. The Jamaican Don's highlighted in the documentary have a very long reach. There are numerous examples of habitancy being caught up in crimes that originated in Jamaica and corollary them to New York or London. Additionally, there are cases of Dons getting brought up on charges in England and then manufacture a move to New York or Toronto all the while still continuing to operate their underworld organizations.
The most involving aspect of the documentary shows how crime is connected to dancehall music in Jamaica and specifically Kingston, the capital. The connection between crime and dancehall music mostly has to do with the origins of the dancehall artists and the fact that they come from many of the same neighborhoods as the Dons. In fact, some of the Dons highlighted in the documentary funded dancehall parties for the community.
The truth of the matter is that Jamaica has made great strides since Yardies was produced and it cannot be stressed enough, most Jamaicans in Jamaica and abroad are honest hard working people. Yardies is a great documentary to get a perspective on the crime that has plagued Jamaica and Jamaican communities abroad. Finally, this is not the type of documentary you watch to learn more about Jamaican Patois, but it is the documentary you watch to broaden your horizons on Jamaican society.
Are "Yardies" Jamaica's Most risky Export? - A chronicle of Yardies - The Jamaican Don
No comments:
Post a Comment