some events demand reverence, not re-enactment. To parody tragedy is to desecrate memory. It is this boundary Jamaica now risks crossing in Kingston Pirates Week—where history’s violence becomes spectacle. The proposed Kingston Pirates Week aligns primarily with the economic/commercial and political/ideological categories: a tourism-marketing exercise couched in heritage rhetoric. It commemorates no emancipation, offers no moral reflection, and risks aestheticising brutalit

In the early hours of Saturday, October 18, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) issued a statement on the “security build-up in the region.” The document struck a familiar chord of regional caution: reaffirming the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, reiterating the need for dialogue and adherence to international law, and emphasising respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Yet, the very wording of that statement, and several underlying dynamics, invite deeper reflec

A 2022 report by the Caribbean Education Policy Review (CEPR) noted that students perceived as “well-rounded” were 2.5 times more likely to receive leadership appointments than those with similar grades but humbler demeanour. That bias, rooted in adult admiration for charm, creates what sociologist Errol Lawrence calls “a hidden curriculum of personality privilege.” Teachers may not intend harm. They are often overworked, rather underpaid, and quite desperate for success s

In Jamaican culture, the phone is no longer simply a tool of convenience: it is part of the daily ritual, the social status totem, the anxiety-soother. When youth ask, “Are you on WhatsApp / Facebook / Instagram?”, often the answer is expected: yes. The phone is assumed.The metaphor of worship is apt: we invest attention, emotion, time, status in the SIM and device. We sacrifice other things — quietude, reflection, community gathering, mentorship, spirituality.Thus the provoc