Category: Family

Kelly McIntosh’s Blog: Dementia in Jamaica…Challenging Stigma, Responding in Love

October 2, 2018

Over the past few weeks, I have attended a workshop on the STRiDE Project and a presentation by Dr. Ishtar Govia, who heads Alzheimer’s Jamaica, at last week’s monthly meeting of CCRP, the non-governmental organization that supports and empowers Jamaican over-50s (full name: Caribbean Community of Retired Persons, but not all its members are retired). … More Kelly McIntosh’s Blog: Dementia in Jamaica…Challenging Stigma, Responding in Love

Toxic Masculinity, Cockpit Country Nerves and Devil in the Details: Jamaica on Sunday, September 30, 2018

September 30, 2018

The “remnants” of a storm named Isaac descended on us, and now we have the remnants of Kirk. The rain is welcome! At the same time, we had an earthquake, widely felt in Kingston. And I am very, very late with this post – again! Forgive me but I have been intensely busy. Is tomorrow … More Toxic Masculinity, Cockpit Country Nerves and Devil in the Details: Jamaica on Sunday, September 30, 2018

Two Jamaican Poets at BBC Festival “Contains Strong Language”

September 26, 2018

This is only the second festival of poetry and the spoken word to take place in Hull, UK and we are proud that two Jamaicans, Tanya Shirley and Ishion Hutchinson, will be participating, thanks to the British Council. I really love Far District, Hutchinson’s first collection (he was born in Portland). Ishion teaches at Cornell … More Two Jamaican Poets at BBC Festival “Contains Strong Language”

Jamaicans for Justice at Work, Part 1: University Hospital of the West Indies

September 20, 2018

I have always had the deepest respect for Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), the human rights lobby group founded in 1999 by the “likkle but tallawah” Dr Carolyn Gomes. The group has, over the years, faced many challenges – including the perception by Jamaicans (and all too often, human beings in general) that human rights are … More Jamaicans for Justice at Work, Part 1: University Hospital of the West Indies

Ernie Smith to Provide Musical Pleasure at CCRP Living Legacy Awards

September 10, 2018

Ernie Smith’s voice always brings back good memories for me. When he was a solo artist, he used to do stints at the Devon House Grog Shoppe (itself a place of good memories) on Friday evenings. Under that huge mango tree in the courtyard we sat (once a barn owl sat, looking down on us) … More Ernie Smith to Provide Musical Pleasure at CCRP Living Legacy Awards

Anniversaries, Part 1: Tyrone Wilson and the Last Ten Years

September 1, 2018

I was reminded today that there are a few anniversaries in Jamaica this year. One of them is Tyrone Wilson’s tenth. He has reached double digits. I wrote about him a few years ago, after visiting him at the University of Technology Entrepreneurial Centre, an incubator. At age 22, Tyrone was just about to “change … More Anniversaries, Part 1: Tyrone Wilson and the Last Ten Years

Caribbean Tales Film Festival: A Short Jamaican Documentary, “The Incursion”

August 28, 2018

“The Incursion,” a 24-minute documentary directed by Jamaican Sasha-Gay Lewis, has been selected for the Caribbean Tales International Film Festival, which opens in Toronto next week. It will be aired alongside two shorts that I have already reviewed, as well as Kaneal Gayle’s documentary Dancehall’s Asian Ambassadors, on September 19th under the heading Redemption Tales. If you are … More Caribbean Tales Film Festival: A Short Jamaican Documentary, “The Incursion”