The Purpose

By Natalia Downer

“Create and Celebrate or be Cast Aside?” – an Introduction

*Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/young-african-american-male-with-diary-and-pen-thinking-hard-4559765/*

There is a very unfortunate misunderstanding – as I like to put it – that is tangled in the meaning of ‘Jamaican’. It is a misunderstanding that has been uprooting the individuality of each and every Jamaican, devaluing/ undermining the individual experience. It is a misunderstanding that has not necessarily been written in words, but it has manifested itself behind the scenes, upfront, and all around; it is known.

What is known?

In Jamaica, the Jamaican creative is known for his or her ‘Jamaican-ness’. If your short story, novel, poem, or play doesn’t include a glimpse of the Jamaican culture – (whether it be through the food, the scenery, the dress, or the language) – it is white-washed, Americanized, Europeanized, a renouncing of one’s own culture and heritage or, just downright unacceptable.

Here is a term that I am sure many Jamaican creatives have heard before or have knowledge of:

O R E O

The sweet, black, chocolate cookies with the white cream in the middle? Well, yes and no.

Yes- in the sense that the term directly relates to the appearance of the cookie,
No- in the sense that the term refers, not to the cookie, but to a black person (or, in this sense, a Jamaican) who ‘acts White’. Black on the outside, White on the inside…just…like…an Oreo cookie.

We need to break the stigma of ‘Jamaican-ness’.

Photo by Anshuman Mohapatra: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-round-cookies-on-white-surface-5611701/

But what does Jamaican-ness even mean?

I’d like to argue that there is no one definition. As a matter of fact, in trying to come up with a definition, I would aim to include factors such as history, location, and experience.

Take a look at the definition of ‘Jamaican’ taken from the Collins Dictionary below:

*Definition of ‘Jamaican’ according to the Collins Dictionary*

Pay close attention to the two definitions: how more or less specific and shallow the first is, and how simple but expansive the second is. The second definition, in my estimation – though very simple and unspecific – is the superior definition because it not only leaves room for things such as culture and location but – also, more importantly – experience…the individual experience.

So yes, a Jamaican is someone who “comes from Jamaica” or, to be more specific, is one who was born there or – I suppose – one who has citizenship there. And, the Jamaican is whoever that person is; it is however, they were raised, however, they choose to speak, whatever they decide to create art about or around – so long as they are ‘Jamaican’ by the ACTUAL definition of the word.

Lastly, let us not forget our motto: “Out of Many One People”. Though rinsed, let me repeat the obvious here as well: Jamaica is a melting pot of very different people with very different experiences in life who share a common history. And although this blog post merely acts as an introduction to the issue, let me conclude by saying that we cannot afford to disregard the factor that makes all Jamaicans unique. Although we are one people,

some of us grew up speaking Patois, some standard English, some both;
some grew up listening to Reggae and Dancehall, some to Classical music, pop, rock, alternative, or all;
some eat ackee and saltfish, some fear the poison of the ackee, some eat jerk chicken, Chinese food, Japanese food, Indian cuisine, all, some, or none.

The point is, when it comes down to creating – whether it be song, story, or sculpture – it does not have to look or feel Jamaican to be Jamaican. This is because, to the creator, based on their own experiences living in Jamaica, or being a part of the diaspora, it looks or feels that way to them…and it is valid.