Sylvia Wynter's Dream

Javeir Henry.

Growing up in Jamaica, there are a lot of unsettling conspiracy theories that I have heard throughout my childhood. When I was younger, my mother often sent my siblings and I to stay with my grandmother during the holidays. Being at my grandma’s house, I met up with my other cousins and there are quite a few instances where my grandmother would tell us eerie “duppy stories” at nights. Do you know that uneasy feeling that you get when you are so scared that makes you cling to the sheets, shutting your eyes tightly as you toss and turn in bed at nights because you simply cannot sleep?

Well, if you are not familiar with that feeling then I envy you; but if you are then trust me, I feel for you.

I remember a few years ago my mother allowed my siblings and I to spend the Christmas holiday with my grandmother and some of my favourite cousins. After dinner, I recall my grandmother saying,”Unuh wah hear duppy story?” and my cousins and I nodded our heads in union despite how scared we were feeling.

She then proceeded to tell us a story about “rolling calf.” After hearing all of those stories, I got extremely scared at nights to the point where I did not even wanted to close my eyes and go to bed.

According to MyIslandJamaica.com, a rolling calf is described as “a spirit of a man that led a devious life while he was alive, usually a butcher or farmer.” It is believed that the rolling calf can shapeshift and oftentimes it will appear as a three-legged goat or bull. In addition, this creature is said to have terrifying, blazing red eyes and smoke coming from its nostrils. Quite a few older Jamaican people have strong beliefs surrounding this mystical creature, stating that the rolling calf also has chains around its neck.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=00twg0GSSAM%3Fstart%3D10

After hearing all of these stories it made it difficult for us to sleep at night because we were engulfed in fear. Another reason why she would tell us these stories is to scare us so that we would stay inside at nights.

There is another myth that if you wash your face with rice water at nights then it will allow you to see ghosts or “duppy.”

A few years ago, an eleven year old boy from the Spanish Town area was allegedly being haunted by a ghost. Many Jamaicans were alarmed and astonished at the fact that it got caught on camera; there were a lot of conspiracies that they tweaked the footage etc.

In conclusion, there are a lot of conspiracy theories and myths in Jamaica but nit every story is factual. A lot of these stories mentioned above are mostly for entertainment purposes; they are also traditional practices that have been passed down from or ancestors during the enslavement period. The story of the rolling calf was told to younger children to instill faer within them and to bully them into staying in their houses and not wander around at nights. In relation to the theme of “Amnesia,” it can be inferred that the youths of today (this present generation) have not experienced these types of fear from these theories because they are deeply englufed in this technological era, they are quite uninterested about hearing things like those from the past. For instance, while completeing this assignment, I asked my thirteen year old sister if she knew about the rolling calf and she responded saying that she does not know what I am talking about. It is eveident that over the years, as th older generation die, they take piece of our cultural traditions or practices with them. Hence, this is why our beliefs will be forgotten because they are buried deep with our ancestors and the elderly.