THE EDITOR, Madame: An article entitled “Multimillion-dollar white elephant,” published in the Sunday Gleaner on August 20, 2023, by Mark Titus, solidifies my unwavering opinion that Jamaica, notwithstanding signs of so-called economic growth, is on a slippery slope of unsustainable development. The article reports that the Montego Bay Sports Complex, a gift from the VenezuelanContinue reading “White Elephant Economic Model”
Author Archives: donalddeanchambers
The Brawls
THE EDITOR: Dear Sir/Madame, Within one week, two Facebook videos which were labelled “brawls” went viral – the “Riu Brawl” at the Riu Hotel in Jamaica and the “Montgomery Brawl” in the United States. The “Riu Brawl” video displays two seemingly African American guests shouting aggressively at a hotel waitress. The obviously dissatisfied guests angrilyContinue reading “The Brawls”
Bling Versus Substance
THE EDITOR, Madam: Notwithstanding the poor state of Jamaica’s education system, I sense a growing consciousness that enables Jamaicans to distinguish between “bling” and substance. Deep in our guts, we feel disenfranchised, discouraged, and alienated from decision-making on national issues affecting our lives. Since the Andrew Holness administration’s overwhelming victories in the 2015 and 2020Continue reading “Bling Versus Substance”
Real Food
My consciousness awakes slightly before the break of dawn, but my physical body refuses blatantly to rise with it. So, I lay stretched out in bed with a cotton cover sheet trying hopelessly to protect myself from the unruffled wind of an electric standing fan. Lying crookedly flat on my stomach, I feel the pangsContinue reading “Real Food”
Solitude and Prayer
Accompaniment
A Jamaican saying characterises our Caribbean culture: “mout mek fi sey anyting”, meaning that the mouth can easily express words without the attendant action. Pastors readily preach up a storm; parents verbally give strict instructions, sports coaches constantly explain techniques, and politicians use persuasive language. And friends, forever give verbal advice. What is often lacking,Continue reading “Accompaniment”
Narratives
A narrative is a spoken, active, or written account of an individual’s or a group’s experience of life. Narratives are shaped and emerged by: Narratives can be re-shaped by: Authentic Narratives are not static but dynamic. They constantly evolve with: Healthy nations, communities, groups, and individuals emerge because of holding the tension of different narrativesContinue reading “Narratives”
Journeys to the Deep
We journey DEEP into the forest. We journey DEEP in the sea. We journey DEEP into research. We journey DEEP in thoughts. We journey DEEP into a cave. We journey DEEP into our feelings. We journey DEEP in search of new meaning. We journey DEEP into politics, spirituality, theology, culture, and philosophy. We journey DEEPContinue reading “Journeys to the Deep”
True Friends
Friendship is like a cluster of boulders in a river, standing side by side in companionship, glistening brilliantly in the sunshine of good times, offering verbal commitment in calm waters, ever-present on sunny and slow-moving water days, boasting exquisite beauty to onlookers, spurring jealous words, “I wish I had friends like those.” When sunny daysContinue reading “True Friends”
Jamaican Women
THE EDITOR: Madame, Like their ancestral mother, Nanny of the Maroons, Jamaican women are courageous, resilient, and possess a fighting spirit. This combination indicates the fire in their blood to resist any oppressive narrative aimed at redefining their dignity and pitting them against each other. Among many other historical events, this past week needs toContinue reading “Jamaican Women”
Beloved Reflections 