Emancipation Park has become a haven for me. I am there at least two out of three mornings a week, running and shuffling. I am there, usually, before the sun is up, and I am in good company. In the past few weeks, it is taking on soap opera proportions for me, the characters now well-formed in my mind. I tell you now about them. The main characters are Mystic Mikey and Roderick.

Mystic Mikey is a reggae singer. He gave me his CD awhile back and it is now on my iPod. It is good. He has a sweet voice. He is an elderly man, with short, white hair and beard, a lean frame that he carries with surprising ease given his age. He wears running shorts, shoes and a tank top every day, despite the fact that I have yet to see him run. Sometimes he does walk fast, though, but that is to go and chat with someone. He plays ping pong every morning with a group of men who all call each other ‘general’ and ‘boss.’ Mikey is actually good at ping pong. He convinced me once to join him in a game, it was fun! Mikey says he has children in London, he says he has Julian Marley as a promoter for his band, but he also says he is having financial difficulties and that his car just gave out.

Roderick is a photographer. He is always out and about at events. He has a contraption such that he can take pictures and instantly print them out. But times are tough for him too, especially now that his wife has gone farrin (to Florida). He has two children. Roderick is short, stout and runs for three hours every day. He is definitely a shuffler, but a determined one. He tells me it is a good way to keep the weight off the belly.

Mikey and Roderick sort of run the place in that they know everyone. Then there are two subgroups: the elderly folk who stroll around the track. I call them the philosophers. Whenever I pass any one of them, they are talking politics and solving the world’s problems. This morning, someone stated that President Barack Obama must have the highest level of security surrounding him than any other president in history. Can I just tell you that if Jamaica’s politicians came to Emancipation Park every morning, they might pick up some good ideas about how to fix some major problems?

The other subgroup is the one that mills about, in full workout gear, in the middle of the park. A few of them walk around the track a bit, some of them do some stretches and calisthetics, but they mostly just talk. It is delightful when they start stretching and moving though, some of them are resurrecting some full-on Jane Fonda moves.

Some other characters include the old Rasta who jogs around the track, locks flowing almost down to his ankles; the elderly woman, barefooted and in a skirt and cardigan, who walks around the track a few times; the gentlemen (often reading Bibles) who look like they’ve had a rough night and come and crash and snooze in the park as soon as it opens in the morning; the hardcore sprinters who sprinkle drops of sweat on everyone as they pass; the well-groomed and stylish businesspeople passing through on their way to the corporate district and the women who look more like they are dancing than walking (seriously, Jamaican people look cool and like they have rhythm doing EVERYTHING. Not fair.)

There are some serious runners, here and there. Sometimes there are tourists from the nearby hotels. But most of the time, it is mostly people strolling around the track. It is not really an exercising pace, but it seems to work for them, as everybody seems to be enjoying themselves. Despite the laid back vibe, there are always three security guards, who stand at the peripheries and watch everything go down during opening hourse (5:00 am to 11:00pm or 12:00am). And sometimes, the odd outlier decides to walk in the wrong direction on the track (we are directed to only walk counter-clockwise), but that never really throws anyone off, actually.

You can see why I love Emancipation Park so now. It could be boring; after all, I am pounding around the same circle, over and over, day after day, but these people keep it interesting for me. And I now have to budget extra time to catch up with the regulars like Mikey and Roderick.

Last night, Youth Opportunities Unlimited hosted a graduation ceremony for dozens of youth who completed an employment enhancement program. The program was funded, in part by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, and we recognized the hard work of the young people who trained in areas such as computer skills, leadership and digital design. We opened the evening with a prayer and the anthem. Everybody was dressed in their finest, although we had to tell a couple of young men to pull up their pants and pin a young lady’s blouse shut. Oops!

We had a guest speaker by the name of Juleus Ghunta, who I have written about before. We also had a special guest speaker by the name of Evadne Coye, who is an Ambassador to Sir Patrick Allen, Governor General. In addition to these inspirational messages, saxophonist Dwayne Foster performed “We are the World,” which had everyone singing along and swaying in time. A spoken word performer named Randy Mclaren (Kriativ Activis, he calls himself) enthralled the audience with his dub poetry. He spoke about how he is the first person to go to college from his tiny village in St. Thomas parish. He has two more credits to go. Simply the Best Dance crew also thrilled everyone with a dancehall performance. In addition to these more entertaining performers, a board member, Mrs. Scott (YOU’s executive director), and someone from the government agency also spoke about the program, which has helped many of the youth to find full-time employment. It was amazing to hear them speak about how such a program has given them a boost in confidence, as well as the means to navigate the work world. It is a good reminder that those people born with privilege take for granted that they know how to behave in the workplace. One young man came up to me and asked if I could make sure to get a picture of him receiving the certificate, as it will be the first time he has graduated something since basic school (primary school.)

After everybody received the certificates, food was served. Patties, fried chicken, sandwiches, from what I could see. I was rushing off to see the results of the election.

It is a good day, wherever you are in the world. Jamaica is buzzing, most people seem happy that Obama is back in office. Check out his victory speech here. I am going to post later today, YOU had a graduation ceremony last night and I have lots of pictures and inspiring stories.

It seems as though we have been in the midst of an election campaign for eternity. I say ‘we’, and yes, I do mean Canadians, Jamaicans, everybody with access to any and all forms of U.S. media. We cannot escape it. Part of the reason for this is the proliferation of social media in our daily lives, part of it is the fact that the U.S. is still the world’s superpower (ok, lots of political scientists are currently debating this, but let’s just say it still is, at least in terms of cultural capital) and part of it is the fact that most North American homes receive U.S.television commercials.

In addition, several factors, including the influence of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, have created a situation in which politicians basically campaign year-round, even if they have just won an election. So it has become nearly impossible to tune out, although many people manage to do just that. Voter turnout is abysmal in Canada (federally, around 60 per cent and provincially around 40 per cent) and the U.S. (around 50 per cent). There are many theories as to why this is happening. I have read up on these theories extensively. Some of them hold weight for me, some don’t.

But going beyond academic speculation, people either say they simply do not care, they do not have time, or they feel their vote will not make a difference. For me, this leads to larger questions: is our system of democracy and representation broken? If so, do we fix it, and how? If not, are we satisfied with a society in which many of us do not have a say in the political systems that govern our day-to-day lives? Many theorists now talk of a new world order, along the lines of the Occupy movement, which tends closer to a communistic society, one in which capitalism is overthrown. These are overwhelming suppositions. All I know is that today, hundreds of millions of people have a chance to make their voice heard, to represent themselves.

There are always those people who deny the power and importance of voting. And while it is true that an individual ballot cast may not have an impact on the outcome of an election, the aggregate always does. Not to mention the empowerment citizens experience when they engage in the physical action of stepping up to the polling booth and participating in the most fundamental of activities one can undertake in a democratic society.

I always vote whenever I have the opportunity, even if it is an overseas ballot, even if it is for municipal government. I vote as a sign of respect to people who fought to sustain our democratic society. I vote as a sign of respect to those who are vulnerable members of society, who may never have a chance to have their voice acknowledged. And I vote because I can. It’s as simple as that. My American friends, please vote today. I beg you. I won’t even beg you to vote for a certain beloved candidate. Just get out there and vote. If you are still with me and are still inclined to read more about voting, I wrote this op-ed last year when Ontarians went to the polls.

 

Thanks and see you at the polls!

Best ackee and saltfish I have had here. It was at this tiny, out-of-the-way restaurant in Port Antonio. Just because. Also, I am still trying to figure out how to transfer some stuff over from my Tumblr to WordPress. So I will be putting up past posts that didn’t make a successful move. See below for my account of an amazing race I did in downtown Kingston.

Today, all Cuso volunteers (except Erin, boooo!) are going to Ocho Rios for a ‘call-back workshop’. So there will be lots of pictures from that, I expect. Have a great day!

Last night (Oct. 20, 2012), in downtown Kingston, roughly 2,000 runners and walkers and thousands of spectators converged on this waterfront area. Digicel, one of the region’s main telecom service providers, hosted the first annual 5K “Take Back the Night” run. It was, in fact, 5.3 kilometres and Brianna and I ran it. The route took us through places that are safe during the day but where you cannot go at night. The “downtown” area is a rundown area, despite the fact that it is home to the Bank of Jamaica, a beautiful conference centre and has a large and spectacular waterfront. There are hundreds of old, decrepit buildings, vestiges of colonialism.

There is an effort to revamp the area, but I’m sure it would be a multi-billion dollar effort. For now, though politicians and businesspeople are trying to lure citizens back downtown with events such as the run and new shopping centres. It was the most amazing feeling to run down in this area with thousands of others, both spectators and runners and walkers. Brianna and I were with the official running group (versus the walkers) but it seems many people who signed up to run might have been more of the aspirational variety, as the entire race required us to manoeuvre around slow walkers. There was loud music interspersed throughout the course (“I will survive” and “Funkytown”) and curious downtown residents clapping us on an providing commentary.

Before and after the race, we were provided with hydration (water and Gatorade) and sustenance (oranges and bananas). There was also a warm-up and cool-down session with fitness instructors and DJs. The whole event was in the shadow of the new Digicel headquarters, which is an attractive building that looks to be about 10 storeys. Digicel is an Irish company and this new building is meant to be a sign of faith in the downtown area. Let’s hope it works. I’m not so sure about the whole “Take Back the Night” initiative though- from who are we taking back the night? If it is criminals, of course, that’s appropriate. But could residents of the downtown area misinterpret this as a slight against them? Could it further the schism between “uptown” and “downtown?” I wondered this as I passed the area residents.

The race was also intended to raise awareness of children with disabilities and special needs. Wheelchair athletes participated and the top three male and female athletes were recognized. Too bad the stage was not wheelchair accessible, as Brianna pointed out.
Overall, it was a great event for many reasons, including the fact that Brianna and I felt good through the whole run. It was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.