I have written extensively about the importance of voting. Check it out here, and here and here.

I don’t care where you live, voting is your voice, your opportunity to be involved and your message to those charged with the honour of representing you that demand respect as a constituent.

In most nations, voter turnout languishes around 65 per cent, with citizens giving a myriad of reasons as to why they choose not to show up at the polls, none of which I buy. Thus, when people tell me they don’t vote and list one of these reasons (my vote doesn’t mean anything, all politicians are corrupt, it takes too much time, I don’t follow politics) I tell them to decline their ballot. In fact, I raised this issue almost three years ago after acting as a poll clerk in a provincial election.

The training manual instructed poll clerks about the option of declining one’s ballot. Check out my post here. In essence, Ontario citizens can return the ballot to the poll clerk without having done anything to it, which does not count as a spoiled ballot. Instead, it is marked as a declined ballot. The reason for a voter’s decision to do this is not required, however, so the act of declining a ballot in itself is not a political statement.

But a new movement has formed in anticipation of tomorrow’s election in Ontario. It is called Decline Your Vote and urges people to do just that as a reflection of their dissatisfaction with the candidates.

Perhaps if enough people decide to show up at the polls tomorrow and exercise this option, the aggregate will convince politicians that people do care, that they do want to be involved and that they value their precious democratic right and responsibility to vote.

Or perhaps this movement will spur the creation of a new political party. After all, political parties are just that: an aggregate of people with similar interests who want to promulgate them.

Every day I pass by one of Kingston’s major intersections. Because there is a lot of traffic, there are a lot of entrepreneurs: windshield washers, men (and a couple of women) selling fruit and newspapers and baby wipes and car chargers. The windshield washers are the most aggressive, which means that every interaction between them and the motorists is a delicate negotiation; if the young men ignore the motorist who is waving them away, will the motorist still give them $100 or $200? If they don’t receive any money, will they hit the car, as they sometimes do? Or will they strike it rich for that day, and score $1,000? On the days I run past that corner, I end up talking to the young windshield wipers.

They have places to stay sometimes, with an aunt maybe. They store what little belongings they have there for the day, show up at the corner early in the morning (about 6am) and work until rush hour is over. They have told me that they like to party, to drink and smoke weed, and you can see it in their eyes. They work hard, darting from car to car, risking their safety in the heavy traffic. They also face the reaction from people in the cars, which can range from kindness to abuse. Whenever I pass by, we chat and they are polite to me and I give them money if I can. I also buy bananas, which show up intermittently depending on the health of the crops at any given time.

The other day I noticed a new addition to the group: a man selling flags, presumably for the World Cup. Jamaica is obsessed with football, so people are clearly gearing up for the competition. I have heard a few people say that they will be unreachable once the games begin. In any case, most of the world’s attention will be on Brazil over the next few weeks. Which brings me to a brilliant article about the event and how it is impacting the country by my friend Victoria, who is a Fullbright scholar studying in Brazil for a year for her doctoral research. 

Please visit this link to read the article. It sheds light on how such a major undertaking affects all classes of society. In many ways, Jamaica faces a lot of the same challenges. 

Yesterday a trip out east to a small town in St. Thomas. It is an eastern parish in Jamaica, home to lots of farming and mountains. It is beautiful and peaceful, a nice break from hectic Kingston.

Quite a strong statement today from the head of the National Association for the Family, Dr. Michael Coombs. According to Dr. Coombs, the lack of fathers in the family home is a national social and public health emergency. From a Jamaica Observer story:

“85 per cent of Jamaican children were born out of wedlock, which he said was perhaps the highest in the world. He added that the breakdown in family life has led to increased levels of crimes and violence, youth incarceration and sexual abuse, among other social maladies.

This is not an easy problem to solve, of course, but Dr. Coombs aims to see improvement within five to 10 years through several efforts, including a national mentorship initiative. There is no doubt about the power of mentoring, as I have written about before. It just seems as though this is just one tiny blast of warm air aimed at unfreezing a problem the size of a glacier.

Over the past several years, many people have been lamenting the low quality of dancehall in Jamaica, especially with the incarceration of Vybz Kartel (although he continues to produce an astounding amount of music).

However, some people are rejoicing in a young, new artist called Samantha J. At just 17, she has recently been signed to Columbia in a major record deal. Take a listen, her song is definitely catchy and tends towards pop. Enjoy your day!

Laid out behind the likes of Salman Rushdie, Jamaica Kincaid, nine-year-old poetesses and a family of dancing Rastafari was the flat, silver Caribbean Ocean. It was calm and languid, although a breeze blew through almost the whole weekend of the Calabash Festival, keeping a substantial crowd cool.

One couldn’t help but think about the ocean during the festival as writers took to the podium to share their work and thoughts with the audience. Its power and presence are perhaps what keep this festival so lovely, unpretentious and welcoming of all ages and colours and interests.

It was my first time at Calabash and I’m now sorry I have missed previous years. The highlight for me was both Jamaica Kincaid and Salman Rushdie. For her part, Kincaid read for a short while and then engaged in a discussion about everything from how she writes (it is not a profession but rather a lifestyle to be delighted in); mental illness (she recommended it, with a laugh, as a means of becoming a good writer); and black people (“who says black people don’t read?” she asked as she looked out at the audience.)

Salman Rushdie’s conversation was just as revealing, including some time devoted to some of his favourite music (Elvis Presley and Lou Reed).

I have not read either of these writers yet, but I now will. I also thoroughly enjoyed the open mic segments. There is some strong talent here, including the brave children who read their own poems about race, rainy days and various professions. As a child I wrote poems, stories, articles prolifically but could I have ever gotten on a stage to read something? Only right before fainting, I think.

The festival closed with a wonderful musical performance. I must also say that the food was delicious, my favourite being the Ital food. Overall, it is an amazing festival, so unpretentious, as I stated before, but it is worth repeating because these types of events can easily degenerate and become inaccessible. Another important thing to note is that it is FREE! And in the beautiful, languid parish of St. Elizabeth, which is on the South East coast of Jamaica. Thank you Calabash for a wonderful experience!

Scenes from lovely, lazy Treasure Beach, the scene of this weekend’s literary festival called Calabash. More to com.

About a year ago, I was working with 18 Degrees North on a piece about children in state care in Jamaica. Specifically, children who faced some personal challenges and as a result, were remanded to custody. Through some diligent research, I located one young woman who was sent to Fort Augusta, the adult female prison, for running away from home. Her crime? She had run away from home and was labelled “uncontrollable.” She was 16 and was housed with adult prisoners, including murderers, fraudsters and drug dealers.

The government has since promised that this legislation (which allowed judges to gain control of these youth who had committed various offenses, ranging from truancy to sexual activity to violent crimes, and put them in custody) would be taken off the books. I have not had a chance to get an update as to whether or not this is the case. There was also no word of this issue in Minister Lisa Hanna’s contribution to the government’s 2014/15 ‘sectoral debate’, however, according to Minister of Youth and Culture Hanna’s speech, the government has made great strides when it comes to children in state care. Take a read of her contribution at the link above. And watch my piece (link below), it is an eye-opening look at youth who are simply being children, as one of the contributors in the story put it, are treated in Jamaica. (You have to go to the second clip of the episode.)

http://www.18degreesnorth.tv/tag/dominican-republic/

Presented without comment, a press release from the Jamaica Constabulary Force:

Police Concerned about the Involvement of Children in Crimes

The Police High Command is concerned about instances of young people falling victims to various heinous acts of criminality and becoming involved in gun-related crimes, and is calling on all Jamaicans to redouble their efforts to safeguard the nation’s youth.

Figures from the Statistics Department of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) indicate that since January 2013 and May this year, 60 children were murdered, and 99 were shot and injured. In the last two months alone, seven children between the ages of 7 and 17 years were murdered, while one was shot and injured. Data shows too, that for the period January 01, 2013 May 25, 2014, forty-four children were charged with murder, 40 with shooting and 94 with breaches of the Firearms Act.

Police intelligence also suggests that gangs continue to co-opt children in their criminal organisations to commit crimes. Children are routinely found to be armed with weapons of all kinds—knives, machetes, even cleverly made homemade firearms, which are believed to be supplied by criminal gangs.

While the Police continue to enforce the law and employ policing strategies to dissuade young people from a life of crime, parents, caregivers and communities are being urged to care for children and to seek the assistance of the Police, the Child Development Agency or other appropriate authorities where necessary. Citizens are also being urged to report any abuse of children or their involvement in crimes. Children are too precious a commodity for well-thinking Jamaicans to stand by and do nothing to help them. Now more than ever, Jamaicans must unite for change; it is our civic duty to care for and protect our children.

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