Last night we headed down to the National Stadium for a Major Lazer show. The truth is I am old and don’t fully understand or know much about these guys, but I do know it was a good show. It pulled a relatively young crowd (mostly university students) but it was well-attended. Major Lazer has worked a lot with Jamaican artists and has a strong following here and the crowd seemed to respond well.

The only surprise was the fact that it ended promptly at 2am, as per the city of Kingston’s noise by-law. Lately, the cops have to literally come on stage to unplug instruments and microphones to stop the entertainment in accordance with the by-laws, because apparently people have been complaining about noise.

And of course, the performers made sure to thank the sponsors, Red Stripe, Pepsi, etc., for their generous sponsorship, which meant “all-inclusive” drinks flowing all night. The cops were also out in full force, mingling with the crowd, which stayed peaceful. Enjoy your day!

This Buzzfeed article about some youth who have been kicked out of their homes, ostracized by their communities and forced to live in Kingston’s sewers because of the way they dress or act came out yesterday.

It is interesting for several reasons, the first being that Buzzfeed is sending reporters to do international, investigative journalism stories. Buzzfeed is primarily known as a social media-type, curation site which assembles numerical lists of things like the 40 Most Insane Things That Happened in Florida. The fact that it is investing some cash in investigative journalism says a lot about its intentions and direction.

The article is solid. It shows respect to the subjects (who are part of a vulnerable population), it is well-researched, fair, accurate and balanced and provides background and context.

Please take a read, it is worth your time to get a sense of how some of these youth live. The only way to help them lead more safe and productive lives is to raise awareness, put pressure on government and legislators and sensitize people about their plight. Unfortunately, it still needs to be stated that “they” deserve to enjoy the same basic human rights that their fellow human beings take for granted.

The excitement was building all day yesterday, actually for days it has been building. Our plan was to gather at Usain Bolt’s restaurant Tracks and Records to watch the Voice finale show, where Tessanne was to be crowned the winner. We arrived at 6:30 pm hoping to get a table but it was already packed. We managed to get some seats by the bar.

It seems the entire island was tuned in to see Tessanne win the Voice. Every time she came on screen, the cheers and screams were deafening. Jamaicans are fiercely loyal and Tessanne is now a national hero. Check out the Gleaner story here.

Digicel sponsored an event in Half Way Tree, giving out free food and drinks and I think the party went on until at least 3am. We also heard lots of pot banging and maybe a few gunshots. I wonder if this will now be declared a national holiday.

Here is Tessanne last night on the Voice performing Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” Flawless. Jamaicans are campaigning today for votes so that she can win tonight. Stay tuned and have a wonderful day.

For one-third of Jamaica’s school children, the state-sponsored meal provided at school is their only meal of the day. Often, many of them will eat just half of it and bring the remainder home for dinner, which is probably shared amongst other family members. This is disturbing, especially at this time of year, when we are being encouraged to consume as much as possible.

From the Gleaner article:

Those currently being fed include 136,000 children who get meals through Nutrition Products Limited; 175,000 across all school types who get cooked lunches; and a further 211,000 who get Programme for the Advancement Through Health and Education nutritional support.

Currently, 5,000 of the students getting nutritional support from the State are in early-childhood institutions, with 206,000 in primary, all-age, and secondary schools.

Just wanted to draw attention to this horrible reality at this time of year, when excess abounds.

This is Albert Jonas of Irishtown. He uses Calabash to make beautiful jewelry and other crafts. He was at Devon House Craft Fair today and I was taken with his work. He also showed me the tools he made with pieces of wood, metal and leather, used to carve the wood. Calabash (lagneraia sacraria) is a vine that produces squash-like fruit, and the gourd is used for arts and crafts and instruments. It is a popular medium here, with artisans carving intricate designs into the delicate, wood-like material.

According to Mr. Jonas, calabash gourds was traditionally used for cutlery, scoops, ladles and containers, as well as fish net floats, musical instruments, and ornamental purposes. Calabash apparently originated in Africa and the tree can grow up to 30 feet in height.

Took a hike up a hill in the Armour Heights area of the city this morning and here are the pictures. It is a beautiful day and this is one of the more peaceful areas of the city. Many flowers are in full bloom, including the gorgeous white euphorbia, which has an intoxicating smell and only blooms at Christmastime. We also fed some stray dogs who were most grateful for the food.

I am grateful that my legs are getting back to normal after the marathon, although I still feel slightly like a drunken toddler, i.e. a bit unsteady. A spinning class and some yoga completed the morning. I’ve been told now is the time to try new activities as you ease back into running. Enjoy your Saturday.

The Christmas decorations are up in YOU’s offices and carols are playing on the radio. It seems the city in general is embracing the season too, as decorations are appearing everywhere. The “Christmas breeze” has also blown in, which means it is just a little less hot to me, and downright cold to Jamaicans. The roads are also crammed with cars seemingly at all times of the day and the malls and stores are packed. It is an enjoyable atmosphere this year, actually. Have a good day!

“Can you carry me foreign?” This question was posed to me last night at a candle-light vigil to benefit Kingston’s homeless gay youth, hosted by the non-governmental organization the Color Pink Group. Seventeen-year-old Christopher asked me this in hopes that I would be able to use my status as a foreigner to help him migrate somewhere more safe. Christopher does not feel safe because he is a gay youth who lives in Jamaica, a nation not known for its tolerance towards homosexuals.

(Check out the latest news here, about “rowdy” homosexuals in Kingston, or here, about this group of gay men who have been evicted from their “home”, which is really a ditch, the only place they can live. And we cannot forget about Dwayne Jones, who was murdered this past summer).

Christopher, a tall, skinny young man wearing a camouflage t-shirt, was not alone last night. He was among dozens of young men who attended the event, at which candles were lit in memoriam of those who have lost their lives to violence or HIV/AIDS. To be a young, gay male of low economic status in Jamaica is to be vulnerable. Most of these youths are told to leave their family homes, they cannot find work and they are discriminated against and subjected to violence.

Jermaine Burton, founder of the Color Pink Group, told the audience last night that the goal of his NGO is to break this poverty cycle through education and awareness of health. The Color Pink Group will do this by providing training in hospitality, food and beverage services, housekeeping and tourism. “The youth really are the future of this country,” Burton said. CPG works with young, homeless gay men who are involved in commercial sex work. Burton, who himself was homeless for a time, founded CPG with the aim of providing vocational training, education in HIV and sexual health, psychosocial support and mentorship and school homework assistance. To date, CPG has touched the lives of 15 youth.

The evening opened with a prayer (after ascertaining that there were no atheists in the audience who would be offended) and the national anthem. CPG field officer Asley Grey then said a few words, reading from a script, before abandoning that to speak from his heart. “I do not believe in special welcomes,” Reid said referring to the Jamaican tradition of acknowledging each and every “dignitary” in the audience. “We are all equal, in every shape and form,” Grey said. “We all have the same colour blood…We are here to speak out against any sort of hate, pain, disgust, discrimination that persons of different sexualities and lives face. We are all born with simple, basic human rights.”

Grey went on to say that CPG recognizes the stigma and violence these youth face, in addition to the health-related challenges of HIV/AIDS. “This continues to affect the lives of loved ones by affecting their quality of life,” he said, adding that 30 per cent of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community are affected by HIV/AIDS.

After these words, people lit candles and uttered the names of those who have lost their lives or experienced persecution. It was a somber affair, of course, yet at the same time there was a feeling of strength and perseverance. One young man remarked that it was so nice to be able to just sit in safety and watch television. (The event also included a screening of the movie Precious.) Attendees also ate fresh and delicious chicken foot soup, cupcakes and coconut drops.

Empathy is a powerful tool when it comes to understanding the challenges our fellow human beings face. I try to experience empathy for these young men who have been kicked out of their home, who fear for their very safety on a daily basis, who cannot work, who do not take their future for granted, who must eternally monitor their behaviour. Yet in reality, most of us cannot even pretend to be able to understand what this life feels like. After spending some time with these young men over the past few months, I feel I have just started to understand the extent of the challenges they face. Witnessing them in an environment in which they are not judged or attacked, where they can simply sit and watch television and eat warm food, is to begin to understand their life. To witness a group of Jamaica’s most vulnerable citizens experience some moments of freedom and pleasure was a beautiful thing and we must commend those risking their own well-being to continue to advance the protection of the basic human rights we should all enjoy. Congratulations to Jermaine, Asley, Romario, J-FLAG, Quality of Citizenship Jamaica, Suzanna, Amy and all those involved, directly and peripherally in this event and all the other hard work that still remains to be done that will finally secure the future for the country’s most vulnerable citizens.

Today is Human Rights Day, as declared by the United Nations in 1950.

The concept of human rights is forever debatable and nebulous, but the United Nations has indeed enshrined them in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 in the wake of the horrors of the Second World War. Here is the preamble and first article for you to ponder on this momentous day:

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Please take a minute to think about what the concept of human rights means to you, and perhaps what you can do, in any minute way possible, to advance them for our brothers and sisters who are still deprived of the basic dignities theoretically guaranteed to them.