Merlene lived and worked for most of her life in Kingston but has now moved back to Oracabessa, St Mary. Everyday she visits her mother (who she calls grandmother), caring for her and making sure she’s okay.
Hard work is crucial for survival, Merlene explained to me. When you work hard you’re able to only support yourself, but also your family. This is something Merlene tells her children and grandchildren often.
While walking along a peaceful stretch of beach in St Elizabeth I met Randy. We talked for a while and he told me that he writes poetry. 'Love inspires me,' he told me. 'I didn't grow up with love, I spent a lot of time by myself as a child.'
Randy told me we wasn’t taught how to love, but it has been something which he has found strength and purpose in.
Randy is soft spoken and very shy. He explained to me that finding people to trust and be able to talk to is hard within his community and that when you find true friendship it’s something you must hang onto.
Rankine took up painting after he broke his leg slipping on a banana peel. Determined not to let his injury hold him back, he traveled to Kingston and took a courses in sign painting. Using biblical references, photos, images from books, warnings, cautions, historical fact and his imagination, Rankine has developed a large collection of designs over the years.
Displaying his work along the roadside in St Elizabeth, Rankine links his signs together with wire, stringing them between a wooden frame to make one large installation, catching the attention of passersby. Rankine believes that his true purpose is to create signs that will educate children and pass on important messages.
While exploring Constant Spring Arcade in Halfway Tree, I stumbled across Gabrielle at her workshop. A born entrepreneur, a self-taught fashion designer with a mission, ambitious, hardworking, business savvy with a contagious smile. The following day I came back with my camera. We spoke about life, work, family expectations and the importance of positive African consciousness within Jamaica.
Thank you Gabrielle for your pure light and positive energy, you’re truly inspiring!
Check out Quaint by GSC to get your hands on some of Gabrielle’s work.
St John has been creating bead curtains for nearly 30 years. Over time he started integrating found plastics from his community such as lighters, rum bottle caps and hair beads. St John combines the colourful plastics with natural Job’s tears, a seed collected at certain times of the year from along Jamaica’s riverbanks.
Slicing his lighters up and creating vibrant zig-zagging patterns, St John's curtains reflect the sounds of deep reggae and dub which is constantly pulsating through his workshop.
Lottery scamming is an ugly business which happens in Jamaica. This is an illegal practice which bleeds innocent victims bank accounts while simultaneously causing gang wars and way too many violent deaths. In 2018 lottery scamming brought a state of emergency on different locations across the country.
There is a strong and powerful energy which pulsates through the rivers of Jamaica. A calming, healing and nurturing energy. An energy that can be harnessed. An energy that is believed to bring protection, guidance and good luck. This is an energy which needs to be approached with care. It requires the wisdom and guidances of our elders and ancestors. However this is also an energy which has interestingly been channeled into the fraudulent practice of lottery scamming. Misused, manipulated and abused.
