Without Vision

like a man chained in a cave to stare at a shadow eventually accepting his realities( Plato "Allegory of the Cave) so many of us stay retarded by our dispositions in life. Jamaica's Art/ Industrial Arts industry is so rich in potential yet not many a individual's mind has been impregnated with a response that has the guts needed to take the bull by the horn. Jamaican Art has become the buying and selling of mediocrity and lack of integrity breading a result of the "bruck pocket, gimmi a bly "culturally insignificant. This  cohort resides limited in their fortitude to recognize this truth, as believe it or not,  it would destabilize their pockets and livelihood. How then can there be a revolution of this process if timidity is the epitome of our existence .

It has always been my impression that the Edna Manley college, one of the foremost leaders tasked with the mantel for the rejuvenating and re-contextualizing of the Jamaican Arts and its contemporary expression and economy, has not failed in producing artist annually but has fallen short where the ability of these practitioners reside in contextualizing their academia bestowed them.  Outside of philosophizing and doing art to meet a personal expression these professionals are limited and eventually do not contribute much to the nations Art nor do they impact its culture, outside our miniscule Music catalog.

there are a few persons who have tried to capitalize on industrializing their Artistic and  creative expression and those persons have to be credited where necessary but one must admit what has been done so far is not even a chip off the iceberg.

 Fifty years is a great triumph for any developing post colonial nation  and Jamaica having accomplished such should be applauded in context." Sly mongoose yuh name gaan abroad" but in this case not for the violence that has retarded our nations  infancy but for being one of the first nations, no longer wearing Her Majesties albatross , to have leaped this far and stayed close to being flat footed. Our physical and entrepreneurial  renditions as a nation has developed over their years which allows us to live and compete globally. Though we boast a nice resume our breathing is asthmatic and our grip slipping.  

Lets pause at this interval, " rest wi likle self," and reflect on the ways we have managed our creative abilities so we can effect a more impacting result as we embark on the next fifty yes to come. There are many groupings of talented Arts professionals  as well as creative genres untapped but ripened unwavering to the idea of being  exploited. In hindsight lets authenticate the sentiment, as consistently  referenced, that we are the Mecca of culture and capitalize on it to reclassify our economy matriculating from developing to developed. Throughout my primary and secondary eduction there was one thought which was impressed on my mind and that of my classmates daily , " Jamaica's most valid resource is it's people."

A people is an expression, an expression a culture, a culture an asset. Art is an asset of an expressive culture.  "Cow nuh know the use of him tail till him lose it" we cannot fall victim to such realities. "Wah heart nuh si heart nuh leap", without a vision the people perish, it does not have to be 20/20 as long insight is not in vain. The Aim of this "chatup" is not to discourage the trying our pedestal the tried but to  redirect and re-volt the Jamaican expressions, its context and economy. Jamaica's Arts/ creative industry is at a fork in the road: do we stand idle by and watch  as people take our valuables as their own or do we capitalize on  that which is valuable to  justify the road we will take. No man is an island and so it takes all within the industry and those on the periphery to  own, deconstruct and reapply the energies needed to say that we have done our nations expression justice and are proud.