August 18, 2010

Ever passed an empty lot every day and mysteriously one day a building is there, and you can’t remember what that spot looked like before? Ever notice something and realize your fascination is really with the knowledge that what you see is part of a larger experience or phenomenon?

Well, since we all can agree that 2010 changed many things in Jamaica – like a US military aircraft reportedly flying over your verandah on its way to Tivoli – we thought we should find a way to note such developments.

This week Panmedia launches a new Facebook page so you can add your two cents on much the nation is changing right in front of our eyes. Titled  Signs of the Times in Jamaica, the page documents changes around us as they happen.

We welcome your insight, from the sublime to the ridiculous, and hope you take time to share the little things you notice about change in Jamaica.

  • When men with names like “Cheese Trix” and “Gummy Bear” hire lawyers to turn themselves in to the police, it’s a sign of the times.
  • When selectors at dancehall sessions no longer asks the crowd to ‘flash your lighter’ but instead to ‘wave your cell phone’ it’s a sign of the times.

When Giscombe Sports now displays more basketballs than footballs in their store, you know it’s a sign of the times.

Jamaica has always been a place caught between extremes. Traditional Jamaica contends with modern American influences and British aspirations. Laid back, no problem Jamaica rubs shoulders with the quintessential Jamaican hustler. The serenity of the rolling rural landscape creates is now set against the noise and edge of the cities. The warmth and humour of the Jamaican people is constantly at odds with the destructive few.

So Jamaicans have become fluid, easily adapting and moving from one extreme to another. Such perpetual motion has made us very sensitive to change. From Garvey to Independence, from the gas riots to Hurrican Ivan, we are concerned aobut anything that draws us away from the last memories we have of our root culture. We can feel the gears shifting us from one phase to another in the little things we see every day.

Join Signs of the Times in Jamaica on Facebook and help to document our contemporary history. Give your take on the many signs of change around us.