What else does Jamaica have to offer really?

All my life I feel like my country has been for sale.

We're always doing what other people [outsiders] want us to do, so that we can attract these same outsiders [now in the form of tourists] so that they may BUY into whatever we have for SALE and as such the country benefits with revenue.

There has never really been a trade system, no such thing as bartering really... as much as it hurts me to say this, it's like the slave trade; Or perhaps the "amelioration" period before slavery was abolished in the Caribbean - where they committed to treating the slaves better but they were still enslaved - they were still the property of their slave masters and were still to carry out the tasks given... they were still not free.

These countries still have us in the palm of their hands. After the freedom, the independence that our ancestors fought for, we have SOLD our country back into slavery. But, could a different outcome be expected for an island with a history like ours? How do other Caribbean nationals feel? I am unsure if this is just a Jamaican thing, if I am the only one who feels like this, or are there other Caribbean people who feel the same way about their country?

And it is evident that persons in authority think so also: because one of the goals for the Vision 2030 project is to have Jamaica be seen as an area to invest in, an area in which you can do business... ye, we're still SELLING ourself, but not in the usual "sun, sea, sand, rasta man" kinda way. [Also, isn't it interesting how we sell the rasta man image, smoking - when in reality they are shunned by so many and smoking marijuana is illegal; and also the objectification of women,, but that's a whole new blog post...]

You may or may not be wondering why I decided to blog about this... I'm going to tell you anyway. I love Jamaican products, anything Jamaican I am ALL FOR IT (except the illegal stuff lol). So when I heard of [another] Jamaican movie being released in 2010 (Better Mus' Come) you know  I had to go see it. So, although the cinema prices went up I dragged a friend along (I believe it was my boyfriend) and we went to see the movie. It opened my eyes to something new, since I wasn't born when those particular events were taking place.

But it was just a different story from the same part of our history... the only part it seems that movies can be made about. Political party corruption, violence, "donmanship" and "badman-ism". Check third world cop, dancehall queen and any other short film made about Jamaica... it must contain one of these things.

A friend of mine, who is also a finalist in the Ms. Jamaica World Pageant [GO LISA!!!], starred as the main character's love interest in the just released Jamaican film "Ghett'a Life". So again I dragged a friend to the movies (this time not my boyfriend) and he kicked and screamed about the cost of the movie ticket, but we went to watch Ghett'a Life. Let me just say, it's a good movie and thumbs up to the director, Chris Browne - it was captivating and the WHOLE cinema: white Jamaicans, black Jamaicans, foreigners, young, old and in between, were so interested in the movie they screamed during the fights, spoke to the screen as if the characters could hear, and clapped at the end (as Jamaicans usually do when they're satisfied with something).

But it was still the same thing: political party corruption, violence, "donmanship" and "badman-ism".

It led me to ask the question: What else does Jamaica have to offer? Is it that we've sold so much of ourselves to other countries that all we have left of our history is the darkness and corruption involved in politics and in living in the ghetto?

Although these movies teach us several lessons about the lives we continue to lead and the stereotypes and stigmas we continue to hold... I cannot get over being a bit concerned about the fact that all these movies are basically about the same thing.

"Out of Many, One People"