I started writing this at 11.37 pm on the 5th of August; by the time I am done, it will be Wednesday, the 6th of August, Jamaica’s Independence Day. It is a time to reflect on where we are coming from, where we are now 46 years later, and where we’re going in the future,

Jamaica was a British colony before gaining independence and it is a regular debate as to whether we would be better off still being a colony.

For the independence, I decided to write a  top ten list of what is right and another top 10 about what is wrong. I’ll start with what’s right so that if you get tired of reading, at least you will be left with only positive thoughts about this small country.

Best Things About Jamaica (Top 10)

1. Music: A natural number one. We have been musically inclined even before the days of Mento then Ska in the 1960’s then Rock Steady (late 1960’s) then Reggae (1970’s to the present) then Dancehall (1980’s to the present). Bob Marley is known the world over and his music still lives on after his death from cancer in 1981. His album “Exodus” is described by Time Magazine as the “Album of the 20th Century” and his single “One Love” was voted “Song of the Millennium” by the BBC.
more about “Bob Marley “One Love”“, posted with vodpod
2. Sports: Jamaica is one of the powerhouses in world Track & Field sprinting boasting the two fastest men ever over the 100 meters (Usain Bolt & Asafa Powell). We just keep getting better and are expected to give our best performance ever this Olympics. This little island of 2.7 million people with an area of only 4,411 square miles, consistently beats countries several times our area, wealth and population in the Olympics and World Championships medals table. Our Reggae Boyz football (soccer) team became the first team from the English speaking Caribbean to qualify for a World Cup Tournament in 1998, defeating Japan 2-0 and in the process also became the first (and still only) one to win a game at the tournament. Our netball team is ranked 3rd in the World, only behind Australia & New Zealand.
3. Food: Jamaica has it’s own unique dishes and there are Jamaican restaurants all over the world. Our original Jerk Chicken (grilled in a used oil drum) is world famous.
4. Culture: We have a unique culture which includes the food, music, language, dress., etc.
5. Beauty: There is a thriving tourism industry here, all because of the island’s beauty. It has drawn millions to our shores and many just can’t stop coming back. Whether it is the beautiful Dunn’s River Falls the green ferns of Fern Gully or the 7 miles of endless white sand beaches of Negril, it is truly a beautiful country.
   
6. Friendly People; We are known for our friendliness to strangers and our hospitality towards visitors is one of our greatest assets. We still haven’t found a way to tolerate each other, though, so we keep killing one another sometimes for little or no reason.
7. Democracy: We are a very democratic country and although you cannot go into certain areas and express opposing political views, our transfer of power from one party to the next has always been smooth and without incident or dissent.
8. Climate: although totally natural, this is what has contributed to our strong tourism industry (along with the islands beauty and the friendliness of the people).
9. Press Freedom: Our press enjoys a total freedom that would be envied by most countries. Government generally stays out of the media houses and they (the media) are free to crucify whoever they want (as long as they abide by the Libel Laws).
10. Rastafarianism: the idea of a black god as the second coming of Christ on earth (in the person of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Selassie I of Ethiopia) was born and bred in Jamaica.
    photo credit: max_thinks_sees

Honorary mention has to be made of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, that great black power leader who from his base in Harlem, USA, taught negroes the world over to take pride in themselves and stand up for their rights

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