In August 2020, national treasure, Adele got herself into hot water when she posted a picture on her social media channels, in honour of Notting Hill Carnival. The hot water was thrown from Black American Twitter, who screamed cultural appropriation because Adele had styled her hair in Bantu knots (a traditional African hairstyle) and sported …
Our Story
Tracing my roots
History has been one of my favourite subjects since Primary school so it’s not surprising that my family history is important to me. Black History Month is a good opportunity to think about our ancestry. Like many Jamaican’s my ancestry is a mix-up and blend up! My great-grandfather on my dad’s side was white Irish. …
The spread of Islam in Africa
Africa is the second largest continent in the world made up of 54 countries. There are many different religions in Africa and some of them have been celebrating their faith, telling their stories and teaching their principles for thousands of years. Islam has been in Africa for so long since its beginning on the Arabian …
6 facts about Jamaica’s debt
For over 40 years the people of Jamaica have suffered under the weight of massive debt. Jamaica is one of the most indebted countries and spends twice as much on debt repayments as it does on education and health combined. Conditions imposed with loans mean that foreign institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) …
The untold history of Jamaica
How we were made slaves and why we are still not free This is an interesting lecture that manages to span over 10,000 years of our history in under an hour. It looks at the people who lived on the island of Jamaica prior to Christopher Columbus’ so called discovery. It speaks about the transatlantic …
African Americans experience higher arrest related deaths
Racial disproportionality in the US criminal justice system is a fact that can be proved with statics. This could help to explain why a young black woman like Sandra Bland could end up dead after a routine traffic violation. As Sandra Bland’s death has been ruled as a suicide let’s look at statistics for deaths …
Ackee and Saltfish – a match made in taste bud heaven
Ackee and Saltfish is the National Dish of Jamaica but neither ingredient is of Jamaican origin. Ackee Ackee is derived from the original name Ankye that comes from the Twi language of Ghana. It’s botanical name, Blighia sapida, was given in honour of Captain William Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. Captain Bligh brought …
Street Boys of Jamaica
Jamaica has a population of 2.7 million people and 1.1 million people live below the poverty line. It’s no wonder then that some young children are the breadwinners for their families, often weaving in and out of cars selling goods or washing windscreens. Street Boys of Jamaica shines a spotlight on these boys and the …
Fact check: The etymology of picnic
We’ve debunked the tale of how Black Friday came about, now we will fact check the crazy tale of the etymology of picnic. Have you heard the story about where the word picnic comes from? If you haven’t, you’ve been lucky so far. If you have, let’s fact check that story. Here’s another tall tale …