VYBZ Kartel and Mavado, two of Jamaica’s most renowned dancehall artistes, have achieved what many Jamaicans have not been able to do in a lifetime. They were able to get the full attention of the Jamaican government which invited them to a summit at Jamaica House. They both represent and symbolise two competing factions, Gaza and Gully respectively.

These two G factions are not unlike our two P factions, the Jamaica Labour Party and the People’s National Party which have divided and ruled this country for decades. In the case of the Gs, music has been the compelling and inspiring force, while for the Ps it has been primarily about the distribution of the spoils of office and scarce benefits.

In both cases, it is the poorer class of people with a generous sprinkling of the middle class that comprise most of their avid followers. Needless to say, factions in Jamaica of whatever ilk tend to be factious as well as fractious. In other words, war is usually an option, whether it be verbal, physical or psychological. And given the fact that many of these followers are not very well educated and informed, they are likely to be easily led and influenced in whatever direction their leaders want to take them.

The Gaza-Gully summit was called at Jamaica House in order to quell what was fast becoming an outright feud between the two factions involving school children who in some instances had already taken the feud to vulgar extremes. Some of the utterances and activities of both groups had also descended into flagrant acts of decadence and immorality. Indeed, whereas the PJ Patterson-initiated values and attitudes campaign has failed to fashion the type of Jamaican that exudes moral and ethical fortitude, the Gaza-Gully exponents have been able to penetrate the minds of many vulnerable individuals who are like characters desperately in search of an author.

This columnist will not spend time berating the two G factions because, after all, they have been filling a void which politics, the church and educational institutions have failed to overwhelm meaningfully. And it is well known that Nature abhors a vacuum. Rather, I would want to focus on the way forward and the ways in which Mr Mavado and Mr Kartel could help in that process. To begin with, I have a problem with their use of imagery. And this is not only akin to dancehall artistes but football teams and inner-city communities which have opted for using such names as Vietnam, Beirut and other mostly Middle East and war-torn sections of the world as part of their favourite nomenclature and branding. I must confess that I find it very strange that a country whose population is predominantly of African descent should prefer to use Asian and Arabic names. It only goes to show that we are a very confused and directionless people.

The Gaza Strip is said to be one of the smallest territories and one of the most crowded in the world. It is situated in the Middle East, bordering the Meditarranean Sea, between Israel and Egypt. It is widely regarded as a powder keg. In Jamaica, a gully usually refers to a gutter or drain. In the wider context, gully represents extreme poverty, environmental degradation and an area prone to disaster and death. Why Jamaicans should choose these two names is therefore beyond me, as neither emanates anything worthwhile, although in perhaps a twisted way getting out of the ghetto and hence ridding oneself of the negatives surrounding a Gaza and Gully could mean progress ultimately.

Frankly, I would strongly suggest to these two dancehall icons to look seriously at coming up with new names that best reflect us as a Jamaican people with strong African roots. In addition to such a bold, innovative and far-reaching move, I would want to suggest to the Gaza emperor and the Gully god that they begin to see themselves as nation builders rather than embracing acts and sayings that can tear down the very foundations of nationhood. It is understood that they will not be able to make this paradigm shift overnight, but they can choose to become participants in an evolving scenario which may well help to stave off a debilitating and highly destructive revolution.

In this vein, there are two areas of great concern that I would want to put on their respective plates. One has to do with the value of life and the other would focus on work ethic. Given the record number of murders and road accidents in this country, it is clear that many Jamaicans have very little respect for life. The “born fi dead” syndrome is alive and well and many young men in particular do not see themselves reaching the ripe old age of 35. Indeed, “making a duppy” (killing someone almost for the fun of it) has become somewhat of a national pastime.

In the meantime, it has been confirmed that Jamaica has one of the worst work ethics in the world. The attitude and performance of so many people in the island’s workforce will continue to stymie production and annihilate productivity. Given the worsening state of our economy and an impending IMF deal that will force us to produce or die, a way must be found to get our workers to rid themselves of what is often referred to as their “donkya” (don’t-care) approach at the workplace.

In keeping with my request from readers as to the way forward in my column on January 5, D McFarlane writes: Sir Lloyd, I read your article and agree with the contents. My wish for 2010 is that every major town will get the long-awaited cameras, the police anti-corruption branch will do more sting operations to nab corrupt officers, judges will stop giving criminals, especially the serious ones, slaps on the wrists, politicians will pass good laws quickly through the Houses irrespective of affiliation, teachers will spend a little time each week to teach young children social graces, if they know the same, government will tax dances, promoters and deejays who show off on the fixed salaries like us, people with more would have the conscience to spend some on the less fortunate (I see the amounts some put in Cash Plus).”

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com