Barking about black pride
Dear Editor,
Anyone who lives in Jamaica quite likely passed or stood by the gate of someone’s home and got a grand greeting from at least half-dozen barking dogs.
The question as to whether the dogs are being properly cared for by the owner is definitely not in debate by the dogs. All they want to know is “ruff, ruff” (why yuh at wi gate?); “ruff, ruff” (put yuh big foot in ya mek wi get to eat you alive).
I said the above to describe how some creatures in the human race, especially the ones that live amonst us in Jamaica, react when you talk about the ultimate freedom for black people in this country. We love to run off our traps about education is the key, but ask the many university graduates in Jamaica who now have some spanking first degree about keys and who cannot find any door of opportunity to push them in, much less open the doors. Their frustration with this type of carpentry is because they have misfitting keys and locks.
The Japanese, Jews, Koreans, even the Eskimos are finding their niches in the world. And while we have the fastest man and maybe woman alive, most Jamaicans barely get by. Why? Because the privileged few who control media houses and the purse strings still set the agenda. That is why periods like Black History Month will never become a reality for many black people.
Can you believe we are in 2015? Can some bright mathematicians check the time from 1834 to now for me? No attorneys here, please, mathematicians. We are looking at nearly two centuries. Today, we are the descendants of slave with a national debt approaching two trillion dollars. And to whom do we we owe this money? The descendants of the very same slave masters who were paid $20 million when they “lost us”.
So when I hear some misinformed country man or woman barking and running up and down the place because I ask for more national black pride and celebration of our African heritage, all I have to say is: “Go mek yuh master feed yuh better. Yuh no see how yuh belly bang.”
Mark Trought
marktrought@gmail.com