ONCE defined by the deadly 2010 military and police operation to apprehend former strongman Christopher Coke, Tivoli Gardens is now showing signs of renewal, according to Councillor Donovan Samuels (Jamaica Labour Party), who says the community has the potential to rise to middle-class standards.

“Tivoli is a brand, and we have always done things to improve the image of the community and the people, individually. We have done things to improve their lives. Tivoli, basically, is a community which everybody looks to for leadership, and we have provided that over the years,” Samuels told the
Jamaica Observer last Thursday during the ceremonial opening of parliament as he spoke about the Government’s achievements and how they have changed lives.

“The economy is doing well, and the people of Tivoli have benefited in terms of jobs, training — and you can see the improvement when you get there. The people have really lifted their standard of living, and we expect to continue along that course,” said the councillor.

He noted that the community’s associated stigma as an area of violence is slowly changing, with the future looking bright.

“I remember in the 70s when I was growing up, if you gave a Tivoli address you would get pushback. Now, you give a Tivoli address and you are welcomed, mostly, so it is changing, and we expect that over the next 10 to 20 years it will continue to change.

“The kind of activities that we have — the cultural activities, the health activities, the work activities — are always there for the people to access, and they have been accessing it. If you have been here over the years you see the improvements in their living conditions, you see the improvement in how they carry themselves, you see the improvement in how they relate to each other,” Samuels insisted.

He said that within the next five to 10 years he envisions the community transforming into a middle-class society as residents continue to benefit from and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

“The youngsters are schooling themselves, they are getting their qualifications, they are getting good jobs, and we expect that behavioural change will take place and we can develop the community into one where people will see themselves as important as anybody else, anywhere in the country. The youngsters are bright, and the youngsters are getting their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, and they are getting their degrees, so we expect the change to continue,” he told the
Sunday Observer.

Samuels said the Tivoli Mural Project, which started in 2022, has also had a positive impact on the community and its youth, empowering them to think critically.

Phase one of the mural project saw 5,000 square feet of walls in the community, some of which still bear bullet holes from the 2010 military and police operation, turned into murals symbolising hope, resilience, and the triumph of creativity over adversity. Phase two of the project had 70 artists from across the globe transforming 35,000 square feet of walls within the community into large-scale murals.

“You will see the youngsters looking at the murals and discussing how they interpret it. So you know that that kind of discussion is taking place among the young people and teenagers, which is good, because if you can look at a mural and tell what you see, then that kind of discussion is always useful. It develops intellectual capacity. And this is what we want, this is the intention of the murals — to ensure that we have thinking people, people who can look at a picture or a drawing and make their own interpretation,” said Samuels.

Councillor for the Tivoli Gardens Division, Donovan Samuels (Jamaica Labour Party) speaking to the Jamaica Observer during the ceremonial opening of Parliament last Thursday in downtown Kingston. (Photo: Tamoy Ashman)

Two women walk past one of the murals in Tivoli Gardens. (Photo: Jason Cross)