In Our Neighbourhood

Jamaica often has a bad reputation among other Caribbean countries. Jamaica and Jamaicans appear to be equally loved and hated, if we are being honest. For one thing, we have never been quite forgiven for opting out of the West Indies Federation in 1961, and Jamaican men…well. But is what you heard or experienced here and there fully reflective of Jamaica? Chances are it is not. Here are four misconceptions about Jamaica that I would like to address, as a…fairly objective Jamaican.

Myth #1: Jamaica is Defined by Poverty

There seems to be a general misconception that poverty blankets the country and that every Jamaican is poor. This appears to be a sentiment not only from outside the region, but also from other CARICOM nationals. I remember my sister and I finding it so laughable that a friend of hers from another Caribbean country was shocked that she, as a Jamaican public sector worker, could afford a multi-country trip to Europe.

Now, I am not suggesting that Jamaica is a wealthy country, but like everywhere else in the world, wealth distribution varies. I think the idea of Jamaican poverty might come mostly from our own music videos and the fact that those Jamaicans migrating to other Caribbean countries are often (but not always) poor and poorly educated. Additionally, if you look at the statistics, such as GDP per capita (or share of wealth per person), Jamaica is often among the bottom three countries in the Caribbean. But statistics only paint a partial picture.

What I have noticed when travelling across the region is that road, housing, commercial building, manufacturing, and service infrastructure is generally not as well developed as in Jamaica, save for a few exceptions. So, perhaps wealth should be considered in a more nuanced way than just GDP per capita. Besides, even on the basis of GDP per capita alone, the World Bank lists Jamaica in the category of upper middle-income countries. I think that speaks volumes.

Myth #2: Jamaican Men are Womanizers

Okay, let’s be honest, Jamaican men are smooth talkers and they truly appreciate women. Skin colour, shape, or size has never seemed to matter to them. They know how to make a woman feel beautiful and so they often end up with more than their fair share of women. There are numerous good and faithful Jamaican men, however, who are committed to their partners and their families. I know several. Unfortunately, Jamaican music videos (I’m seeing a trend here.) and now social media seem to perpetuate the “gallis” myth. At the end of the day, however, stereotypes are generalisations that do not define all individuals within a group. That should be obvious.

Myth #3: Jamaicans Do Not Speak English

This one is new to me, but I recently visited another CARICOM country where my Jamaican identity was questioned more than once because I speak English, and properly, apparently. It was clear that it had been assumed that the Jamaican Patois heard in dancehall music is all we speak. There is not much that I can say about this, as I am still flabbergasted. Suffice it to say that our sole official language is English. While you will not hear it spoken widely in the streets, as Patois is most likely to be used in those informal contexts,  English is the language of the traditional media, government, education system, and corporate environment. A language competence survey carried out by the Jamaican Language Unit at UWI some years ago indicated that only 36.5 percent of Jamaicans speak Patois only, meaning that more Jamaicans speak English than those that don’t.

Myth #4: Jamaicans are Arrogant

This might be the most pervasive criticism of Jamaicans coming out of the rest of the Caribbean. Are we arrogant? The truth is we probably are, somewhat. Chalk it up to a fierce national pride in our culture, sporting prowess, and stunning natural beauty. Most citizens show some level of patriotism, but the Jamaican’s belief in the exceptionality of his or her country is at a level I have witnessed in perhaps only three other nationalities worldwide, in my non-empirical experience (based on encounters with nationals of about 150 countries). Now is it our fault though if others choose not to be as loud and proud of their own countries?

Indeed, we were raised on the principle of Jamaican exceptionalism. You will often hear us say, “We likkle but we tallawah” (We are small, but mighty). We were raised on the premise that we are the greatest little country in the world and that we are the equals, in every way, of anyone in any country in the world. I do think sometimes, we can tone down the rhetoric as Jamaicans, but you have to give it to us: we have a very healthy dose of national pride.

Conclusion

Jamaica does get a bad rap sometimes and despite CARICOM’s promotion of regional integration, there is still much that is misunderstood about us. In short, we are not mostly poor and most of us speak English. We are also very proud of our country, which may be misconstrued as arrogance. Finally, not all Jamaican men are Casanovas.

In other words, always be careful of your information sources and how you form your opinions. Pay attention to your own biases. There is no greater myth buster than experiencing something for yourself. I hope one day you’ll spend enough time in Jamaica to realize how much you have been lied to.

What else have you heard about Jamaicans?