Welcome to Jamrock

This song “Welcome to Jamrock” by Damian Marley talks about some of the controversial issues of Jamaica. Welcome to Jamrock covers issues such as crime, poverty and political corruption as part of the harsh reality of "Jamrock", Marley's personification of Jamaica, as opposed to the Jamaica advertised as a popular tourist destination. In the song, Marley talks about Jamaica's high crime rate and inceasing violence, demanding that those in charge do something about it. Through he carries on the legacy of his father before him (Bob Marley), in inspiring Jamaicans to stand together.
I have also posted the lyrics, it may be hard to read but this song says a lot because people think it is a very nice vacationing spot but there are more serious problems in the country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GZlJGERbvE

"Welcome To Jamrock"

Welcome to Jamrock, camp whe' da' thugs them camp at
Two pounds a weed inna van back
It inna your hand bag, your knapsack, it inna your back pack
The smell a give yah girlfriend contact
Some boy nuh know dis, them only come around like tourist
On the beach with a few club sodas
Bedtime stories, and pose like them name Chuck Norris
And don't know the real hardcore
Cause Sandals a no 'back-to', da thugs Dem wi do whe' them got to
And won't think twice to shot you
Don't make them spot you, unless you carry guns a lot too
A bare tough thing come at you

When Trenchtown man stop laugh and block-off traffic
Then them wheel and pop off and them start clap it
With the pin file dung and it a beat rapid
Police come inna jeep and them cant stop it
Some say them a playboy, a playboy rabbit
Funnyman a get dropped like a bad habit
So nobody pose tough if you don't have it
Rastafari stands alone!

[Chorus]
Welcome to Jamrock, Welcome to Jamrock
Out in the streets, they call it murder!

[Verse 2]
Welcome to Jamdown, poor people a dead at random
Political violence, can't done! Pure ghost and phantom, the youth
Dem get blind by stardom
Now the Kings Of Kings a call
Old man to Pickney, so wave unno hand if you with me
To see the sufferation sicken me
Them suit no fit me, to win election them trick we
Den them don't do nuttin at all

Come on let's face it, a ghetto education's basic
A most a the youths them waste it
And when them waste it, that's when them take da guns and replace it
Then them don't stand a chance at all
And that's why a nuff little youth have up some fat matic
With the extra magazine inna them back pocket
And a bleach a night time inna some black jacket
All who not lock glocks, them a lock rocket
Then will full you up a current like a short circuit
Dem a run a roadblock which part the cops block it
And from now till a morning not stop clock it
If them run outta rounds a bruck back ratchet

[Chorus]
Welcome to Jamrock (Southside, Northside)
Welcome to Jamrock (East Coast, West Coast, huh, yo)
Welcome to Jamrock (Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey) Hey!
Welcome to Jamrock
Out in the streets, they call it murder!!!

[Outro]
Jamaica Jamaica! Jamaica Jamaica! Now!
Jamaica Jamaica! Yo! Jamaica Jamaica!
Welcome to Jamrock, Welcome to Jamrock

Interview with a Migrant

Recently I got the opportunity to interview my mother who migrated her family from Jamaica to New York and then to Canada. I personally knew some of what my mother had to go through to get us here but I never knew or understood the details of it because I was so young. By interviewing my mother I found out that she started the process of trying to migrate to another country before I was even born. It was a 10 year process and when I was creating my questions I asked her all the questions in regards to why she wanted to move to a new country with her 13 brothers and sisters. She felt it wasn't safe living in Jamaica at the time and she wanted a better life for her kids in terms of education and better opportunities. I personally did not want to move to Canada but now that I am older I understand why she made this decision and I agree with the choice she made. I believe that I would have had more struggles if I were living in Jamaica or New York at this point in my life and I am very happy to be a Canadian citizen. I do plan on visiting back home more consistently as well as my family in New York now that I am of age to do so on my own.

Excerpt from Kim Thuy's book "Ru"

Kim Thuy's excerpt talks about he journey from Vietnam to Canada. After arriving in Canada she and her family were just overwhelmed by the outlook of where they were moving to. She says "after having lived for so long in such unlit places, such a white, virginal landscape was dazzling, blinding, even intoxicating. She was also overwhelmed by the welcoming that they all received and this made me realize that arriving in a new country brings new experiences to a persons life. It takes a lot of getting used to which may take some time for most an and also may be harder for some people. What makes the arrival even harder is the fact that some people don't even speak English. This makes it harder for other people to understand them and causes these immigrants to sometimes isolate themselves. Kim Thuy also says "Just like my son Henri now, I could say or understand nothing, though I was not deaf or dumb". In my opinion being in a new country and not being able to speak the language of that person puts a damper on the mindset of some people because they basically have to start all over again in terms of learning a new language. It makes you feel like a child again which is very hard. I didn't have to learn a new language when I moved from Jamaica but I did have an accent which many people weren't used too. Some people laughed while others did understand that I came from somewhere else. In some cases when a family moves to a new country in which they speak a different language, it's harder for the parents to adapt to the new surrounding so they look to their kids to teach them because their kids will be attending school and learning so much more than their parents. I feel that adapting to a new area and new people is a very long and complicated process I understand what Kim Thuy and her family had to go through because I had to go through it myself even though my story isn't as complex as hers.

Remembering Toba Tek Singh

Here is a short YouTube video just remembering Toba Tek Singh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXcL1SeSUKU

Borders

The short story “Toba Tek Singh”, by Saadat Hasan Manto is a very interesting story about people who were forced to leave there homes not knowing what was going on, on the other side. The people in this story (lunatics) were forced to move to a new area not knowing where they were going which made it that much harder for them to adapt to a new place and just forget about where they came from and these two countries were simply divided by barbed wire. Homes were being divided and people were just being torn apart and forced to accept what was going on. The violence between India and Pakistan was just mind boggling because these two divided countries used to be one. I couldn’t imagine what these people were going through at this time and to me it’s very tragic.

After reading this short story, I thought more about what it was like to cross borders so I decided to look more into what was going on at this time between these two countries at the time. I thought more about the things that families go through at this point it time because it is a very difficult process. I. myself wasn’t born in Canada and I had to go through this process myself but because I was so young I didn’t fully understand what was going on at the time and now that I am older I’m starting to gain more knowledge about my family had to go through this. Also I have learned that this process is harder for some people. The difficulties that some people have to go through is just ridiculous and all they can really do is accept it and go through it.

Just a song about some of the struggles in Jamaica

In my interview my mother spoke about leaving Jamaica because she felt it wasn't safe for her kids. Even today i hear about what's going on back home and how people are just killing one another. Living in Jamaica is very hard in many different aspects so and it's a day to day struggle.This song is called footprints by a Jamacian artist named TOK. Hope you guys enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h_AUMoOynA

Introduction

Hello everyone,

This is my blog. I was born in Jamaica where I was living for about 5 years then my family and I migrated to New York after another 5 years. After that we migrated here to Canada where I have been living for the past 11 years. Toronto is where I grew up most of my life and even though I did not wnat to move here i am very happy with the decision that my mother mad fore her family.

Here I will be posting my thoughts and feelings about the process of migration including, leaving homeland, crossing borders and adapting to a new place. Enjoy and I will be looking forward to your comments.