Diversity in the World

Conclusion

For the past for months, I was apart of a class that opened my eyes to things that I never took the time out to pay attention to before. This class opened my eyes to some of the various cultures and I got the chance to learn even more about my own culture. I was able to broaden my mind and learn something new every week. Watching the El Contrato video was one of the most memorable moments for me because I actually felt moved by their story. After watching the video I felt as if these people are being cheated in life. The things people have to do sometimes to provide for their families is very sad. One thing I did like about the video is once these people came to Canada to work, they considered all the other workers as their family too because only they understand one another's pain and it's amazing to see how close they became. I loved the doing the photo documentary and the interview with a migrant assignments because I got to use it as an opportunity to focus on things that were close to my heart. Another thing that I learned was that, it really is a struggle to move to a whole new country and to be happy. I migrated to Canada when I was young but doing the interview with my mother made me realize that moving from Jamaica was one of the most important decisions she made for her family and I am happy and content with that decision because I am at an age where I can understand why she made such a major decision. I now understand that migrating to a new country is something that many people choose to do because of the opportunities that are out there. People are looking to live better lives and to make sure that there kids are ok and sometimes the only way to do that is to migrate. All in all, I can truly say that I have learned more in this class than I have in any other class this semester and I am happy to have been one of the first students in this class at Humber.

The message of S.T.O.P.P.

These are some of the songs and raps that S.T.O.P.P. performed and the messages that were delivered. This is a powerful message and I am happy that I was apart of this group and greatful for the opportunities that came out of it. It was an amazing and life changing experience for many like myself and I will never forget my highschool years because of this group.




S..T..O..P..STOP the fighting. C..O..M..E, can't you see them crying? We are all one nation. Let's all just take a stand. Why don't you stop the fighting, we can. Why don't you stop the fighting, we can.


Here's a rhyme that better run through you mind, take the time and don't cause no crime. See the exploitation not to mess the segregation. All across the nation let's stop the hesitation. Life is like an integer, negative or positive, don't deny my voice just make the choice.


Stop the violence, keep the peace. I'm tired of our little brother's dying in the streets. Stop the racism so whites and blacks can interact. All the nations coming together like a sensation. I know this is a crazy earth for what it's worth cuz everytime a man dies a woman gives birth.So please put down the guns, please put down the knives, forget about the crips, bloods, gaters and tribes. It's just a colour, it don't give you the right to kill another. Put up your fists cuz we got days to reminisce. People killing each, killing all of our bothers, what's the main point of us even having a mother. I know we can come up with an immunity even though we living in the same community. Let's come together, live life in unity, lets stop the V.I.O.L.E.N.C.E.

Photo Documentary

In class we got the opportunity to do a photo documentary on a topic of our choice that relates to migration or culture. I used this as a chance to share with the class a special dance group I was apart of back in high school. The name of the group is S.T.O.P.P. (Student's Triumph Over Peer Pressure) and what we do as a group is cultural dances that deliver a message. This group was started a little over a decade ago after one of our first members lost a brother due to gun violence. S.T.O.P.P. does cultural dances including African, South Asain, Carribean as well has step dancing, hip hop, modern and contemporary dances to deliver the message to young people. This message is to stop the violence, the racism and the hatred towards one another. In today's society, we are losing many of our young people to gang violence and everyone young and old is affected by it. As a group S.T.O.P.P. would go from school to school all across Ontario and other provinces including Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Quebec, etc. to perform these dances. In additon to these dances, we would sing and act as well. This class basically brought together a bunch of kids with different cultural backgrounds to use these cultutal differences to deliver the same message. The way I felt about this class was, if we can put aside our differences to do something positve then why can't everyone else? This class opened my eyes to a major issue that we still face many years after I've been in the class and I feel that it is about time people focus on what's important in life rather than focusing on the negative. No one should have to die from violence, racism or hatred and if people were more open minded to sloving problems in a more positve way, we wouldn't have to worry feeling safe in our own surroundings.

What's Going On

Taking this class has taught me to look deeper into what’s going on around me. I have also been looking deeper into the tragedies of the past, then I remembered a song that came out a couple of years ago that delivers a powerful message that I thought I should share. The name of this song is called "What’s going on” which is sung by all-star celebrities. This song was initially released as a benefit single to help tackle the AIDS crisis but after the horrific 9/11 tragedy, this song took on a whole other meaning. All the profits raised were split to help out AIDS and 9/11 victims and to me “what’s going on” just says that we need to look at the bigger picture and realize what’s really going on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyTy9ns894M&feature=fvsr

[P Diddy:]What's Going On

[Jermaine Dupri:]
Tell Me

[P Diddy:]
People Dying
People Crying
Lord help us

[Bono:]
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying

[Gwen Stefani:]
Oh, brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying

[Jermaine Dupri:]
That's Right

[Aaron Lewis:]
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today

[Nona Gaye:]
Oh my father, father
We don't need to escalate

[Backstreet Boys:]
You see war is not the answer

[Nona Gaye/Backstreet Boys:]
For only love can conquer hate

[Christina Aguilera:]
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today

[Britney Spears:]
Barricades, can't block our way

[J-Lo:]
Don't punish me with brutality

[Destiny's Child:]
Talk to me
So you can see

[Destiny's Child/Britney Spears:]
[First Chorus]
Oh what's going on
What's going on
Yeah what's going on
Ahh what's going on

[Ja Rule:]
What's going on in a world filled with pain
Where's the love for which we pray
What's going on
When our children can't play
Homeless can't eat
There's got to be a better way
What's going on
When we politically blind
Can't see the signs of endangered times
What's going on

[Nelly Furtado:]
Ah tell me
What's going on in the world today
I'd rather be dead
Than turn my head away
We gotta first world vision to complete, to lift our
Hands in the air and cry for a switch

[Michael Stipe:]
Father, father

[P Diddy:]
Father help us, come on

[Michael Stipe:]
Everybody thinks we're wrong

[Alicia Keys:]
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Together we can all be strong

[P Diddy:]
United we stand, Divided we fall

[N'Sync:]
Oh you know we've got to find a way

[Mary J. Blige:]
To bring some understanding here today

[N'Sync:]
Barricades can't block our way

[Darren Hayes (Savage Garden):]
Don't punish me with brutality

[N'Sync:]
Baby talk to me
So you can see
[Second chorus]
Yeah, what's going on
Hey, what's going on
Somebody tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's goin' on-uh

[Nelly:]
What's going on 'cross seas
Every minute a child dies by this disease
In record numbers indeed
Got momma's crying out please
My baby hold on
My child ain't done nothing wrong
Still I want to holler
Ask them why they don't bother
Oh no, oh no
Make me turn to my father
And ask him why they all got a trapped soul

[Nas:]
I can feel what was bothering Marvin
Why his words forever remain
Dealing with these modern day problems
'Cause of ignorance surrounding me and my constituents
Too many infected
Too many lives diminishing
Nobody say Protestants, Jews, Blacks, and Whites, Latinos and Asians
Pray together
Less fight
We better unite
As genocide chemical war
And the rich and the poor
Know that God delivers a cure

[Eve:]
It's a shame our reality is devastating
People praying for a cure
Dying while they're waiting
Ask the Lord for the comfort and strength to face it
All the kids with dreams
Won't get the chance to chase it
Makes me sad
Think about the lives they would've had
Think about the orphan babies got no moms and dads
How can we sit back and not try to make it right
We gotta come together
We gotta fight for life

[Fred Durst:]
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
We got human beings using humans for a bomb
But everyone wanna live
Don't nobody really want to die
You feeling me right
I can't be watching people die
(die)
And watching people cry
Let me break it down for a minute
If there's enough room here for you and me
There's plenty of room for some humanity

Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)
Somebody tell me what's going on
(what's going on)

We are One Culture

This is a spoken word piece that I found on YouTube that I found very interesting. The name of this piece is "We are One Culture". I feel that this spoken word piece is saying that we are all basically living the same lives yet we live in a world of hatred and selfishness. We all go through the same struggles yet we feel as though our lives are so different when in reality, it isn't. The only thing that separates us in life is our backgrounds. In a world where everything is changing with time, we still seem to live in the past. We are all following the same laws of the government and no one will stand up for what's right. When it all boils down, we really are one culture but we fail to realize it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ZwJy3VGbM

His Journey to Today

 
These are pictures of Omar Khadr at 15 and and him 10 years later. This just shows that he grew up a prisoner which is very sad in my opinion. He didn't have a normal teenage life like any regualr teenager.

Just my thoughts on Omar Khadr

After hearing about Omar Khadr being held prisoner I felt very sorry for him because he was just 15 years old and had to witness many people around him getting killed. He is the last westerner being held and what surprised me the most was reading that the Canadian government has yet to ask for his return. I personally feel that at 15 years old he shouldn’t be treated so poorly by these people because he hasn’t done anything wrong in my opinion. 10 years later and he still has no freedom and he is in isolation which can mentally damage a person. After getting shot 2 times, the medics were treating his wounds and he told them to shoot him which is something someone should never have to tell another person, especially at 15 years old. I feel that Omar Khadr was deprived of his childhood and deprived of the opportunity to grow up as a regular teenager without his family. In Guantanamo Bay he was treated as if he wasn’t human and its very sickening to read and hear about the things that have been done to him. I could never imagine being treated the way he is being treated and no one deserves it. Everyone deserves the right to live normally and they have deprived him of his rights and his freedom.

Canadian Prisoner in Guantanamo

This is an article that I found about Omar Khadr, a Canadian who has been held prisoner in Guantanamo Bay since he was 15 years old.

 

The last westerner in Guantanamo

 

The last westerner in Guantanamo

Canada's government refuses to call for the release of a young Canadian held at the US prison.

A drawing by artist Janet Hamlin, reviewed by the U.S. military, shows young Canadian captive, Omar Khadr, attending a pre-trial session at the Guantanamo Bay naval base Dec. 12, 2008. (Janet Hamlin/Reuters)

TORONTO — On the morning of July 27, 2002, American Special Forces soldiers were pinned down by an outnumbered handful of suspected Al Qaeda fighters in a compound south of Kabul. Two F-18 warplanes proceeded to drop 500-pound bombs.
When the smoke cleared, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer went to survey the rubble. The Denver, Colo. native never saw the grenade that landed at his feet, killing him. A U.S. soldier says he then saw an injured fighter lying in the debris and shot him dead. He saw another — later identified as Omar Khadr — sitting on the ground, and pumped two bullets into his back.
Khadr survived. As an army medic treated the gaping exit wounds on his chest, Khadr whispered, in English, "Shoot me.”
He was 15 years old. He was also a Toronto-born Canadian citizen.
Today, Khadr is the last westerner languishing in America’s notorious Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. Other western countries have demanded and secured the release of their citizens. But successive Canadian governments have steadfastly refused to even ask for Khadr’s return. That fact alone challenges Canada’s self-image as a standard-bearer for human rights and international law.
Khadr was a child soldier. International conventions signed by Canada consider child soldiers victims who should be rehabilitated, rather than prosecuted — in Khadr’s case, if he ever gets a trial, for Speer’s murder. Yet the Canadian government continues to wash its hands of him, even after U.S. President Barack Obama announced the closing of “Gitmo” within a year.
Canada's current conservative government stands virtually alone among western countries in supporting the Guantanamo prison, despite the discredited legal contortions used by the previous U.S. administration to justify its existence and the “enhanced” interrogation techniques its inmates have suffered.
One example used on Khadr is described in “Guantanamo’s Child,” a well-documented book by the Toronto Star’s national security reporter, Michelle Shephard: “The guards left him in the interrogation booth for hours, short-shackled with his ankles and wrists bound together and secured to a bolt on the floor. Unable to move, he eventually urinated and was left in a pool of urine on the floor.
“When the MPs returned and found the soiled teenager, they poured pine oil cleaner on Omar’s chest and the floor. Keeping him short-shackled, the guards used Omar as a human mop to clean up the mess. Omar was returned to his cell and for two days the guards refused to give him fresh clothes.”

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.

Leaving Homeland

Leaving ones homeland has to be one of the hardest things some people may choose to do. They may decide that it is time to leave home for many reasons such as a better education for their children or even just to feel a sense of security or safety which there homeland lacks. What ever the case may be, adapting to a new country/environment is not an easy task. Many families have to adapt to new government, cultures and just styles of learning. Anybody making the decision to leave home and migrate to another country will have to leave a lot of things behind including other family members but I feel that it's for the best even though it may be hard. The family that they are leaving behind would have to adapt to life without them an may be dependent on the people who left to continue to support them in some way. I feel that migrating to a whole new culture doesn't always bring just the positive because every country has it's downfall. In the reading "A Map to the Door of No return", the little boy talks about how disappointing it was not not know where he came from and I agree with him because I moved from Jamaica at a very young age and I don't remember much about where I came from. I don't remember the environment I lived in and can't really relate to the stories of other people who grew up in jamaica because I only went back to visit once when I was 16. All though I don't remember much about where u came from it makes me want to take the time to find out on my own and ask my mother what it was like growing up in Jamaica.