“Is There any Hope for Jamaica and the Caribbean and the decolonized Peoples of the World?”

I teach a class at the Jamaica Theological Seminary called “Caribbean Thought”. Last week we started watching the film “Life and Debt” by Jamaica Kincaid based on the book “A Small Place” by Stephanie Black. 

Life and Debt is a 2001 American documentary film directed by Stephanie Black. It examines the economic and social situation in Jamaica, and specifically how neoliberal globalization (International MonetaryFund and the World Bank's structuraladjustment policies) have impacted the island.

After the film we had a brief discussion about how Globalization has created tremendous opportunities for many; but it has adversely affected the lives of people  who it has fragmented, marginalized and abused such as Jamaica. During the discussion, a scholar in the class Nackeno asked “is there any hope for Jamaica... and the Caribbean....?”

I responded to him via email saying:
Btw, thanks for sharing in class. I appreciated what you had said. You asked “is there any hope for jamaica then?”

I would say yes there is hope given the collective will and communal spirit of the Jamaican people. Our struggles have made us tough. Our music and sport are next to none and we are improving in terms of our debt and capital and financial markets, at least before the pandemic hit. Nevertheless we Jamaica is handling the pandemic effectively as it has not reached the levels of a pandemic in that country with high rates of recovery. 
Further “Brain Drain” has affected us negatively but has helped us significantly, more so than we know. Indeed, it has exported our culture and secured ways that Jamaicans and Caribbean people can influence western and global thinking to protect and secure Caribbean future. Today, Kamala Harris is the Vice President of the US. Kamala is a first generation American whose parents are from former colonies of Britain. Her dad is a scholar and former professor at the prestigious Stanford University in the US and left Jamaica at an early age for the US. Her mother is From India who also left her country where she met Kamala’s dad. That means Jamaicans and Indians now have powerful voices at the table and influence in the world. 
Further, mega star Rihanna is from Barbados, international sensation Usain Bolt hails Jamaica and female Rapper of the ages Nickki Minaj is of  Trinidadian heritage, just to name a few. But They have stunned the world, thanks to globalization, brain drain travel and the ability to export have impacted Jamaica positively continue to provide tremendous opportunities for Jamaica, the Caribbean, the decolonized and its peoples. 
In fact, Remittances are today are at an all time high of $2415.10 million in 2019, and many Jamaicans benefit from Jamaicans abroad. Yet, the recent bulldog stance to slow sown or stop travel by first world countries such as the UK and the US through the application of strong immigration laws and immigration fees, and the recent upsurge in crime and violence in Jamaica and the Caribbean, and corruption within local leadership and the corona virus still block Jamaica’s and the Caribbean’s full potential, opportunities for economic prosperity and real independence.