Traditionally Reggae Sumfest has hosted a mixture of local and international acts that has distinguished the event as an eclectic mix of good music and performances. In light of the fiscal challenges, organizers gave great consideration to omitting international acts for this year’s Festival. Stakeholders agreed that international acts should be included on this year’s lineup as the mix of genre and cultures is the essence of the event and as such a cut back would adversely affect the marketability of the show.

As a result International R&B and Pop Star Chris Brown who emerged on the scene in 2005 and quickly rose to stardom with his self-titled debut album has been confirmed for the Festival . With the release of Graffiti his third album, the 20 year old singer-songwriter enters his prime as a widely accomplished multi-platinum artist. Chris is set to thrill the audiences and make history with his first Reggae Sumfest performance.

Patrons are certainly in for a treat as some of Jamaica’s top artiste have been confirmed for the event. The lineup include Shaggy, Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley, Jah Cure, Elephant Man, Queen Ifrica, I-Octane, Konshens, Stacious, Chino, Tessanne Chin, Gramps Morgan and Tifa, with promises of many more to come.

Reggae Sumfest is an annual event that provides an avenue for new and established local talent to demonstrate their prowess to an international audience as well as a wide cross section of the Jamaican society. The brainchild of several Montego Bay businessmen, Reggae Sumfest was first held in 1993. The show has traditionally featured top Reggae and Dancehall performers, Hip-Hop and Rhythm and Blues acts such as Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Boyz II Men and Lionel Richie.

I firmly believe that all countries in the world survive with some level of corruption within it. Whether the government is democratic or socialist, money has to be made by some means or the other. But I can't really speak on all that but what I can speak on is the corruption in Jamaica and United States effectively calling us out on it. One of the things of being a third world conutry is that we constantly need assistance from others, this means we are always indebted to others. Check the shelves what are the things that are actually being made here and what is not. What are we exporting that is making the country any money? It is common knowledge that those who "make it" do it inspite of not because of the Jamaican government whether it be PNP or JLP.

So as Jamaicans we grow determined to do whatever it takes to earn good money, some of us take the traditional route education, degrees and desk job and all that while others are blessed with phyiscal abilities to make it in sports. Some of us can build on the massive foundation left by our musical fore fathers as I mentioned in Jamaican music and it's effect on the Jamaican economy Pt 1 http://www.jamaicanjournal.com/index.php/2010/05/01/jamaican-music-and-it-s-effect-on-the-jamaican-economy-pt-1, Jamaican music and it's effect on the Jamaican economy 2nd Part http://www.jamaicanjournal.com/index.php/2010/05/05/jamaican-music-and-it-s-effect-on-the-jamaican-economy-2nd-part and Jamaican music and it's effect on the Jamaican economy Finale http://www.jamaicanjournal.com/index.php/2010/05/12/jamaican-music-and-it-s-effect-on-the-jamaican-economy-finale various ways to make money has emerged from the music industry largely without direct funding or assistance from the Jamaican government. For the rest of us, we haffi look life in other ways often by hustling. Hustling in Jamaican parlance means anything you do outside of the regular 9 to 5 to make ends meet, legally or illegally. Now I won't be wrong in saying that this country has been running on gains made from drug money for years. He who shall not be named is just the most known of the drug lords that reside in this nation. He is the most known because he takes some of the earnings and give back to his community. Which trust me the government is not doing, he takes care of his residents why do you think they call him the president. Now I am sure he might have been guilty of heavy handed means in efforts to maintain control but he has to when everybody around you has the weaponry to kill you. You might have show some level of mercilessness in order to have people fear you. Now that post is only days away from being vacant the question is who will now lead the people's republic of Tivoli Gardens.

It’s now after 5:00pm, May 24, 2010, and as we say in Jamaica, ‘things no pretty’. Apparently we have been misled once again. This time re the meeting that was to take place with Don Foote the lawyer representing Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke and the US authorities. Since my last post I have learnt that there was never any meeting re Dudus extradition.  So much for a possible resolution from that meeting.

The security forces have been in Tivoli Gardens since 11:45 and so far the reports are vague. Thick smoke can be seen rising from the area and loud explosions and heavy gun fire can be heard. Persons from inside Tivoli Gardens have been calling requesting help for themselves and their children. They claim that they were prevented from leaving when the authorities offered an escape. Whether it’s true or not doesn’t help the children that are now caught in this war. How many persons have been injured or have died is not yet known.  We will have to wait for the dust to settle to find out.

In the mean time, Air Jamaica/Caribbean Airlines and other airlines have now cancelled several flights. Some Labour Day events were subsequently cancelled. The hospitals are only attending to emergencies.  And so the cancellations are rolling in. Schools are announcing that they will be closed for tomorrow and workers are being asked to monitor the situation before venturing out.

What a mess, I hope Mr. Golding is very happy (I'm being sarcastic ). I do pray however that as bad as this situation is, we can learn from it as a nation and make some drastic but necessary changes to turn our nation around.

Nuff love

May 24, 2010:

This morning I awoke to news of continued incidents of violence in Jamaica. Personally I have not seen or heard any signs of anything from where I am, above Hope Road, only the occasional helicopter flying overhead. However based on news reports the anarchy has spread to beyond down town.

The new reporters have been doing a sterling job keeping the nation updated with up to the minute footage of incidents as they unfold. (I think I’m watching CNN). Reports are that six police men were shot two fatally, on Mountain View Road last night after responding to a lady who was herself shot while driving on that road. The Cross Roads police station was also shot up last night. So far there are no reports of any casualties from that incident. Road blocks have been mounted on Red Hills Road since yesterday and there has been continuous sporadic gun shots heard in that area. Hagley Park Road has had break-in to some commercial properties and gun shots have been exchanged between burglars and police men. Several road blocks have been mounted in the Spanish Town area and gun shots are being heard on and off. There are also reports of gun shots coming from Marcus Garvey Drive, Mannings Hill Roard, White hall Avenue, August Town and on the Water Front down town.

Despite all these horror stories, most people are trying to go about their lives, cautious but determined not to allow the lawless elements in our society to win.  The Airports Authority has repeatedly advertised that the Kingston airport is open for business and flights are going and coming without incident.  CXC and other vital regional examinations scheduled for today are still being held. Labour Day projects are still being executed. In fact while on the phone with one friend I heard her imploring her son who was on his way to Dover in St. Ann for the races scheduled today to be careful.

Personally I plan to stay at home today. "Coward man keep sound bone". The news had reported a meeting between the US Embassy and ‘Dudus’ lawyers for 10:00am today. We are all hoping that the out come of that meeting will offer a solution to the present situation. So far we have not gotten any word on the status of that meeting. Otherwise, the situation seems to be escalating.  It was just reported that the security forces have now gone in to Tivoli Gardens in an attempt to apprehend Christopher “Dudus’ Coke and restore order.

Stay tuned I will continue to keep you updated as I get it.

 Nuff Love

Today, Sunday May 23, 2010 as my family and I relaxed at home in Kingston, Jamaica we received a call from a friend overseas.

“ Unnu alright?”

“Sure, why u asks”

“ Mi hear se Jamaica a bun down, 2 police station down town has been torched and riot de a Tivoli”

“Well, you know more than we, but with the extradition request for ‘Dudus’ being signed and with what has been happening this week, it could be true, I will call you back”.

With that I hung up the phone, turned on the radio and proceeded to call some friends. True enough, all hell had broken out down town and our beloved Jamaica was in crises. The situation was in fact so severe that a limited State of Emergency has been declared for the corporate area.

What exactly is a State of Emergency you ask, well according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending civil liberties. Such declarations usually come during a time of natural disaster, during periods of civil disorder, or following a declaration of war (in democratic countries, many call this martial law, mostly with non-critical intent)”.

What exactly are civil liberties, again I give you the meaning taken from Wikipedia; ‘Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that protect an individual from the state. Civil liberties set limits on the government so that its agents cannot abuse their power and interfere unduly with the lives of private citizens. Common civil liberties include the rights of people, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, and additionally, the right to due process, to a trial, to own property, and to privacy’.

I must admit I am deeply saddened and outraged at what is happening in my beautiful and beloved island. The series of events that has led to this situation was avoidable. We appear to be getting a perfect demonstration of the adage, ‘Oh what a perfect web we weave when first we practice to deceive’. Now the entire nation must pay.

One encouraging but unconfirmed piece of news we have gotten today is that Mr. Coke ’Dudus’ is prepared to waive his rights to a trial here and is willing to be extradited. Could it be true or is it simple wishful thinking. If it is true what implications will it have on some of our leaders, after all they seem to have gone to great lengths to prevent this extradition. Is it too late to stop the anarchy already taking place on the island? Jamaicans, we need to find a way to break away from garrison politics. In the mean time we need to pray for as peaceful as possible solution to this present situation.

Nuff Love

This week has been quite frankly the most exciting week we have seen for this entire year. Minus the fact that my Birthday fell in this week (sadly some events dampened my birthweek), it was truly one which brought alot of excitement to Jamaicans. I was really hoping to find a more... happier topic to write on today, but really and truly it wouldn't make sense because there is only one news item that is filling the thoughts of Jamaicans this week and that is the progress of the extradition of Dudus.

The week started with a rumour being spread through the general public about the possibility of the Prime Minister signing the order to have Dudus extradited to America and the resulting panic which occured because of that possibility. Yes business places shut down and sent all their employees home early, people sprinted eagerly to bus stations so that they can make their way home before the ensueing gunbattle which was bound to take place as a result. The traffic to get out of town can be described as simply clogged but people reached home on a day which was uneventful for the most part, but showed the depth of the issue in Jamaica.

The next thing which occured was that the Prime Minister gave a "heartfelt" speech outlying the "Major issues" at hand and also offering his "heart felt apologies". Of course I put all those words in quotation marks because really the speech was not so heartfelt as it was more of a "ok you actually managed to catch on to what I was doing and I didnt expect that so I'll make a speech to see if it will ease your mind", the only major issues that the people wanted to hear were not outlined (except for the part where he says they will be signing the extradition request), and he never really apologizes to the nation because for a "mistake" of this magnitude one can only expect that a proper apology would have lasted around 5 minutes long and the only words that the PM would be allowed to use are: I, Apologize, Am, Sorry, Please, Forgive, me - in as many different combinations and languages as possible. Yes I expect him to apologize the multitude of Jamaicans in all the various native tongues that exist here.

Following the speech the people in the garrison communities believed to be controlled by the strong man then went on lock down, as virtual battle lines were drawn and there was something of a "do it if you're bad" stand off between the policemen and the people of the communities. During this stand off the police calmly asked all the necessary people including Dudus' lawyer to simple have the man give himself in so that the loss of lives which more than likely would have occured in any other situation would not happen. However for the most part the country was quiet...

Until today where the feces seemed to have finally landed at its destination by forcefully hitting the blades of the proverbial fan. Today the all out war between the gunmen and Jamaica's lawmakers began and the results are being felt everywhere. Police stations were burnt down, officers were shot, gunmen went on a rampage in all communities - yes all communities as they have managed to reach as far as red hills road in their activities - and Jamaica is seeing just how far the people are willing to go for this one man. I was personally quite surprised when I checked the major international news outlets to see that the situation in Jamaica had garnered so much media attention that it was front page news over other major events such as the oil pouring into the golf and the recent plane crash in the middle east.

**Screenshot from BBC.com

**Screenshot from CNN.com

**Screenshot from MSN.com

A state of emergency was declared for the Kingston and St. Andrew area and the power provider removed the electricity in the Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town areas in its attempt to assist the police in their work. In case you didnt know, a state of emergency is something which is normally declared only during war time or during a time where a problem arises that cant be solved by regular means. Most people now refuse to leave their houses as they are the only places which offer any form of decent security and I can safely say that right now as I am typing this I am listening to the sounds of gunshots from at least 5 different identifiable sources each sounding more powerful than the next but thankfully sounding far away (and I hope that it stays that way).

One can only imagine just how much our economy will be affected by such activities and hope that we will be able to safely recover from this event with our nation in tact despite all the International Media attention that is turned on to us. After all being a country that depends so heavily on tourism for its foreign exchange we cant afford to scare tourists away.

This is a time when one can only pray that all law abiding citizens will make their way out of this situation with their lives in tact.

Johnson who like Usain “Lighting” Bolt hails from Trelawney, Jamaica set consecutive 100 meters world records at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics and the 1988 Summer Olympics. His rise to prominence started at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Australia where he won two silver medals. Two years later at the Los Angeles Games, he won the 100m bronze medal behind Carl Lewis with a time of 10.22. A year later he finally whipped his arc rival at the 1986 Goodwill Games, where he ran 9.95. He also won Commonwealth gold at the 1986 games beating Linford Christie in the 100 m and later broke the seven-year old world record in the 60 meters with a time of 6.50 seconds. By the time of the 1987 World Championships, Johnson had established himself as the fastest man on the planet.

In Rome, he garnered instant world fame when he beat Lewis in a world record 9.83 seconds. That year he was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for 1987 and was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. A year later he beat Lewis again in the 100m final at the Olympics, lowering his own world record to 9.79 seconds. He was later stripped of the medal and banned from Olympic competition for two years.

“The truth is I have been out of the limelight for a very long time. Many years have passed…Some may have thought I was the only one who took performance enhancing drugs. The time has come to speak the truth about my career and to set the record straight about what happened” he said. While Johnson has kept out of the glare of the spotlight, he has quietly been building his own empire. Today he is the President and CEO of The Ben Johnson Collection Ltd., a successful Canadian sportswear and casual line of athletic clothing and running shoes. He will launch his autobiography "Seoul to Soul" later this year and is still involved with athletics offering a vigorous personal training program at York University in Toronto. He also enjoys volunteer work and derives satisfaction from working with children's charities.

The song is called One Life To Live and was recorded 6 months ago as one of the first tracks for the new Voicemail album Next Level. In the last 6 months Voicemail has produced 14 more songs and 2 music videos. The first released single from the album One Life To Live have been mastered and an urban remix was also produced as well as cover and poster artwork. A website for Oneil Edwards will be launched early next week under www.Voicemailgroup.com. The track can be purchased on iTunes and will be up on 20 more sites soon (Amazon, Amie Street, Nokia Music..and several others).

The video companies, producers and marketers distributing the new album come from Germany, that shows the communication strength of the groups music. Voicemail has had great success in Japan and are well loved in Germany, where there are already more than 2000 fans in a social network, united for Voicemail. Donations can also be made over paypal to voicemailgroup@yahoo.com.

O'Neil Edwards member of the band Voicemail was shot multiple times in the head, chest and abdomen and unfortunately lost his thumb during a robbery. It happened at his house in Kingston - Jamaica on Monday 10th of March 1:30am. O’Neil is recovering from injuries sustained, however his condition is still critical and he remains hospitalized.

YouTube link (including Oneil Statement): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InsJW-0d2tw

If this entire saga was to be put in a movie then where we are right now would be considered the Climax of the film.Yes things are heating up in Jamaica as people have now come out from all sides giving their support to Bruce, and to the "Prezzi" (nickname of the gang leader who is set to be extradited) in the extradition saga. Now that the order for extradition has been signed, it is now the job of the police to go and find "Prezzi" wherever he is. A task which may prove to be much harder than it sounds as there are a number of... obstacles (to say the least) in their way.

The first obstacle is the fact that, they dont exactly know where this man is. He has no fixed address that the police have on record for them to go find him. While Jamaica is a small country, it can seem rather large when you are trying to find one single person, especially when that one person is famed around the country so much that many people are afraid to talk about him. The other issue is that he has so many garrisons throughout the country that it would be difficult to search just one for him... which also poses a difficulty as nobody in the garrison will want to give him up anyway, after all this man will have been the source of many people's bread and butter for many years, and they surely appreciate his work.

**Taken from Jamaica Observer

As an example of how much they support him, earlier in the week it was felt that people living in Tivoli Gardens were being held hostage in their community. This was believed to be the case after barricades were put up all around Tivoli gardens seemingly to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the community. It was also reported that citizens of the community were told to give up their cell phones and they were not allowed to communicate with anyone outside.

**Taken from Jamaica Observer

However - while the barricades still stand - the people of tivoli gardens have all come out in a peaceful demonstration to give their support and also to state that all of what was reported was a lie. These people wearing full white and brandishing their  cell phones marched to the various police stations to state that they defend dudus. They did however state that they will die for their area leader and they do not want the police to come inside their community to take him away from them.

**Taken from Jamaica Gleaner

As for who organized this march I think is up to question.

However the police are in quite the dilemma as they attempt to both find and arrest dudus amidst all the barricades being put up, and people who are so willing to give their lives for this man. As the situation reaches its climax, one cannot be sure when this tension will end but I do hope it ends with as little loss of life as possible.

**Taken from Jamaica Observer

Its been quite challenging to put some order to the amount of things that has happened this week, but there is one thing that holds sure, and that is the fact that it has been a pretty interesting time. I have already spoken about the lock down that happened when news dropped of the possibility of the extradition request being signed. Now I have to focus on the Prime Ministers address to the nation, which confirmed those rumors. At 8:30pm on monday night it was possibly the first time in many years that a national address by the prime minister was watched by so many Jamaicans, I am willing to wager that everybody with a tv eagerly watched to hear what would have been said, as speculation rose that the PM was about to resign.

In the early stages of the speech (text of the speech available here) however, I soon realized that all that I had hoped for had in fact been lost as it became apparent that this speech was another political speech about nothing at all. I could detect the miles of rubbish that was about to come from the line where he said "I have asked God to guide me in my response and the decisions I must make". This line is the newest tool used by politicians around the world when they need justification for some action that they know they cannot properly rationalize with the people. The name God is constantly being used in the wrong light by these people to fool a bunch of people who will blindly follow their deity as long as they believe he is behind someone's decisions, however the people who read between the lines more easily can call the speaker for what they really are saying:

However I decided to listen on, listen to the quagmire of garbage that was bound to eventually come out of the PM's mouth. The first and only issue that the PM really touched on was the extradition. He decided that he was going to sign the extradition request and then stated that "the government has never refused... never refused... the request for the extradition of Christopher Coke. It has simply asked the US authorities to provide additional information", yea... right.

Anyway this was to be expected after all the country was fedup with this issue going on for so long. Too many people had become affected by the issue as the US began denying many Jamaicans entry. So of course the request was to be granted else he would probably be the first Jamaican PM that would be put publicly lynched. But after he confirms that he will in fact be granting the extradition request, Golding then went on into a discussion that to be honest can be seen as nothing more than a drunken tyrade.

This is why I came to the conclusion that Golding is simply pulling the wool over Jamaican's eyes. He did not speak about the issues we want to hear, he did not resign from his post even though its obvious he has lost the trust of the entire country, he did not speak at any depth about the Mannatt issue... and then for the last 5-10 minutes of the speech in an attempt to further confuse the people he again reiterates those promises he made during his campaign for PM, more political promises and just the usual garbage that nobody really wanted to hear.

And then there is the concluding paragraph:

The nation's business cannot continue to be disrupted and distracted by the ordeal of the last several months. We must put it behind us and move on and I hope that after tonight we will be able to do so. And we must do so with humility. Our lapses at times into what comes across as arrogance and disrespect must not be allowed to happen, for we are the servants of the people. Again, I express my regret to those who were offended.

So we must not be distracted by the lies he has told, or his clear violations of our trust and as a matter of fact the rule of law. No we are to "put it behind us on move on". Such garbage I never thought I would hear. It really disturbs me that this is the method chosen by the PM to gain the forgiveness of the country.

Well Mr. Golding, I am neither pleased, nor fooled