The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica"Jamaica used to the source of much of Britain's wealth, an island where slaves grew sugar and the money flowed out in vast quantities. It was a tropical paradise for the planters, a Babylonian exile for the Africans shipped to the Caribbean. Since independence in 1962, it has gradually become associated with a new kind of hell, a society where extreme violence has become ordinary and gangs control the areas where most Jamaicans live. Ian Thomson's brave new book explores a country of lost promise, a country that most older Jamaicans in Britain cannot recognise as their own. Once a beacon of optimistic third world politics, the island is now sunk in corruption, hopelessness and drug wars. Jamaica's music was once the lilting anthem of idealists everywhere; now it is a repetitive glorification of homophobia and violence"--Global Books in Print. |
Contents
A History of Paradise | 1 |
Black Man in Hammersmith Palais | 9 |
Trench Town Mix Up | 23 |
Copyright | |
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African American arrived asked began Betton black Jamaican Black River Blackwell Bob Marley Bobo Bogle Britain British Brother Leeroy called Caribbean Chinese church colonial colour culture dancehall dead yard death downtown Empire England English Ethiopian eyes Facey Falmouth film ganja garden ghetto green Haile Selassie Haiti Ian Fleming imperial independence island Jamaica Jones killed Kingston Kumina land lived London looked Lord Creator Mandeville Manley's Mansingh Marcus Garvey Maroon Michael Manley Morant Bay mother murder night Oberli Paul Bogle Perry plantation planter police political poor Port Antonio Portland parish Queen Rastafari Rastafarians reggae Road Seaga seemed slavery slaves Slimfort smiled smoke social song Spanish Town Spiderman St Thomas stood Stoppi Street sugar told tourists uptown violence voice wanted West Indian West Indies wife woman women