Category: Uncategorized

Mel Cooke and the Problem of Point of View

In which Kei Miller decisively dismantles Mel Cooke’s presumptuous point of view on homosexuals, published in the Gleaner a few days ago. A masterful takedown…read it…

One of the most important points he makes is worth calling out: “To publicly challenge things that are said publicly is not the same as being censorious. To point out (sometimes with vehemence and rigour) how some things can cause offense, or how they might be homophobic or racist or whatever, is not the same as saying that thing should never have been said. That is reductive thinking. Of course I affirm Mel’s right to say what he wants to say, to share *his* point of view if not the assumed Point of View of the Other. But I also affirm everyone else’s right to contend, to debate, to come with new arguments and counter arguments. Isn’t that what discourse is?”

Nuanced discourse is too often missing in Jamaica…certainly you rarely find it in the newspapers…hallelujah for blogs where some of the best critical writing can be had at a moment’s notice.

keimiller's avatarUnder the Saltire Flag

There is a saying in Jamaica – mi throw mi corn, mi nuh call nuh fowl. (I threw my corn, I didn’t  call any fowl). And another one – ‘throw stone inna hog pen, him who squeal a him it lick’. (when you throw a stone into a pig’s pen, the one who squeals is the one who was hit). Both sayings are about words that are aimed and yet pretend disingenuously to have no directions – words that hit targets but then shrug. ‘Oh? Did I hit you? I am so sorry!’

JA-Fowl2

Mel Cooke’s recent article in the Jamaica Gleaner,  ‘Bye-Bye, Boom-Bye-Bye’ did a lot of throwing. He was throwing corn, throwing stones, and throwing word. His target? Oh – the usual of course. Every Jamaican DJ who wants the crowd to go wild, every Jamaican pastor who wants a louder Amen, and every Jamaican newspaper writer who…

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American banter about Obama in Jamaica…

When Images Come Home to Roost: Notes on Blue Curry’s PARADISE.jpg

nationalgalleryofjamaica's avatarNational Gallery of Jamaica

Blue Curry - PARADISE.jpg, at the corner of Orange Street and Port Royal Street Blue Curry – PARADISE.jpg, at the corner of Orange Street and Port Royal Street

Although the Jamaica Biennial 2014 has now closed, we intend to continue the dialogue. Here is a guest-post by freelance curator and art writer Nicole Smythe-Johnson, who served as project manager for the Biennial and had special responsibility for coordinating projects such as Blue Curry’s.

Bahamian artist Blue Curry flew from London, checking his contribution to the 2014 Jamaica Biennial as luggage. Almost 300 feet of wall poster, divided into sections of 8 by 10 feet were packaged in two large rolls and encased in cardboard. Even though the National Gallery had provided the artist with a letter explaining the nature of the work, and the fact that the piece would not to be returned to London after the exhibition (only because it would be destroyed by then), the customs officer was unconvinced.

Blue Curry - PARADISE.jpg Blue Curry –…

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“I’m dead. No returns.” : The Afflicted One checks out

A collection of interesting tributes to Peter Dean Rickards, the Jamaican image maker, videographer and writer par excellence.

pdface out

One of my favourite friends, Peter Dean Rickards, departed this crazy world on December 31st at 4 am. It’s heartbreaking to step into 2015 without him and I will do a longer, more considered post in due course but in the meantime here’s a compilation of some of the most compelling tributes I found on social media. A particularly touching one is from LA Lewis (Horace), someone both PD and I think/thought is a completely underrated genius…you see him here in a rare unvarnished video moment–the master of artifice with no props, unfiltered, mourning Peter’s passing. Peter’s magnificent spoof of the artworld–The Concepshional Artist–used LA Lewis as his subject, a role he played brilliantly. Check it out.

“Dem get out Bab Morley, Dem get out Bill Casby, and now they try to get out me. #kim #pete #uptown”–one of Peter’s last tweets…

bout yuh dead
Sani Showbizz‎

AYE RED BWOY! TEK MON FI FUUL!!!!!
Hiff u eva guh ded yuself mi kill yu… LOG EEN PON FASEBUK NOUW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jacquie Juceam

Dem get out ‪#‎WerlBoss‬ dem get out ‪#‎BabMorley‬ and now dem get out ‪#‎EdgyPete‬ . God knows I have been crying all morning but we soon organize a celebration.

Kari Heron‎

You know, I was shocked, then sad then angry, then all three. But then when I look at how you left, I realise that the joke was on us. The screenshot. The cover shot. The ominous tweet and FB update- Mic drop! And then the dramatic New Year’s Eve exit down-stage. “Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light, and NSA surveillance device…” I will always love you Peter Dean..and all the spaces between. Love to Aunty D and Pops and Sue and Rache and Satori and Shaman.

cowboysunset

Annie Paul: gr8 image, whose?
22 December 2014 at 10:08

Peter Dean Rickards: I not sure uno Hannie…i teef it .

Tomas A Palermo

Peter Dean was our go-to guy for original, artistic and downright jaw-dropping photographs of Jamaican artists, models and the grimier side of life during my tenure at XLR8R. Bark worse than bite, he was always professional and humorous when we least expected it. He will sorely be missed.

Donna P. Hope

RIP Peter Dean Rickards…your light shone brightly, burnt a few in the process and left us quite suddenly.

Edgar DE Scribe Lewis

My brother, my friend forever, Peter Dean Rickards . You made us laugh, we got each other in trouble, we ducked gunshots together. You defined creativity and rebellion for most of us. Through your eyes and your camera lens we saw what was right and wrong about Jamaica and the world, and you laughed about it. You went at it fearlessly, and that made you even more creative. People like you don’t die…. People like you lived and will continue to live.

Jacquie Juceam with Peter Dean Rickards and Leighton Paul Walsh

By @walshyfire “RIP to a great friend. One the most loved, hated, and feared people in the internet. From 1994 on dancehallminded.com to the first live in studio soundsystem dubplate recordings at downsound records in the late 90s. His artwork, photography and video captures of Jamaica and dancehall still reign supreme. Your contributions to Jamaican culture will never be forgotten Peter Dean Rickards. Rest in Peace brother.”

UpRising! @BullyRingo
The 1 @afflictedyard cut cause him tired a hang out wit bhuttus, den Joe call him fi shoot #GullyBop, that was the last straw

Berette Macaulay

This took all day – mainly because I hoped it was a sick joke – but here goes:

Out of respect for a life I knew and worked with,
…the profession of photography lost a brilliant visionary of style, wit, and talent. This dude Peter Dean Rickards stirred the shit up whereever he could, pissed off many, even frightened a few, and was definitely among the #zerofucksgiven SoulJahs. BUT no one could dispute his talent or resist the laughs.

He was committed to showing the world the raw side of #Jamaica that frankly few others really looked at or cared to do honest photo-essays about…and he represented this with poetry and the sexiest style. In this singularity I absolutely respected his stubborn tenacious and incomparable vision.

No doubt now in death, as in life, there are mixed feelings about this genius cat, but I will admit I will miss the funny exchanges we had from time to time. He was utterly grossed out or at least wickedly amused by lachrymose sentimentality – so with that I’ll wrap it up with this:

Trust you to have this last graphic note on your site you nut! Ha! Alas the fight is over. #FlyInPeace PDR (but as you said too William Richards – he’d just tell me to fuck off and get on with something better to do. So off I go. LOL).

For those of you who do not know this mans work – familiarize yourself.
Unforgettable eye.
www.PeterDeanRickards.com
www.AfflictedYard.com

S-Ann Anderson

“I just wanna cause enough shit to be a good bar story for a hundred years or so.” – Peter Dean Rickards

Parvs Haider‎

Who will take the photos now… RIP

Prince Zimboo shared a photo to Peter Dean Rickards’s Timeline.
pdzimboo

All Hail King Peter Dean! The most Afflicted Mad Man the World has ever seen.
You dressed your Doberman in long shirt and drove him in Car front seat to intimidate pedestrians with gritting & snapping of his teeth.
*SALUTE*

Karen C. Tomlinson‎

Goodnight beloved. Much guilt in my heart for not staying with you Tuesday night You didn’t want to be left alone. My hope is that it was soft like cream. you battled for every breath for some time now. Now you rest. I miss you and wish you were still here. But the suffering was too much for you. See you in the afterlife. Shine your star bright. Oh my god you are amazing PDR.

Polly Thomas‎

So very sad and shocked to hear that the inimitable Peter Dean Rickards has died; a unique and acerbic wit, a brilliant photographer and a fantastic ambassador for Jamaica in all the right ways.

Sweetland Photos‎

Always thinking outside of the box., always different, always …. FIRST..Genius at imaging ..Still trying to grasp some of your work, thats how advanced you were . Gonna miss our talks even though its been a while since we last chatted. now i am figuring out all the reason for all the changes in recent times.. Always loved your spirit and admired your works Rest well my friend. You have left The afflicted yard in mourning

Horace L A Lewis‎

THIS WAS PETER LAST FILM THAT WE WORK AN BE FOUR HE LEFT JAMAICA LIFE IS SO SAD I WAS LOOKING FOR HIM TO RETURN WE LOVE YOU PETER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaZt1NLZRfg

10441140_10152610841476872_6045852787824361596_n

http://www.afflictedyard.com/djlalewis.htm

Debbie Deer
debbiedeer

2015 has been a year of great learning and friends lost. R.I.P @afflictedyard I will thoroughly miss you ‘Ruddy’. You were one of the first photographers to see the beauty in me. When I was just 18, you said “climb that rusty ship in Port Royal and come Mek we tek some pics” that’s when I knew you were crazy and I loved it! Those who knew you knew you loved controversy, you lived for it and you were a true artist to the core! Honestly one of Jamaica’s top ‘Media Terrorist”. I loved and respected your craft and loved you as a friend. Again you will be missed Peter, until my friend. Try not to piss the cosmos off lol ‪#‎rip‬ #2015 ‪#‎sad‬ ‪#‎friend‬ ‪#‎Jamaica‬ ‪#‎model‬ ‪#‎artist‬

Julian @AllianceJamaica
this is one of the most enduring memories I have with @afflictedyard was captured here. him draw me out of my yard. I ended up in Tivoli about 3 am the same night with my laptop showing Dudus the harrowing photos Pete took of Chris Royal’s death scene

Christina Xu
@xuhulk was a complicated man and a brilliant photographer but I’ll always remember him for this: newsone.com/44922/jamaican…

Jamaican Dog Defecates on Priceless Banksy Piece
A new chapter has emerged in the struggle between legendary at-prankster, Bansky and his Jamaican photographer nemesis, Peter Dean Rickards. Rickards has allowed a dog to defecate on artwork  Banksy,
 NewsOne @newsone

wallyboo

Julian @AllianceJamaica
Banksy paid Pete @afflictedyard £10,000 to handover the fotos an never mention it again The fotos were taken in Jamaica mostly @ Buju studio

Julian @AllianceJamaica
I think it’s also safe to say now the fucker dead that @afflictedyard is the only person known to have photographed @banksy

BigBlackBarry @BigBlackBarry
Big loss.The definitive jamaican film of my generation woulda been done by Peter. It woulda taken forever, but he woulda gotten around to it

BigBlackBarry @BigBlackBarry
Long before newspapers started mentioning the JCF death squad vimeo.com/6651793

BigBlackBarry @BigBlackBarry
The lizard town massacre pics. The thurs nite boxing pics. Passa Passa. Kids in tivoli. No one else got it like him

Russell Hergert @russellhergert
Saddest thing is Jamaica lost its most important artist today and they don’t even realise it. @afflictedyard #afflictedyard #timewilltell

Screenshot 2015-01-01 09.16.02

seriously

Mario Deane Is Only A Statistic, But What An Awful Statistic It Is!

and a brilliant but bone chilling post from Kei on the numbers behind police killings in Jamaica “…divide the number of victims killed at the hands of police against the number of police who are in jail for such a crime and the answer is simple. Injustice.”

keimiller's avatarUnder the Saltire Flag

Mario-deane

The case of Mario Deane represents a very human and tragic story — a story that should make us all angry. As the cliche goes, he should not be reduced to a statistic. And yet, those statistics tell an important story, one that shouldn’t lessen our anger but should focus it. Here are those statistics:

statistics3

In the last 20 years in Jamaica, at least 200 people have been killed each year by police. This is not an average. 200 is the lowest number killed in any given year. In some years the figure is actually much higher than that.

To put this into another statistical context, let us consider the UK – a country with a population 23 times higher than Jamaica’s. The UK does not report police killings 23 times more than Jamaica’s. Over the last 20 years a total of 1433 people have died after having had some manner of…

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And the war rages on in Gaza (that is – Gaza, Jamaica)

Another great post from Kei–in which i get mentioned and cited 🙂

keimiller's avatarUnder the Saltire Flag

There is Gaza in the Middle East, and there is Gaza in Jamaica. A war is happening in both places.

My new book – The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion – is, in parts, fascinated with Jamaica’s unusual place names, and the politics of naming generally – how we often imagine one place onto another place. Jamaica isn’t unique in this. In New Zealand, there is Dunedin, derived from the Gaelic word for Edinburgh, and the map of Edinburgh here is imposed onto the territory. But it doesn’t quite work. No place can ever be another place, no matter how hard we try to imagine it. In Dunedin, there are valleys where there should be hills, and water where there should be land. The landscape resists the imposed map of Edinburgh. And there are examples of this sort of thing all over the colonial world.

cartographerbooks

In Jamaica…

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“I don’t swim like a shark”: Why I’ve taken down my National Gallery post

A short while ago I received a call from Charles Campbell, former Curator of the National Gallery of Jamaica, asking me if I would take down my post about his resignation. He is in the middle of exit interviews and even though I informed him on Friday that I would be posting something this weekend he hadn’t realized how much it would focus on him, and feels that this isn’t the best time for this information to come out. Out of respect for our friendship and concern for his well-being I have done so but the substantive issues still stand and I will rewrite my post to focus on those.

Monique Roffey’s Discovery of Caribbean Literature

The following essay by Vladimir Lucien from St. Lucia is causing some waves among Caribbean literati. When is a writer a Caribbean writer was a debate that raged on Facebook for a while in May and seems to have spun off this searing critical response. Lucien takes the discussion into territory we don’t examine enough. His comments below amplify my own initial introductory remarks.  The question “Who has the right to call themselves a Caribbean writer?” appeared in the original discussion on Facebook and remains a cogent one. Do Caribbean writers have the responsibility to represent the corpus of writing from the region with a depth born of serious engagement and research are additional questions he’s asking. And of course much much more. What do YOU think?

vladimirlucien's avatarcaribbeanlitlime

Monique Roffey’s recent article on the Waterstones blog created quite a stir when it was posted and shared over various social media. The article was an echo of an essay Roffey had published in Wasafiri, Vol. 28 No. 2, in June 2013, entitled ‘New Writing from the Island of Trinidad’. This contentious one however was supposedly wider in scope, entitled ‘The New Wave of Caribbean Writers.’ In both articles, Roffey seems to be attempting to inform persons about not just who is writing or worth reading, but also on the trajectory that Trinidadian and Caribbean literature has taken to bring them both to what she thinks is a particularly auspicious and mature period.  Via e mail threads, facebook threads, private messages, there has been a lot of talk going around about the article on the blog. Many persons were displeased with it for a number of reasons, many of which…

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The Banning of the Drums; or ‘How to be a Good Nigger in Jamaica’

Kei Miller firing on all cylinders in this one…a must read.

keimiller's avatarUnder the Saltire Flag

To fully understand the present moment, some people say we must understand the past that gave birth to it. So this week, I pause my regular commentary on topical matters in Jamaica, to look briefly at history.

drums1

In about 1740, across the Caribbean, the drums were banned. Of course this wasn’t so much a banning of drumming as it was a banning of blackness. People had been taken out of Africa. Now it was time to take Africa out of them. Drums not only represented a continent and a vibrant culture; it was a living language loud enough to speak across plantations and in whose syncopated vocabulary, revolts could be plotted. Importantly, the white planters did not understand the language of drums and so these drums had to be banned.

The logic was as we might expect it to be from that period of time, so steeped in racism. Black…

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