Social Impact with Emma » Cuba : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

CARICOM, The Patriarchy and Plastic Bottles

July 7th, 2018

Over the past few days, Jamaica, as incoming Chair, has been proudly hosting the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 39th annual Conference of Heads of Government in Montego Bay for approximately 200 foreign officials. We have been regaled with numerous social media posts, video clips with cameras panning across sunlit views of the coastline and happy, smiling […]

Hurricanes and the Media: Yes, We Have a Choice

September 10th, 2017

Hurricane Irma (and her boyfriend, following along behind, José) both decided not to bother with Jamaica, for which we are thankful. While the north coast had blue skies and sunshine however, down in Kingston we have had heavy showers, stopping and starting, and thunder grumbling away. A storm on Friday has sent our dogs into […]

Jamaica AIDS Support for Life: Celebrating Its 25th Birthday in Style, and Despite Challenges

November 29th, 2016

Thursday, December 1 is World AIDS Day. This piece is my personal, small (and probably very inadequate) tribute to all the men and women who have worked so hard to establish, build and maintain a non-governmental organization that has had more than its fair share of trials and challenges: Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL). […]

The Uncertain Life and Times of the Jamaican Weather Forecaster

October 5th, 2016

In the wake of Hurricane Matthew – who is still churning around Cuba and giving the Bahamas and Florida the jitters – one thing struck me. Our friends at the Meteorological Office of Jamaica received unjustifiably harsh criticism from the Jamaican public. It is almost as if some Jamaicans felt cheated that they had gone […]

Is There a Right and a Wrong Way to Celebrate National Holidays?

July 24th, 2016

The Independence and Emancipation Day holidays are nearly upon us (I refuse to use the word “Emancipendence.” Whoever thought that one up?) How quickly the year has passed! It’s as if the holiday is a kind of marker; from here on, the year just slips away until Christmas arrives. Another year done! Tempus fugit. Recently, […]

Our Media Is Happily Free – Let’s Not Take It For Granted

May 4th, 2016

World Press Freedom Day (May 3) came and went with barely a ripple in Jamaica. The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) issued a statement, which addressed a current shopping list of concerns among local media practitioners. These concerns are by no means slight – an inadequate Access to Information, and the anachronistic Official Secrets Act, […]