The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston

As Old as Time

What are your fondest memories of Kingston or the city you live in?
 Mine are all from Christmas, the decorated stores, the lights strung up in the plazas each competing with their version of the nativity seen or Christmas tree with gifts underneath.  The streets lined with vendors trying to make the last sale before they have to pack up.  The smell of melting cotton candy, roasted peanut, jerk chicken and exploded fire crackers.
How about the smell of fruits soaking in wine, freshly baked Christmas cakes soaked in rum and the sorrel-ginger wine.  I remember the smell of newness; fresh curtains hung at the windows, a new coat of paint or white wash on the wall. Christmas carols playing over the radio or television as early as November, children getting excited for the new toy they will get, the new Susie Dolly or G-I Joe.

But what about those changes over time, have you noticed the changes that are happening in our city over the years? Have those changes eroded your fond memories? Or have you made new ones?

The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston

Work Hard and Play Harder

For a country that has a national debt crisis we surely can party!  Hot Mondays, Bembe Thursday, Weddi Weddi, Dutty Fridays, Wata Party (never mind the water shortage in many rural areas and water restrictions for many of us in the St.Andrew area).  Jamaicans always find the time and resources to enjoy themselves, never mind the cost of it all.  But I will agree that the Jamaican dancehall is a lucrative business and many of our nations children are feed and schooled from earnings in the dancehall. Lets look at the ways people earn through the dancehall.

• The artist who designs the flyers & teasers
• The girl who pose for the photo to go on the flyer (Clears throat)
• The peanut, wrigleys, lighter seller
• The beverage company (truck driver, loader)
• The seller of all things "herbal"
• The store owner who sell the bling bling outfit
• The hairdresser & barber
• The taxi drivers
• The DJ
• The entertainer
• The promotor
• The owner of the venue
• The jerk chicken, soup with roast corn man
• The security 

Me leave out any body? If I did fill it in for me.
      

If we are to explore the various avenues of the dancehall, we have to mension the music, fashion, dance moves and the players of the dancehall.  Kingston is never without entertainment on any given night.  There are many websites dedicated to providing the city dweller with information about the next party and our local newspapers are not to be out done.  Living in the city we work hard and play harder.

The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston

David vs Goliath
Who are the movers and shakers of your city?
I'm yet to figure out who is the Goliath of Kingston and who is David.  As we go about our everyday lives do we consider our position on the ladder? I often wonder if my contribution to the city's life is felt by others.  Like a pebble thrown into a body of water, do I make a ripple or does my stone simply sink to the bottom and the water remains still?

Here in the twenty-first century it is quite customary for the under-dogs of society to be the Davids and triumph over the Goliaths.  But there are those among us who prefer to be Goliath and reign with terror and strength. Making all others around them fear but there is always a revolution a foot.
Bob Marley "Small Axe"

The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston

The Light Within
I can only imagine how some people function in their environment. What are the things that motivate them and give them the push they need to go on.  Quite recently, I have come to make a self assessment in this regard and I will admit that it took me a while to pin point the light within.  It's not that the light was out its really just that there were other things casting a shadow over it.  My will to fight and survive is quite similar to others but my little light flickers differently.

On a daily basis I observe people and wonder if their light is burning and if so do they realise that there is a burning desire inside them.  When do we feel like we have had our moment in time?

The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston

Damian Marley - Set Up Shop [Official Video]
Survival is a must

The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston

(Damian Jr  Gong Marley - Welcome To Jamrock(Uncensored))
Unfortunately many people believe this is the reality of the entire island.  This is the reality for many but not for all.

The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston.

Hustlers or Survival Enthusiasts?

Since the "recession" when money became scarce and people were told to brace themselves or tighten their belts I have noticed that the number of vendors in the market place have tripled; it may be more.  People have resorted to supplementing their income (those who have a steady income) by becoming merchants either from the back of their motor vehicle or via Facebook.  I cant count how many of my contacts have created a page dedicated to their side job of make up artistry, clothes, jewellery and shoe sale. But what has forced us to become overnight entrepreneurs? 

Downtown Kingston

What have you been doing for survival?
People who I've spoken to say they have resorted to some drastic measures to make the dollar stretch.  Strategies like,
not turning on lights until the last moment when the sun goes down, unplugging all appliances, changing to energy saving light bulbs, re-using water used to wash dishes or the car to water lawns. While these strategies will reduce energy consumption and promote a "go-green" lifestyle, the utility bills are still high.  The simple fact is the dollar just wont stretch therefore the need to supplement the household income.

We all have our means of survival including those that do not have a steady income, for a moment if it has not yet happened to you, imagine yourself without a job and the bills are piling up and you and your family have to eat.  What would you do to survive from day to day? The street vendor or young man at the stop light wiping wind shields have this reality daily.  They have to do what they can to survive; unfortunately sometimes this exacts in illegal activities but what are their alternatives.

Living in the city requires a certain stealth and cunning in order to survive, many of us seem to be getting by while others are serious experts. Where do you fit in?

The City as a Market Place: A Panoramic View of Kingston.

Masquerade

What defines you as a city dweller? Is it where you live or where you work?
Is it how you look or the clothes you wear?
What are those markers that gives you your identity?
I would like to believe that we all have marks of identity that are sub-terrain, something deep inside us that is the very essence of our being. Something that is like no other.  On the surface we all look similar despite our attempts to remain "individuals".  Just look at how we dress; ladies we buy the same skirt or blouse style displayed by the designers on runways. Gentlemen, you all gravitate to  the same code of dress with vivid colours and tight jeans yet you are an individual.  At what point do we stop being individuals and become a collective body.

What about the mask we all wear daily?  Are we aware that we are masked?
What are we hiding from the public?
There are those of us who are masked to deceive others but a few of us mask our selves as a defence mechanism.  Like the ladies you see walking in the city with a stern look on their faces; are they really delicate and emotionally driven?  Then there are the men who present themselves as stallions; uttering all manner of garbage to women in order to woo her.  God knows I have been called a slew of names "my size..., sexy mama (this one while I was pregnant), champion (my favourite)" those are the ones that are fit for public display. Could it be that these men have confidence issues? Ladies the next time a man asks for your attention in a peculiar way, give him a few seconds of your time and see if he can keep up the conversation; have fun with it.

We all parade in the city in our many costumes and masks, performing the dance of city life.  This masquerade is most entertaining if you stop to observe it, but it is always refreshing when you remove all the make-up and expose our essence, that little something inside us that makes us who we are; that makes you and individual.