THIS WEEK’S MAIN NEWS
Weekly Jamaica and Caribbean News
JAMAICAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION PLANS MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE FOR SCHOOLS
Fayval Williams, Jamaica’s Minister of Education and Youth, announced an allocation of $210 million that will go towards critical school repairs across the island. Williams told the Jamaica Teachers Association’s 58th annual conference on August 24, 2022, that each of the seven regions overseen by the Ministry received $30 million to upgrade their infrastructure and 97 schools were identified as needing critical repairs . The Ministry’s long-term objective is to bring school infrastructure up to 21st century standards and create suitable jobs for teachers and administrators.
SAMUDA FINDS ‘NO EVIDENCE’ JAMAICAN FARMERS MISTREATED ON CANADIAN FARMS
Between August 14 and 16, 2022, Jamaica’s Minister of Labor Karl Samuda said he and his team visited nine farms in Canada, including two that employed temporary workers from Jamaica who had alleged mistreatment by their employers and “did not observe any evidence of ill-treatment.” Samuda’s visit came in response to a letter sent by Jamaican farmers who were in Canada as participants in the Jamaican Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. In the letter, the workers described their situation as “systemic slavery.” Samuda acknowledged that working conditions differed between farms, but said that overall workers and employers had “very good relations.” Relations with Jamaican liaison officers in Canada, who are charged with protecting workers’ interests, were also good, Samuda said. Migrant Workers for Change called Samuda’s statement “a slap in the face” and said the workers’ employers threatened them with losing their jobs if they did not “keep quiet.” The group plans to continue the fight for permanent residency status for him. all migrant farm workers, noting that despite complaints of abuse, the Canadian government has not created the only plan that will end the problem: full and permanent immigration for migrant farm workers. and other migrants in the country. A report by the Migrant Worker Center (MWC) that was released in March 2022 found that temporary foreign workers in British Columbia were subjected to many types of abuse by their agents and employers.
THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS FOR THE CARIBBEAN
MINNESOTA CELEBRATES CARIBBEAN POPULATION GROWTH WITH ‘GUYANA NIGHT’
Trevor Samaroo started a non-profit a few years ago to sponsor “Minnesota Guyana Day” since there were few events focused on Guyanese culture in the state, despite its growing population of immigrants from the South American nation. Guyana is associated with Caribbean culture through its music, food and traditions, and there are currently approximately 8,000 Caribbean residents living in Minnesota. While there are events celebrating Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and the Bahamas, people from Guyana wanted to celebrate their unique traditions as well. The 2022 event, which was held on August 27 at the Eritrean Community Center in St. Minnesota. The celebration also featured traditional Guyanese and Caribbean cuisines to showcase the diversity of the Caribbean region.
THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS FOR THE JAMAICAN DIASPORA
CONSULATE GENERAL OF JAMAICA NEW YORK TO LEAD INDIAN-AMERICAN DAY PARADE
The Consulate General of Jamaica in New York will end the commemoration of the island’s 60th anniversary of independence by leading fellow Jamaicans under an official flag on Labor Day, September 5, 2022, in the West Indian Day Carnival Parade . This will be the first time the Jamaican Consulate General will lead the parade. According to Alsion Roach Wilson, Jamaican Consul General, Jamaicans have worked hard to build a strong brand and image in the United States and this event will give the Jamaican diaspora and the island’s cultural heritage the attention and recognition they deserve. Wilson added that the parade gives all Caribbean communities in New York the opportunity to come together and show their solidarity as a people.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
JAMAICAN TOURISM MINISTER EXPECTS MORE VISITORS FROM SAUDI ARABIA AFTER NEW AGREEMENT
According to Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the island will see more tourists from Saudi Arabia as a result of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two nations. Bartlett expects at least 100,000 Saudi tourists to visit Jamaica within the next three years under the MOU, which establishes cooperation in the tourism sector between Saudi Arabia and Jamaica. Bartlett added that the Memorandum of Understanding is designed to facilitate the sharing of best practices between the two countries and increase investment opportunities between them as well. He said the agreement will also allow more Jamaican and Caribbean products to enter the Saudi market and for Saudi products to come to the Caribbean.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
JAMAICAN SCREENWRITER PARTICIPATED IN JCDC FI WI SHORT FILM CONTEST
Nasika Alliman, a first-time filmmaker, was selected as one of 22 contestants to take part in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) FI WI Short Film Competition. Alliman was “overjoyed” to be selected as her entry was the first film she had ever produced. The competition is operated by the Drama and Theater Arts Unit of the JCDC and was open to first-time Jamaican filmmakers aged 12 to 18 and adults 19 and over. Applicants were asked to create a short film treatment based on their interpretation of one of five selected Jamaican proverbs. Alliman chose “Nuh dash weh yuh tick before yuh done crass riva” because he thought it would be easy to turn into a comedy. Her five-minute film follows the main character as he seeks help immigrating to America and his desperation that results in making rash decisions as she interprets the proverb to warn against premature celebrations. Alliman holds a BA in Journalism and Film Studies from the University of the West Indies. She began writing films in 2019, being inspired by other Jamaican filmmakers such as Storm Saulter and Trevor Rhone.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
JAMAICA FOOTBALL FEDERATION PREPARING FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) will amend its bylaws and articles of association to conform to FIFA regulations by November 1, 2022. The JFF’s process for electing its executive body includes association presidents from municipal level football, so only a majority of 13 votes is required to approve the change. No date for the meeting has been set, as plans have been under discussion since 2020 when a FIFA official proposed the changes during a visit to the island. According to Raymond Grant, president of the Portland FA and a director of the JFF, said that the meeting will seek to ratify the number of structural changes in the JFF, not limited to the number of congress delegates. There will be more members in the football fraternity as well, Grant said, and JFF members can make their voices heard at the conference. A critical principle driving the proposals is to increase the involvement of more stakeholders at the highest level of decision-making, so that parish referee associations and trainers at local level can become active in the process.
