Jamaica Arise: The 75 Year History of the PNP (1938-2013)

1. What was the role that the People's National Party (PNP) played in the anti-colonial struggle?

The role that the People's National Party played in the anti-colonial struggle was fundamental. I think that it was very hard for Jamaicans to get the independence and the PNP stood out like a group were you could find organization and a strong feeling of caring for the people. 

Also I think it's important to acknowledge that whenever a large group of people decide to do something for them self they need to have an organization strategy. The participation of the PNP was crucial in this case, and we can forget how important they were to preserve the hope of a better country for the people, especially in the beginning where things were uncertain.

2. What was/is the role of women throughout the 75 years of the PNP? (Give at least 3 examples) 

The role that women took throughout the 75 years of the PNP was an example of the women speaking for themself and having an active participation in society and the future of it. Even if that sounds full of hope, it wasn't easy at all. The PNP Women's Movement was formed in 1973, and some of the founding members that appear on the documentary are Jennifer Edwards and Valerie McNeill.

It was really hard for them because even though they were fighting for things like peace and a better quality of life, they were silenced a lot of times because they were women. Some of their demands were Equal pay for men and women in 1975 and Maternity leave act in 1979. There's a part where, in an old film, a woman says: "jamaican woman now has a sense of self, wich she did not have before" that I think it resumes the feeling of fight that pushed women. 

3. How did the implementation of democratic socialism affect the Jamaican people?

At first, democratic socialism was presented with the goal of bringing equal opportunities and experiences, and not only that. They had a lot of hope for the jamaican people, they wanted  equality of opportunities, free education, political education, among other things.  There is a woman on the movie that says"if socialism doesn't win, Jamaica dies", which I think is a very good example of how important democratic socialism was. 

Sadly, things couldn't be so easy. At the time there was an idea worldwide were socialism was the same as communism, that was very critical for Jamaica because wealthy people started leaving the country and an economic crisis went down. There were people sending basic supplies from the United States and the situation got very complicated in material terms. 

4. How does the PNP justify privatization and its role in creating a path of neoliberal reforms in Jamaica?

The rol of the PNP to justify privatization was really big. They saw that the economic crisis that hit Jamaica was going harder on them and they weren't really taking positive things out of it, so they ended up giving a chance to privatization because they couldn't risk anything when it came to economics. 

With that context we can understand that the goal was to rebuild the economic system in Jamaica, even if that would implied to enter into a new model. The liberation in the financial sector was a motion that was able to grow in people because of the role of the PNP. 

5. How do you compare the role of PNP in the film, Ghett'a Life (Lenny Thompson, Derrick's Father) versus the documentary?

I think that in the movie the PNP isn't portrayed as noble at it is in the documentary. In this one, they show it like a party who cares mostly about the people, and that make the decisions thinking about everyone. In the movie you get the sense that they do things with more particular and egoists reasons. 

Ghett'a Life Review

Ghett'a Life is a 2011 movie by the director Chris Browne

1. Who was your favorite character (s) from the film? Why?

I think my favourite character is Dawn Thompson. I like her because I think she represents well how many women may feel in this world and the things they have to do in it to live their lives.  She is portrayed as an actual person and not just a fictional character, also I like the fact that even if she's trying to be a good mother or help someone or whatever thing she does, she does not forget herself. She is constantly showing her independence and that she doesn't depend on anyone. 

2. How does the film compare to the other Jamaican films from the 70s? (Besides visual effects, think about the plot and character development).

I think that the 3 movies that we saw had a very strong connecting ideas. I loved how they portrayed Jamaica because they remind me a lot of Chile itself. I don't know why but I really like low budget films! Maybe it's because they might preserve the essence of the people they are trying to represent. 

A difference from this film compared to the other two we saw (The harder they come & Rockers) that I think got into my head the most was the representation of the female characters. I don't think that in the other movies there were a lot of time for the actresses on screen, and even if this wasn't a huge change from that at least they showed a more empowered woman (for the standards). Of course I understand that it is very difficult to find a jamaican movie from those years with a leading or at least an important female character, maybe that is why I appreciate this about this particular movie. Besides I like that they showed a little more of other characters and not only the main one. 

3. How are woman portrayed in this film? Is it a little or big advancement compared to the films from the 1970's?

I think I might have respond this question in the answer before but now I will get a little bit more critical. Even tho there was one strong female character, al of the other still correspond to the model that we would expect. Women, as always, are sexualized and as far as the movie went you could see that it was full of stereotypes. I can't really say I'm surprised because like I said before, for a Jamaican movie from the 70's we can't expect to find films with a more feminist view that easily, But I think it is truthful that the movie portrayed them like that because that is how society sees women.