While in exile on St. Helena Napoleon was urged by his aides to write a book on military strategy. Why not let the world know the secrets of history’s finest general? The great man laughed. It would be easy to describe the details of his maneuvers. But what would be the point? It was not the theory that counted, but the actual doing. Execution was everything.

Marguerite Narinesingh, a former principal of Priory Junior School, is passionate about Jamaica’s gifted and talented children. She speaks of them with an infectious and excited fervour. Working with children of exceptional ability, she believes, is her true calling in life. How did she come to realize this?

On October 11, 1865 several hundred black people led by Paul Bogle marched into Morant Bay. They confronted the white and brown militia protecting the St. Thomas vestry (the parish assembly) and fighting erupted. By nightfall the crowd had killed 18 people and wounded 31 others, while 7 members of the crowd died. Disturbances spread across the parish and martial law was declared. By the time it ended a month later, 29 whites and browns had been killed and nearly 500 people executed in retaliation.

Jamaica and Cuba are only 90 miles apart, but their historical paths have completely diverged. Since it gained independence in 1898 after the Spanish American War, Cuba has known only American occupation and military dictatorship. Pre 1958 administrations were primarily noted for corruption, and social insensitivity - especially toward Afro-Cubans. Fidel Castro is, in many ways, an unquestionable improvement on his predecessors. Yet Cubans still enjoy little political freedom. Earlier this year four prominent opposition activists were jailed for criticizing the Communist Party and calling for political and economic reforms. Cubans remain unable to choose their leaders, and the ultimate guarantor of Castro’s power is not the people’s will but military force.

‘Can the past make nations ill as repressed memories sometimes make individuals ill? Can a people be reconciled to its past by replacing myth with fact and lies with truth? All societies forge myths of identity that allow them to forget their unhealed wounds. Nations, like individuals, cannot bear too much reality. But if too much truth can be divisive, how much is enough?’

Collie, illie, herb, weed, kaya, ganja - call it what you will, marijuana is virtually a part of Jamaica’s indigenous culture. Reggae songs continually extol the virtues of the weed of wisdom - “Legalize it, don’t criticize it. Got to have kaya now. Chalice in the palace.” A number of organizations are lobbying for its decriminalization. Many Jamaicans honestly feel that ganja is no worse than tobacco or rum and should be just as freely available.

Merlene Ottey’s determination and dignity have earned her universal affection and respect, and the news of her positive test for  nandrolone has stunned the entire nation. So far only her urine A sample has been analyzed. Until the B sample is tested, she remains innocent until proven guilty. Jamaica can only hope for the best as due process take its course.

Most news stories in Jamaica are ‘nine day wonders’ - an issue seizes the nation’s attention, is heatedly discussed for a week or so, and then is forgotten. But the Montego Bay street people incident refuses to go away.

Why are some countries rich and some poor? Geography is one reason. As Jared Diamond shows in his book ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’, climate and topography impact immensely on a region’s development.  Western Europe’s temperate climate, navigable rivers and plentiful harbours explain a good deal of its economic success. Around 93% of the population of the 30 highest-income countries lives in temperate and snow zones. Thirty nine of the 42 poorest countries are tropical or desert societies, and the other three are landlocked and isolated. But as Singapore, Hong Kong, The Bahamas, Barbados and Costa Rica prove, geography is not destiny.

In 1980 violence in Jamaica had reached civil war levels. A parliamentary candidate was killed, and the possibility of bullets and not ballots determining political power became a frightening reality. (True we had fewer murders in 1980 than 1997. But such violence was then unprecedented in our history. We have alas become insensitive.)