THE EDITOR, Sir:
EUROPE IS scattered with statues of nude figures. Why is it that the black man/black woman in Jamaica is still unable to accept themselves as beautiful and celebrate this beauty?
Is it any wonder that the majority of black girls in Jamaica apply relaxer creams in order to straighten their hair? Is it any wonder that bleaching creams are so widely used in Jamaica? Blackness in Jamaica is still viewed as inferior and this is a shame. The negative statements emerging about the statue 'Redemption Song' that now sits at Emancipation Park reveals that mentally and socially we are still an enslaved people. This is ironic.
The issue of nudity in art is nothing new. We are seemingly suffering from an identity crisis. Is it any wonder that several of our top deejays wear American brand name jerseys when performing publicly?
Today, if something is made in Europe or America it is automatically better than if it is made in Jamaica, another Caribbean island or, God forbid, Africa.
The statue is one of the most beautiful statues that I have ever seen. Like those who continue to be mentally enslaved, are they also going to allow our Jamaican art to suffer this fate?
I am, etc.,
PATRICK A. GALLIMORE
pagalley@hotmail.com
Via Go-Jamaica
