Becoming the Brown Girl in the Ring
There is a word Jamaicans use for home—“yard.” In Jamaica talk, “yard” refers to one’s living space, but may also refer to the whole island. I remember when we used to sit / in a government yard in Trench Town, the Bob Marley lyrics go. In Marley’s Trench Town, much of life happened outside in communal courtyards, and as such, the yards were enlivened spaces of exchange and community. Designed for low-income families, these government yards typically consisted of one or two squat buildings divided into several one-room or two-room units with a shared standpipe and outside bathroom facilities. Perhaps one would find a lone ackee tree in the yard, for ackee—the bright red and yellow national fruit—is everywhere in Jamaica.… Seguir leyendo »