Diaspora –the aggregate of groups residing outside original homeland
Cultural Pride
Evanston Cricket Club
Gospel Reggae The birthplace of reggae and ska music is Jamaica; nevertheless, this music style wasn’t always embraced by all sectors of the Jamaican Community, particularly the Jamaican churches. With the help of Bob Marley and other reggae artists, our music became an international phenomenon. With time, reggae music became socially acceptable to many communities on the island, which now includes the Jamaican church. Reggae gospel music has pioneered many aspiring artists, such as:
You are cordially invited to our annual dinner dance. When:Sat December 14, 2002 Where:Banquet Hall & Party Palace 7064 N. Clark Chicago, IL Contact: M rs. Louis 847 328 4863 M rs. Williams 847 866 6619
Minister Carlene Davis She came from Jamaica to perform at northwestern university in Evanston, IL.
Roadmaster International Records Presents:
Her main goal is to spread the ministry of the Lord through music. Caroline’s angelic voice and personal testimony electrified her fans.
Annual Children Christmas Party When: Sat Dec 22, 2002 at 2:00pm Where : 629 1/2 Howard Street Evanston IL Contact: 847 869 7210
Winter 2002
Gospel Reggae continued
Sonny with African TV Chicago cameraman Mayo. Other performers entertained the crowd such as Nigerian born Sonny Okosuns.
An African American group called Spirit showcased their talent. Which ranged from traditional Negro Spirituals to reggae. Jamaica’s reggae music has truly captivated many cultures worldwide.
CCJ
Chicago Concerned Jamaicans held their annual “ Dare to Dream Aspire to Succeed” gala at the Hyatt regency Hotel. The crowd was entertained by Jamaica’ s very own Fab 5.
Minister Carlene Davis wit her fans Other performers entertained the crowd such as Nigerian born Sonny Okosuns.
Email fab5@mailinfochan.com
CD release: Redeemed by Carlene Davis
P roceeds fromthe event are used to help economically depressed areas and educational project so the island. To learn more about this organization, visit their website at w w w.ccj inc.org.
Sean Paul HOT ICE Heating & Refrigeration AC • Repair & Installation • Emergency Service • Emergency service available 24 hours a day • Lowest priced in the business Otis: 847 687 3749 Benny: 773 677 2199 phone 773 228 3200
LAW OFFICE OF MARLIN E. KIRBY • BANKRUPTCY • REAL ESTATE • IMMIGRATION LAW
Jamaican born dance hall sensation Sean Paul is really lighting up the reggae scene with his chart busting hit, Give Me the Light which has received numerous accolades in London. In the U.S. his video is often seen on MT V and is a sure contender for the upcoming Grammy Awards. Sean Paul recently performed at the Wild Hare in Chicago and will continue touring the U.S. and Caribbean. Big up to de yardie!
Someone You Should Know
675 WEST LAKE STREET, Ste. 131 OAK PARK, ILLINOIS (T) 708-848-9279 (F) 708-848-0613 Email: mkirbyesq1@aol.com
Winter Spotlight
INSURANCE BROKERS INC.
AUTO*MOTORCYCLE* HOME*RENTERS * HEALTH*DIS ABILITY* LIFE*BUSINES S
1516 W. Howard S treet Chicago Phone (773) 338 2826 Fax (773) 338-3155
119 E. 95th S treet Chicago, IL 60619 Phone (773) 291-0707 Fax (773) 291-0892 Web Page: www.insurancebrokersinc.com
S imeon Kerr, CPA Accounting Auditing Taxes Personal Financial Planning
4556 Oakton St. S uite 203 S kokie, IL 60076 (847) 676-8686 phone (847) 676-8691 fax
Linnett’s Jamaican Kitchen has been in our community since 1994. Their menu ranges from Jamaican to Chinese. We salute their entrepreneurial efforts as well as their community service.
Linnettes’ Jamaican Kitchen
• •
7366 N. Clark St.. Chicago, Il 60626 Phone 773 761 4823 Beef and Vegetable Patties • Fine Delicacies Catering Service Available
Book Club News
Our winter book club selection is:
Satisfy My Soul By Colin Channer We had the pleasure of interviewing the author and here is what he had to say:
Colin Channer (L) Kaye Maxwell(R) Q: What inspired you to write, “Satisfy my Soul?" A: WHO KNOWS WHERE INSPIRATION COMES FROM. I AM INTERESTED IN HISTORY AND SPIRITUALITY AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP TO CHRISTIANITY ... THE WAY IN WHICH WE CLING TO IT ALTHOUGH WE KNOW THAT IT WAS FORCED ON US – WE CLING TO IT MORE THAN THE FOLKS WHO BEAT IT INTO US. Q: The past decade has brought on a plethora of black writers. Can this era be compared to the Harlem Renaissance? A SURE. YOU CAN COMPARE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO. THE TWO PHENOMENA ARE DIFFERENT – BUT SIMILAR. THERE WERE FEWER BOOKS PRODUCED DURING THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE, AND I WOULD SAY OF A CONSISTENTLY HIGHER QUALITY. WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF GOOD BOOKS NOW, BUT ALSO A LOT OF RUBBISH. RUBBISH DOESN'T MEAN POPULAR. THERE IS GOOD POP AND RUBBBISH POP. THE WORK PRODUCED IN THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE HAD MORE LITERARY AMBITIONS.
Q: Unlike the Harlem Renaissance, the majority of writers are Black women rather than Black men. Why do you think this is happening? A: WOMEN'S LIB HAS COME ALONG SINCE THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE SO MORE WOMEN HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES IN MORE FIELDS OF INTEREST: TERRI MCMILLAN'S SUCCESS DEMONSTRATED THAT BLACK WOMEN WERE AN UNDERSERVED DEMOGRAPHIC – ESPECIALLY BLACK WOMEN WHO WERE GETTING THEIR POPULAR FICTION FIX BY READING MAINLY WHITE FEMALE AUTHORS. TERRI'S SUCCESS ALSO PROVIDED BLACK WOMEN WHO WANTED TO BE WRITERS WITH A GREAT ROLE MODEL. IN OTHER WORD'S, TERRI'S SUCCESS HELPED TO CREATE A DEMAND FOR BOOKS BY, ABOUT AND FOR BLACK WOMEN AT THE SAME TIME THAT IT CREATED A SUPPLY OF BLACK WOMEN WHO FELT MOTIVATED TO WRITE. Q: Buchi Emecheta (The Joys of Motherhood) is a female African writer and Ferdinand Oyono (Houseboy) is a male African writer. They might write about Africa but the majority of their works are read by the west. Do you find that to be the case with Caribbean writers? Being a Jamaican, who are your primary readers? A: WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH COMMODITIES FROM THE THIRD WORLD. THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES PRODUCE MORE COFFEE AND SUGAR AND IRON ORE AND COPPER THAN THEY CONSUME. THE SAME GOES FOR LITERATURE, THE MARKET FOR CARIBBEAN WRITERS IS LARGELY OUTSIDE THE CARIBBEAN. MOST CARIBBEAN WRITERS LIVE OUTSIDE THE CARIBBEAN ANYWAY. MY READERSHIP IS PRIMARILY NONCARIBBEAN. MOST ARE AMERICAN, LARGELY BECAUSE I LIVE IN NEW YORK. THINGS ARE CHANGING THOUGH. MORE PEOPLE IN THE CARIBBEAN ARE READING, AND BOOKSTORES IN THE CARIBBEAN ARE GETTING, BETTER AT STOCKING OUR BOOKS. Q: Which authors have influenced you and why? A: GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ, WILLIAM KENNEDY, ERNEST HEMMINGWAY, AND JOHN UPDIKE. MARQUEZ BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE OF LANGUAGE AND HIS COMMITMENT TO WRITING
HIS CULTURE INTO BEING. WILLIAM KENNEDY BECAUSE "IRONWEED" EXCITED ME ... THE DEPTH OF THE CHARACTERS. ALSO KENNEDY HAS A REAL EAR FOR A DIALOGUE AND A REAL SENSE, AS THE DESCENDANT OF (IRISH) IMMIGRANTS, THAT STORIES ABOUT IMMIGRANT PEOPLE NEED NOT BE ABOUT IMMIGRATION. HEMMINGWAY BECAUSE OF HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND THE CONCRETE AUTHORITY OF HIS PROSE AND THE WAY IN WHICH HE MAKES A LANDSCAPE COME ALIVE. UPDIKE BECAUSE HE IS A MAJOR PROSE STYLIST, WHO IS A TECHNICAL MASTER. PLUS, I HAVE NOT MET ANOTHER WRITER WITH AS GREAT AN EYE FOR DETAIL. Q: In the novel, Frances and Carey indirectly met via a music video and finally met years later. When they are finally together, Frances talks about her reoccurring dream about the story of Karamoko and Feranje, who kept trying to connect in successive lives. True love may be perfect but it is not permanent. This story mentioned that love is like a climate. "Today’s cold front does not erase last Monday’s 99 degrees." Armed with that knowledge, should human beings search for that one special person? A: I HAVE NO REAL THOUGHTS ON THIS, BUT LEMME THINK – I THINK SOME SHOULD AND SOME SHOULD NOT. IF YOU FEEL THERE IS A SPECIAL PERSON OUT THERE FOR YOU THEN IT IS UP TO YOU TO GO AHEAD AND WAIT. Q: Do you have any upcoming works? A: YEAH MAN. WORKING ON LIKKLE TINGS RIGHT NOW. NOT READY TO DISCUSS IT YET.
To learn more about the author visit www.colinchanner.com Interested in joining a book club that meets quarterly? Call 847 663 1598 Our spring selection is Self Creation by Yvonne Brown. To purchase the book, call 773 327 3229 or visit
www.BallOfGold.com
Randolph Coleman 773 702 8289 or 773 288 1538 WLUW 88.7 FM Loyola University 6pm11pm Contact Slacky 773 591 8870
Recipe Corner 1 1 4 1
Coconut Punch mature coconut pt (850ml) water oz (115g) raw cane sugar tsp almond essence
Shell the coconut. Peel and finely grate the flesh. Mix the grated coconut with the water ad strain the mixture through a sieve. Add the raw cane sugar to the coconut liquid and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Flavor with almond essence and chill. Serves 3-4
African TV Chicago brings Jamaicans worldwide home to you every Saturday on WFBT channel 23 at 10:30 p.m. for more information, call 847 319 3614, visit www.africantvchicago.com or Email info@africantvchicago.com
Saturday WZRD 88.3FM Northeastern University 7am-12pm Gary Gaspard 773 442 4578 WVON 1450 AM 12:00p-1:00pm Ceril Ebey 773 955 2787 www.windowtoafrica.com WUNR 89.5 FM Northwestern University 7pm-10pm Mobay1 847 866 WNUR
Education “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom and with all thy getting, get understanding�
WDCB 90.9 FM College of DuPage 10pm-12am Dave Castro Phone 630 942 9322 Fax 630 942 2788 WLS 890 AM 12am- 4am Nate Clay Show Phone 312 591 8900 Sunday WNUR 89.3 FM Northwestern University 1:30pm-3:00pm Mobay 847 866 WNUR
-- Proverbs 4:7 -Cable TV African World TV Chicago Channel 19 9:00pm -9:30pm
Positive Media outlets Stations that play reggae: Monday Tuesday WHPK 88.5 FM University of Chicago 5pm-6pm Miss Irie and Crucial Lloyd, 6pm-7pm Randal Coleman contact 773 702 8289 or 773 288 1538 Wednesday WKKC 89.3 FM Kennedy King College 10pm-1am Randal Coleman contact 773 702 8289 or 773 288 1538 Thursday Friday WHPK 88.5 FM University of Chicago 1pm-3pm Sister Telly Shabbazz and Benjamin Murphy, 3pm-4pm Mike Beal Contact Marta Nichols 773 702 8289 Fax 773 834 1488 WBEZ 91.5FM Public Radio 8pm-11pm contact Chris Heim 312 832 3124 Fax 312 832 3100 WKKC 89.3 FM Kennedy King College 1am-5am
Mystic Vibes Chicago Channel 19 Monthly show on Saturdays but times vary Contact Zeryelle 773 288 4883 Tropical Riddim & Beat Chicago Channel 19 Tuesday 11:00pm-12:00am Non cable TV African TV Chicago Channel 23 WFBT Saturday 10:30pm Attention Jamaican Organizations: Please contact us and say hello. We will advertise your events. Plus it avoids us planning events on the same month or date as yours. Remember, unity is strength and knowledge is power. Call us and say hello at 847 663 1598 or Email us at: JamaicanAmericanClub@yahoo.com Jamaican Diaspora is a free forum newsletter that is interested in healthcare, education, environment and cultural pride. If you have a business, poem, essay, satire, op-ed pieces, recipes or anything vital that benefits the community, please call 8476631598. Or email us at JamaicanAmericanClub@yahoo.com