s Police and Thieves . The irony was not lost on myself and others present. The tune is iconic. Even among coppers. Despite its critique of the profession. Having said that, many reggae lovers will struggle to identify the song's singer, Junior Murvin, who died on Monday in relative obscurity compared with the global success of his reggae anthem. The tune was the soundtrack to the Notting Hill carnival...
s political and social upheavals The Jamaican singer Junior Murvin, who has died aged 67 after suffering from diabetes and hypertension, was celebrated for his mastery of falsetto and for writing unusual lyrics that made good use of folk wisdom. His anthem-like Police and Thieves, recorded in 1976, promptly inspired noteworthy cover versions by, among others, the Clash . Murvin's single was a hit in...
s been a great year for unlikely fusion music, as shown by that rousing collaboration between Transglobal Underground and the Albanian military brass band Fanfara Tirana , and here's another unexpected, if more muted, clash of styles. Winston McAnuff, once known as Electric Dread, is a veteran of the Jamaican reggae scene of the 1970s, but has moved to France and teamed up with Francois Xavier Bossard,...
My husband George Powe, born in Kingston, Jamaica, volunteered to join the RAF in 1944, when he was only 17. Trained in radar, he was stationed mainly in Devon and Cornwall. George, who has died aged 87, went back to Jamaica in 1948 when he was demobbed, but returned to Britain within a few months and stayed for the rest of his life. In the 40s he experienced widespread racial discrimination, initially...
constructive' Kenya has joined Jamaica on the list of countries the World Anti-Doping Agency is closely scrutinising after it failed to investigate a spike in athletes testing positive for banned substances. Since the start of last year 17 Kenyan runners have failed tests, compared with two between 2010 and 2012, and a task force to examine the extent of the problem, which was promised by the Kenyan...
s Knorr advert which tried to guide viewers on how to make a Jamaican dish of rice and peas with chicken that many Jamaicans found unrecognisable, much less palatable. One commenter requested that Marco "kindly refrain from referring to that mess you made as a Jamaican dish lest you get sued for defamation of our good cooking reputation". By Monday an online petition demanding a public apology from...
Testing is a priority' • Anti-doping body will visit Jamaica and maintain checks Jamaica's prime minister has promised the World Anti-Doping Agency that drug-testing of the country's sports stars will be a top priority. Wada issued a warning to the Jamaicans last month, that they needed to address claims by a former leading official of its anti-doping commission, that there had been numerous "troubling"...
s Napa and Sonoma have their wine tours, and travellers flock to Scotland to sample the fine single malt whiskies. But in Jamaica, farmers are offering a different kind of trip for a different type of connoisseur. Call them ganja tours: smoky, mystical – and technically illegal – journeys to some of the island's hidden cannabis plantations, where pot tourists can sample such strains as "purple kush"...
s largest street festival has become a proud symbol of how well integrated the country has become – a multicultural nation at ease with itself. But beneath the veneer lies an ongoing sense of apprehension. Will there be muggings? Stabbings? Riots? Only two years ago there were calls to cancel the carnival after mass disturbances had rocked the country weeks earlier. And this week there were reports...
One out-of-competition test between February and July 2012' Wada has warned the Jamaicans to put their house in order over the perceived lack of drug testing in the country. The director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency, David Howman, said that Jamaican officials needed to respond to accusations from a former insider who alleges drug-testing procedures are lax. Writing this week in Sports Illustrated...
s clothing for the first time. Before his death, Dwayne Jones had endured relentless taunting, at home and at school, for being effeminate. His father kicked him out of the house aged 14, and subsequently helped neighbours drive him out of the slum where he was raised. The discrimination and violence Dwayne experienced is the norm in my country. Last year, Maurice Tomlinson fled his homeland after...
Go develop yourselves'." The British high commissioner to Jamaica, David Fitton, said in a radio interview on Wednesday the Mau Mau case was not meant to be a precedent and that his government opposed reparations for slavery. "We don't think the issue of reparations is the right way to address these issues," Fitton said. "It's not the right way to address an historical problem." In 2007, marking the...
s fastest man Usain Bolt says his record as a clean athlete speaks for itself and he hopes to give fans of athletics something to smile about at this weekend...
Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce expresses solidarity with Jamaican athletes after 100m sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson failed drug tests ...
s Johanaan , carved in elm in 1936, has frequently been on display since its acquisition by the Tate in 1992. His high standing as a sculptor owes much to Cynthia's astute judgment and persistent diplomacy. Cynthia was born in London. Her mother, Ruby, was Welsh. Her father, Charles, was born in Jamaica and then became a dentist in Britain. Harold , her eldest uncle, was the founder of the League of...