Interview

There are a little over 1,000 Jamaicans in Japan spreading their culture and music in a land where the rich tapestry of Buddhism and impressionism collide. In Japan’s second-largest city, Yokohama, there is only one Jamaican dub poet. Dave Collymore has been living and working in Japan since 2008 and is waxing lyrical using a unique Jamaican cultural tool.

In a country where the estimated number of Christians are less than one per cent and the rest are either Shinto or Buddhist, native Jamaican Olivia Carter has been shining her light around Japan through her voice.

Trelawny-born Belver Williams-Niblett understands the power of making a joyful noise, especially around Christmas time. The gifted singer, who wooed the likes of former Prime Minister of Jamaica Michael Manley with her voice, built a reputation 'Down Under' for bringing Jamaicans together around her Christmas table. This year, because of COVID-19 restrictions, Niblett hosted a smaller contingent of guests in her Melbourne home with all the traditions of a Jamaican feast.

Musician and Social Media Star, Jaycee, is a self-taught pianist and guitarist. At twenty-three, the Jamaican-Australian has already gathered over one million followers on social media and launched his own music label. He is the first professional musician in his family and is determined to write meaningful lyrics and produce music that reflect his own experiences and culture. 

Melbourne based Chantelle Clarke believes that the art of creating spaces requires functional and thoughtful design. Unlike most Australian designers, her contributions reflect the spirit of her cultural influences.

Australia's version of beauty has long been blond, slim and trim. “It can feel dehumanising when you sit in the chair next to a white model who is getting her hair and make-up done, and here I am, getting my own sorted. With no black creatives around, I can be made to feel less than,”

Grace Apiafi could never have predicted that her birth mother's Jamaican heritage would one day help her own the first food trailer business in Auckland, New Zealand. Gracefully Jerked is the brain child of the 39-year-old social worker working with at-risk youth. Joining a breed of pandemic-resistant entrepreneurs, she started her first culinary business in January 2021. They make an excellent riposte to a pandemic that invoked cancel culture to most parts of the food industry. But even an international pandemic cannot cancel some cultures, especially one as rooted in resilience as Jamaica's.

Since 2016, Executive Chef Richie Richards has allowed patrons to find him through flavourful excursions in Dubai's first Caribbean restaurant, Miss Lily's. The St Catherine native started his culinary journey with agriculture. His dad was a mechanical engineer during the week and a farmer on weekends. “I would go to the farm with my dad and help tend crops and livestock. At first, I thought it was punishment. All my friends would be watching cartoons and playing while I had to be with my dad,” Richards explained. But earth and agriculture taught the easy-going chef his first culinary lesson.