Redemption in blue

THE BLAZER worn by Buju Banton as he arrived to perform at the weekend’s annual reggae showcase, Redemption, told a story.

One half of the garment bore the national colours of Jamaica – green, yellow, black – and was reminiscent of that country’s flag; while the other half resembled this country’s standard, complete with a black stripe with white borders amid a sea of red.

The artiste removed this special creation to perform his set at the concert in the Queen’s Park Savannah. But its symbolism hung over the entire event.

What unites this country with Jamaica is more than just a shared love of reggae music. Both countries have a history of colonial rule and imperial domination. And, as made clear by the multiple appeals issued by all the performers at the concert, both countries have had to contend with the profound impact of crime.

All the main acts – TT’s Black Loyalty and Jamaican reggae veterans Luciano, Beres Hammond, Buju Banton and Anthony B – hit out at TT’s rampant crime and called for peace to reign once more. They appealed to God and government alike to do something to help youths and bring about positivity.

If these cries came from largely unexpected sources (such calls have been issued at this concert before), a similar left-field appeal emerged on Sunday from cricket legend Brian Lara.

Mr Lara joined the chorus of those raising their voices against the crime situation, lamenting the transformation of his hometown of Cantaro Village, Santa Cruz, and the murder of his friend Brian Parouse, 57, in a case of being, it seems, simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.

To have one’s childhood friend murdered is bad enough, but the incident, a triple murder which police continue to investigate, was captured on video and images circulated on social media.

“I was in complete shock and dismay after watching video footage in which a childhood friend got killed whilst sitting watching basketball at a local bar in Cantaro,” Mr Lara, 54, disclosed in a statement, speaking of the pain of seeing a once peaceful community “crumble under the burden of crime and relentless violence.”

The record-breaking cricketer, currently on a stint in India, joins the ranks of those who have had to endure similar circumstances.

Yet Mr Lara is in a unique position to offer solutions and to have his words taken seriously by authorities. To this end, he pointed to the role sport can play, as well as education, employment, role models, mentorship and access to social and mental health resources.

Communities must fight crime, but listening to all these myriad voices should clarify the need for broad-based action and that will surely help us approach redemption.