Ria Bacon: editor & writer

Linguist with wanderlust,
From the hills of New Guinea to the halls of the Sorbonne,
From the beaches of Bassam to the fields of Friesland,
From the catacombs of Rome to the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.
From the heather of the Veluwe to the dust of Dakar ...

Currently resident in the Land of Sea with a small tribe of kids and Mr B.

FYI

Stet means "Let it stand" and is used by editors to indicate that the original text should be left untouched.

...in Arcadia ego is a pun on a painting by Poussin.

Contact

Ria[dot]Bacon[at]gmail.com

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Ria in print

Just in case you thought I was slacking off, I rewrote my “Don’t bow” post and got it published in today’s Jamaica Observer. If you want to see it, you’ll have to register for the E-paper version (free) because the normal online version does not publish the full paper. My bit is in the “Bookends” section.

Thanks

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Ghetto makeover

In the week before Christmas, many of the poorer areas of Kingston get a quick makeover, as hundreds of local residents hack at overgrown pavements and daub the kerbs with whitewash. They are motivated not by a spontaneous burst of civic pride, but rather by the promise of a day’s work, usually paid for by the

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  • [...] Ria Bacon photographed these young women in December 2006 on Barbican Road in Kingston, Jamaica. As she explains on her blog: In the week before Christmas, many of the poorer areas of Kingston get a quick makeover, as hundreds of local residents hack at overgrown pavements and daub the kerbs with whitewash. They are motivated not by a spontaneous burst of civic pride, but rather by the promise of a day’s work, usually paid for by the local politician. For some, it will be one of a few rare days of paid employment each year. It is noticeable, but not surprising, that most of the workers are women. [...]

  • jordan

    hi, i found your story on Global Voices…

    these women look happy but it seems like a kind of mafia set-up in which they have little choice but to participate in the civic activities…

    what are all the men doing?

    from poland, jordan

  • Ria

    The choice was theirs as to whether they wanted the one day of work or not. It’s a tradition of charity rather than coercion. In this particular neighbourhood there are fortunately no gang leaders any more; they were rooted out by the police over a year ago. Other communities are informally ruled by “dons” or “area leaders”, to use a dubious euphemism. They clamp down on petty crime, pay school fees and settle disputes in return for loyalty and protection from the residents — that’s certainly old-style mafia.

    What were the men doing while the women were painting? Telling the women how to paint properly!

    The women were having a good time among themselves and they were very happy to get prints of a group shot I did of them.

  • jordan

    thanks for clarifying, i had the wrong idea about things…another thing, one of my favorite and old professor friends from college, nelson keith operates an ngo in st. thomas connected with edu-tourism (http://www.edu-tourism.org/index.html) — have you heard of it?

    my geoprgraphy isn’t good , are you close to st. thomas? i think his project is partly focused on local development…i haven’t contacted him in years, it’s ashame because he is such a great person (and hard to miss at over 6 feet tall)…

    i just wonder how the orginazation is doing…have a great weekend!

    jordan

  • [...] Ria Bacon photographed these young women in December 2006 on Barbican Road in Kingston, Jamaica. As she explains on her blog: In the week before Christmas, many of the poorer areas of Kingston get a quick makeover, as hundreds of local residents hack at overgrown pavements and daub the kerbs with whitewash. They are motivated not by a spontaneous burst of civic pride, but rather by the promise of a day’s work, usually paid for by the local politician. For some, it will be one of a few rare days of paid employment each year. It is noticeable, but not surprising, that most of the workers are women. [...]

  • [...] I noticed one of my recent posts had been picked up by a Chinese blogger. [...]

  • [...] Unlike the road to the cricket ground, used by visitors to the cricket world cup, North Road has literally been bypassed. The only sign of improvement is the bright yellow line on the kerb, probably painted by local female residents paid for a single day’s work by a local caïd. [...]

  • It’s not just the poorer areas of Kingston – it’s something that takes place across the island and happens every Christmas and when elections are nigh. It’s usually flimsily disguised as a “beautification program” but everyone knows exactly what it is.

    First visit to your blog, great stuff!!

  • Am responding to Jordan’s query about Edu-tourism in St. Thomas, Jamaica. We are hale and well, physically expanding our residential capacities, and are preparing to create a certificate program with a distinct global twist revolving around service-learning, partnerships, global understanding, empowerment instead of servility. All are invited to give their penny’s worth. We operate from a big tent.

    We are most encouraged by the responses of those who have so far passed through our doors.

    Nelson Keith, President, Edu-tourism, St. Thomas, Jamaica,
    Professor Emeritus

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Gone crazy gone mad

Following the previous post about poor service, I felt I should balance it with a post about how difficult it is to run a small business in Jamaica, particularly when it comes to getting a loan. Shortly after we arrived in Jamaica last year, we considered taking out a loan to buy a car. Our bank

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Anti-service

Some time ago, I decided to print out a couple of photos at a print shop in uptown Kingston. What occurred there was a prime example of the anti-service culture that is sadly so common in Jamaica.

When I entered the print shop, it was unclear who were customers and who were staff. I asked a gangly

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Photo gallery

I’ve added a test gallery of some of my photos, with a discreet link in the sidebar.

In case it’s too discreet, here’s the link.

What do

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  • ivo

    great pictures, i love the one with laptop in a hotel, but that wonderful flash player is so slooooooooooooooooow

  • Tim

    I think I like the sunshine through the woods shot best.
    Very nice looking gallery thingy, although a bit on slow from here in Lancashire, England (maybe it’s something to do with being so far away) and the pictures need to be larger to show them off to best effect.

    In summary: Full marks for photography. Gallery looks good but could perform better.

    Incidentally, somebody at work recently wrote something down, crossed it out, then wrote “stet” next to it. I saw it and thought of you.

  • plk

    Very nice pictures.
    You are as talented a photographer as a writer.
    However you are in need of a really good camera.
    Why don’t you approach Father Christmas? Say the magic words (I mean I really need one and not pretty please).
    Hint: both Nikon and Canon make very nice ones for a $1000 or so and don’t forget to ask for a nice flash as well.

  • Mr B

    Mr B here! Plk, I was thinking of something my father was telling me the other day. About “serious” hobbies and how he had bought camera equipment such a long time ago when things were scarce. I agree Ria, ask Santa and don’t be shy.

  • Good stuff. What software are you using for the gallery?

  • Ria

    Thanks for the feedback.

    Ivo & Tim: I’ve re-done the photos to load faster and bigger, although you might not tell if your connection is as bad as mine is today.

    plk: thanks for the compliments. I’ve put in my request with both Santa and Mr B.

    Mad Bull: The gallery generator is a great little feature in PhotoShop CS.

  • That is a great gallery! Nicely done :-)

  • Half Swede

    You have a great eye for photography (and writing but goes without saying). Classy, modern site you’ve created — keeps the focus on the photography.

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