4 Questions Not To Ask A Jamaican. Not all stereotypes are true.

This post should give you some insights so that you're well-informed beforehand. It will help you to avoid being the recipient of the deep sigh, eye-rolling, and hiss teeth trifecta that might leave you feeling awkward. I've been asked some of these questions quite a lot by people who are geniunely curious and after speaking to other Jamaicans living in Poland, they too have been asked these and then some! I've truncated the list to the Frequently Asked Questions.

While the questions come from pure curiosity if asked, you might quickly realize how uncomfortable the respondent may seem. I've been in many awkward and sometimes shocking situations where I had to give challenging arguments in defense of my "Jamaicaness". Taxi Cab Confessions I remember a taxi driver opening my door upon arrival at the central station. I thought wow, he's so nice; During the drive, we struck up a nice chat. I heard him listening to a reggae cover of Radiohead and I asked if he liked reggae music. He confirmed and I told him I'm Jamaican. He was delighted and began to ask a few questions. His first was unoriginal and disappointing "Do I have any weed"?

No, I don't. I don't smoke weed. I began to give him a quick lesson on how politically incorrect it was of him to ask that and blah blah blah. I knew he tuned me out because if he was listening, what he did next would've happened... The only reason he opened the door was so he could get close enough to touch my hair!

Now every black girl knows this, never touch our hair without consent. This isn't a race issue. It's a personal space issue. My hair is an extension of my body. I don't know you, stranger! Don't touch me. This even applies to family, friends, and spouses, given the occasion if we just did our hair and we're fresh from the salon. There will be no fingers running through these curls tonight! The taxi driver apologized after I swatted his hand away like a pesky fly. He continued to explain that he needed to check if my hair was in dreadlocks and if it was then that meant I was really Jamaican. Let's just say that I dealt with him fittingly.

#1 - Do you smoke weed?

Many tourists come to Jamaica and wrongfully assume three things about weed; that everyone smokes, it's legal, and it's widely available.

Cannabis was outlawed in Jamaica in 1913. It was only in February 2015, Jamaica's legislature voted to amend the nation's cannabis laws. Smoking any substance in public is strictly prohibited and illegal. Possession of up to 2 ounces (0.057 kilograms; 57 grams) is a petty offense. I understand this is the global view of Jamaica. Millions of people watch Jamaican Dance Hall and Reggae stars in stylized music videos, light up, and puff smoke of Ganga in the air.

Many Jamaicans do not smoke weed. It is commonly used by practitioners of the Rastafarian faith who may use cannabis for religious purposes. Fun Fact Ice Land is ranked #1 for the highest consumption of marijuana, Jamaica placed 19th.

#2 - Does everyone in Jamaica have dreadlocks?

I've touched on this before with my encounter with the taxi driver. But it goes much deeper than just hair. Traditionally dreadlocks are worn by members of the Rastafarian faith. Although I also have dreads, I am not a Rastafarian. I chose to wear my hair in this style eight years ago.

Many Jamaicans not practicing the religion also have this hairstyle but not everyone in Jamaica has dreadlocks. As a child, I was deathly afraid of Rastafarian men.

They had big bulky dreads, they puffed smoke of Ganga through their nostrils like dragons, and loudly chanted songs as they beat their drums and trampled "Babylon" governments and institutions that are seen as in rebellion against the will of Jah. The Rastafarian community has been depicted as unlawful rebels, fighting against the system.

Perhaps dreadlocks serve as a reminder or symbol of the religious and social movement in defiance of the system and as such, dreadlocks are not always welcomed in schools and offices, they are at times seen as unprofessional. There was a public uproar in 2018 when a school asked the mother of a 5-year-old to cut her dreadlocks, or her acceptance into the school would be withdrawn. The parents refused and challenged the school's decision. The matter was taken to the Jamaican high court where the ruling was upheld. Read the ruling here published by CNN The school's policy stated that "because parents do not wash their children's dreadlocked hair which leads to lice and "[encourages] unsanitary conditions,". WTF?! Whoever wrote that school policy should be doused in the eye with my favorite shampoo!. The child's mother stated "This is no longer about my child and our family. We are fighting for all dreadlocked Jamaicans. We are fighting for change. We are fighting to reverse years of colonialism and we will not give up." - Sherine Virgo

Last year I learned about the Polish Plait, it also relates to the system of beliefs in European folklore. The Polish plait was a style worn by the peasants and how the plaits were made using waxes and herbs, and they weren't groomed. Perhaps this strongly influences the views of the modern-day dreadlocks, that they are unsanitary. There is a misconception that dreads are unwashed and not cared for. The questions range from the absurd, "DO I wash my hair?" to the genuine curiosity "HOW do I make the locks"? My journey from chemically treated hair to natural hair texture was met with mixed opinions by my peers, one commented that I will look like Medusa.

#3 - Do know so and so?

Do you know? (insert the name of any person, a celebrity, it doesn't matter that they died in 1981). In my earlier years of traveling, I went to New York and I vaguely remember being asked by an employee at JFK if I was Jamaican, then followed up by, "but you don't look Jamaican" (insert the stereotypical image of a Jamaican woman here). Followed by "Do you know Bob Marley"?

Bob Marley has been dead, at that time nearly three decades already. But I was prepared for this question because I've heard from others, that they've received this query. The answer to this is always to say yes and map out your genealogy. I could be his granddaughter from one of his many affairs.

We are a nation of 2.9 Million people. spread over 14 parishes, with Kingston being home to 1.2 million Jamaicans.

Yes, I run into people I know a lot, and yes I've seen Usain Bolt at a few parties, but I do not know your friend from Barbados, that's an entirely different country.

It's a misconception that we all know each other through a friend of a friend in Jamaica and it extends to the other Caribbean countries. I admit, occasionally when tracing my network back through my Aunt's best friend's hairdresser, I discovered that I indeed knew of a Mr. Smith when I was 10 years old. But still, I'm not Bob Marley's missing Granddaughter.

#4 - Do you go to the beach every day?

This is directly linked to questions 1 and 2. Combined with the assumption that we lay in hammocks under the palm trees after a long swim in the sea. I personally do not know anyone who goes to the beach every day or owns a hammock. Whenever I try to get into a hammock I'm notoriously falling out, so I wouldn't own one even if it's offered for free.

Unless your job requires that you're on the beach or at sea i.e. a watersports instructor. No one really lay on the beach every day... I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica's capital city, known for its business district, dancehall scene, inner cities, and high cost of living!

Growing up, my family occasionally went to the beach on some public holidays and some Sundays. We went to Gun Boat Beach on the Palisadoes. The beach was ordered closed for swimming in the 1990s for water pollution in the Kingston Harbour. In the neighboring parish of St. Catherine, we went to Hellshire Beach. Which is famously known for being the best place to eat seafood in Jamaica. The wooden restaurants are perched on man-made cliffs, and there is practically no beach. Hellshire has lost 33 meters of sandy beach in the last 15 years.

Two to three times per year I leave the city and head north, to Ocho Rios, St. Ann, or west to Montego Bay, St. James, and further on to Negril's 7-mile beach in Westmoreland.

Here you will find powdery white sand and crystal clear water, a few locals, and many tourists.

Now that you know, your conversations with your Jamaican friend should go deeper than the stereotypes. Please feel free to ask me questions based on the information I shared above.

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