 |
| Miss Tessanne Chin Photo credit - NBC The Voice |
If you’re living in some deep,
rural place in Jamaica, plagued by a lack of basic amenities like say,
electricity, you are forgiven if you haven’t heard about Tessanne Chin;
(affectionately), the "Chiny" girl. Otherwise, what’s your excuse? If you’re
paying even scant attention, I’d guess that she matters to you, she sure
matters to me. Here’s why.
The first time I went to Paris, I
travelled very low budget but decided that I wouldn’t let the opportunity pass
me by since I was in England and could not otherwise afford the trip. I stayed
in a little hotel with only a ‘face basin’ in my room because I couldn’t afford
a room with a shower. A single shower served six rooms, but I wasn’t prepared
to share so I made my ‘face basin’ work for me.
When I checked in, the young
woman at the front desk spoke no English but we managed to complete the process
uneventfully. My objectives were simple, see as much as I could, on foot, don’t
get lost and take pictures, hopefully with me in some of them. Years later what remains the most pleasant
part of that experience was the broad smile which the word “Jamaica” brought to
the face of the young woman who spoke no English and her cognitive declaration
of “ah, Bob Marley”. It felt good, and it’s unforgettable.
In recent years our best and
worst have been on show for the entire world to see. We cringed in national
shame as “Dudus” dominated the world’s media. We sighed in painful
disappointment and even disbelief as our athletes returned positive drug tests, in
numbers too many to ignore. No I won’t say more, you have your own list.
If you’re reading this you’ll
probably remember the sense of pride and joy you felt when a young Ardenne High
School, Jamaican student named Jody-Anne Maxwell won the prestigious Scripps
Howard Spelling Bee competition. Over the years we have enjoyed the usual respite
from our realities when our athletes gave us joy as they proudly took victory
laps, draped in our national flag. Or excite us with world class swimming gold
medals and all, or ride a horse in the Olympics in a sport we barely recognize
(equestrian), or make a name in a sport which we are scarcely equipped to
pursue (bobsledding).
If you have not figured it out
yet, Tessanne Chin matters to me because she gives me another reason to
celebrate the best side of Jamaica. Maybe she’ll win the contest, maybe she
won’t but what she’s achieved so far is simply spectacular.
Thank you for taking the risk; for giving me another reason for, in the words of P!nk, "just a little bit's enough".
