| Book: Reflections by T.C. CampReviewer: Dr Glenville Ashby‘Reflections’ is a collection of well-crafted short stories that flows with impressive ease. For the most part they are rife with authenticity but every now and then, there is that unmistakable legend that begs attention.Culled from the personal experiences of T.C. Camp or handed down through oral tradition,Kanken Backpack Sale Uk, they are written with innocent simplicity yet there is a recurring philosophical current that sweeps us to a place of sacred remembrance. There are moments of the fantastical, such as detailed in, “Sign of The Times.” There is longing and pain of losing a loved one in,The book cover of Reflections“The Homecoming,” and the vestiges of the plantation era are traced in, “The Delicate Ghost.” But in essence, Reflections is a subtle call to re-learn the cultural beliefs and values that once defined us.There are tales that are quintessentially Jamaican, but they all breathe the spirit of the islands. Some are written with a wry jocularity that captures “once upon a time” moments when life was organic,Cheap Yeezy China, simpler, earthy and very profound. These are tales that ooze timeless and transcultural aphorisms.In “Détente,” a boy’s dreams to become a footballer are shattered in an accident that leaves him in a wheelchair. But through the intervention of an unlikely person – a street smart kid, he has an epiphany. Life continues with or without him. There is little to gain from self-pity. And there are the tongue-in-cheek offerings that succeed in eliciting a smile and even a hearty laugh, as in “The Haircut,” where a young man becomes the object of his father’s forays into the art of barbering despite strident protestations. And in “Market Day Vibes,” a charming interplay between female prudence and male chauvinism in a typical island marketplace comes to life.In the inspiring “Three Women of St Biss,” racial prejudice and female camaraderie are delivered with almost fairy tale flair. In “Kill or Cure,” Camp whimsically recalls his childhood days when he was at the mercy of the island’s natural apothecary dished out by his mother.He writes: “Some remedies were put on a schedule that coincided with the closing of school for the holidays, and at the end of the mango or avocado pear season, a dosage of herb tea,Cheap NFL Jerseys, or salt physic, was shoved into my hand and an order given, ‘Drink all of it.’ The belt was kept handy just in case the liquid spilled. I stood for a long time…with the tumbler in my hand….I expelled the air from my lung, pinched my nose,Cheap Shoes Australia, drank the laxative,Nike NFL Jerseys For Sale, chewed a mint ball, and then gasped for air in one quick motion. It turned out many years later to have had it benefits. I always won contests of diving under water without any air support system.”He later adds,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, “I was sent to the doctor as a last resort. To my mother and many people then,Bob Cousy Jersey, it was presumptuous for a man to think he knew more about the treatment of certain common ailments than generations that passed down their knowledge on how to cure them.” Even today, not many will argue otherwise.In a time when Jamaican homogeneity is in question, and corruption and abuse of power are unsettling, as depicted in “Operation Hot Peppers,” the author steps in, reminding his people of their uniqueness – their indefatigable industry, their warmth and luminous spirit. Theirs is a history and culture deserving of reverence, to be guarded within their bosoms, a reminder no less of their potential for greatness at every existential level.For sure, Camp wears multiple hats. In “One Love Jamaican Fish Fry,” he proves to be an able ambassador, extolling with pure literalism, the natural beauty of everything ‘Jamaican.’With poetic sentiment, he writes, “Under the canopy of a blue sky, palm leaves wave in gentle breezes. …Glimmering crystal clear azure water beckon and a powdery sand massages the soles of weary feet. What’s not to like? With appetites satiated, rock a rejuvenated body to the irresistible rhythms…Let the blind see His Creation. To ignore his works is sacrilegious.”And how can one forget Camp’s celebration of the colour, rhythm and mystique of Pocomania in his rendition, entitled, “Mother.” Indeed, Camp may well be Jamaica’s biggest cheerleader and nationalist.Reflections is loaded with multiple meanings. We can view it through nostalgic lens, as a conjuration of the fabled past, or, as a thorough and deliberate pedagogical tool that transcends the Caribbean. Therein are lessons that we have somehow forgotten as we absorb news values, effacing in the process, the cultural foundation cemented by our fore-parents. Only if we knew the destructive seeds we have sown.Reflections: 20+ Shorts <10> Mins. by T.C. CampPublisher: Author House, USAISBN: 978-1-4490-0526-9Available: amazon.comRating: Recommended |
