Musical Memories and Merriment

Jamaicans in Atlanta recently held a musical tribute to honor the life and contributions of the late Winston “Merritone” Blake, OD.

The event featured DJs, Paul Abrahams, Migrane, Tony Randall, Cold Dice and Greg. Music filled the ballroom at C&J Hideaway and kept the guests dancing from Saturday, March 26th until 4:00 am on Sunday. Reggae entertainer Malvo added to the evening’s entertainment options.

A Slideshow presentation featuring images from Merritone’s visits to Atlanta over the decades and other memorable moments of his life played throughout the evenng. Posters were also mounted around the room showing the many moods of the legend. Signatures were captured on a mounted fan favorite picture.

At midnight, Winston’s brother, Monte Blake was introduced for a few remarks. He was presented with a plaque commemorating Winston’s contribution to the Sound System genre and Jamaican music in general. He was also surprised by a large cake for his birthday which was on the day previous.

Monte gave a second speech after he was presented with the box of donations by Mikey Sparkle, Jannice O’Shea and Bobby Walters.

Sponsors of the event included Kool Runnings, Island Jerk Center, Vibes Nite Club, Island Links Business Pages, DaFLava Radio, WRFG, Future Movement Radio, InnOvaShea Event Experience, Tony Gray, Errol Ritchie and Copeland Comrie.

The evening’s program, a Mickey Sparkle Production, was coordinated by Jannice O’Shea of InnOvaShea Event Experience and emceed by Radio Host, Wayne Hall.

Pre and post event interviews were given by host, Jannice O’Shea, to Jamaica Observer, Jamaica Star, Power 106FM and Toronto’s Vibe 1055.

Photos were contributed by Xpressive Fotos.

Glen Laman – http://www.glenlaman.com

Party leader won tightly fought election in which he campaigned on ending era of austerity, pledging to reduce debt while cutting taxes.

Jamaica’s new prime minister, Andrew Holness, has been sworn in after a narrow general election win and vowed to increase growth and cut taxes in a reversal of the previous government’s austerity program.

Holness has been criticised for promising to trim taxes even as Jamaica struggles with a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 125, but he argued economic growth would plug the gap.

“The priority of this government is to grow the economy and create meaningful jobs,” Holness said in his inauguration speech in Kingston on Thursday. “In so doing we will more rapidly and sustainably reduce debt.

“Our government will ease your tax burden, but you must invest and spend wisely,” he added, encouraging Jamaicans to spend on the local economy to create jobs in manufacturing, housing and agriculture.

Holness’ Jamaican Labour party replaced the People’s National party after winning 32 of 63 parliamentary seats in elections a week earlier, with some constituencies decided by just a handful of votes.

 The tight race reflected divisions about the country’s economic direction. Economic growth had improved in recent years under a strict austerity plan with the International Monetary Fund. The former government was credited with helping inflation shrink to a 50-year low.

But unemployment still hovers around 13% on the island of 2.7 million, hitting 38% for young people.

Holness has promised some 250,000 jobs and said he envisioned Jamaica becoming a centre for finance and technology in the Caribbean.

The top three global ratings agencies – Standard & Poor’s, Fitch and Moody’s – have all upgraded Jamaica’s sovereign debt in recent months and predicted the new government would maintain the country’s agreement with the IMF.

Read more >> http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/04/andrew-holness-sworn-in-as-jamaican-pm-with-vow-of-economic-growth

L-R: Errol Ritchie, Connie Witter, Dr. Noel Erskine, Mrs. Glenda Erskine and Hon. Jewel Scott

Jamaican born Professor of Theology and Ethics at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Noel Erskine, is the 2016 recipient of the Atlanta Jamaica Association’s (AJA) Black History Month Award.

Professor Noel Erskine, who hails from St. Thomas and is the former Pastor of the Ulster Spring Baptist Church in Trelawny, has been recognized for his over 35 years of service to the Jamaican and Caribbean communities in Atlanta. Dr. Erskine has also been honoured for his extensive work in chronicling black history as well as his study of black religion.

A member of the American Academia of Religion and Black Theology, Rev. Erskine also serves on the Advisory Council of the Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas in Atlanta.

Read more: http://jamaicans.com/jamaican-born-professor-gets-black-history-month-award-in-atlanta/#ixzz3zo5Ge9h8

Lascelles “Butch” Chen

December 13, 2015

There is an e-finance revolution taking place in Africa. It is called e-money or mobile money and it makes use of cell phone technology thereby bypassing brick and mortar banks. In the middle of this revolution you will find a Jamaican, Lascelles “Butch” Chen, who has lived in East Africa for over 25 years.

In 2013, Chen founded MEDMobile Limited a private limited liability company in Nairobi, Kenya by assembling a team that includes, a micro finance banking practitioner, an expert in rural finance, best practices and knowledge management, an ICT development and marketing professional and entrepreneur, expert software developers and programmers, a senior finance and management specialist, and a corporate lawyer to develop e-money software applications.

Chen is now marketing the Chama Mobile Software Application (CMSA) to Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to deliver a truly national outreach, and an all-inclusive e-money based Grameen type savings and credit service. All customers can access this financial service only through the SMS and e-money services of their mobile network operator (MNO). The service is basic, simple to learn, to teach, and to use.

MedMobile’s initial focus is on the rural and remote rural communities of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, where approximately 84 million people live.

How did you end up in East Africa?​

From my teenage years I had always been a Pan-Africanist, and the possibility of living and working in Africa was one of my main ambitions to achieve before my 30th birthday. I had the opportunity to travel to East Africa in 1986 to visit some other Jamaicans who were living in Tanzania and Ethiopia, and I also visited Kenya. I then chose to move to Kenya which at the time looked to be a relatively easy country to settle in, especially that the people spoke English and their education system looked progressive.

​Who or what motivated you to go into business?​

As you can see from my name, I come from a Chinese family background, where doing some kind of business was the norm and not the exception. My grandfather (RIP) had a shop in Four Paths, Clarendon and my aunts, uncles and parents always had some business initiatives going on, even if they also had regular jobs. My mother also inculcated a strong work ethic in me, as I cannot remember a single holiday from school where she did not have a community-based income generating plan for me to become involved in. Jobs ranging from babysitting to painting wooden window louvers to working in construction….she had many friends in the public and private sector, who would always help her to find small jobs for me to do.

Two of her teachings that I have carried with me till this day are: “mama have and fada have, but blessed is di pickney dat have fi demself” and “hard work neva kill anybody yet, an so it won’t kill you either.”

​W​hy this business?

The opportunity presented itself at this time and I was able to use my personal banking and finance expertise and network of professionals who have a similar mindset to mine and the conviction to develop this service for the masses.

Here in Tanzania (and indeed throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa), approximately 80% of the population live and work in agriculture in the rural and remote rural locations and hence have no access to formal financial services. I saw this as a massive challenge that was being addressed using the old brick and mortar approach in trying to expand financial services to the rural areas.

I was convinced that with the current level of ICT innovations which have created e-money platforms and ICT integration possibilities, that I could develop an application to facilitate the delivery of mass market financial services. The Grameen micro-finance banking methodology easily lent itself to full automation and I decided to use that methodology as the engine of a phone-based savings and credit ICT software application.

​What is your competitive advantage in this industry?​

Our product offers a service that has been approved by the Central Bank and a tried and tested methodology that has now been fully automated. We have been allowed to use the KYC (Know Your Customer) database of the MNO to facilitate rural based customers to open formal bank accounts, without having to travel at all.

How will the CMSA change the life of the customers?

It is a fact that wealth creation and economic advancement at all levels, i.e. from personal through corporate to national is based on savings accumulation. All the research that has been done on grass-roots (bottom of the pyramid) populations has shown that the most sought after financial service is savings, and more so, formal savings services.

The CMSA allows customers who are mobilized into groups to open bank accounts using their mobile phones. They are able to save and subsequently are able to access programmed (i.e. no application process) credit. This simple bundle of savings and credit services will help the customers to establish a strong financial foundation by acquiring assets and savings.

What is the Grameen micro-finance model?

The Grameen micro-finance model is a group-based financial service which uses cross-guaranteeing instead of collateral to secure the loans. Peer pressure has been the cornerstone of the long term success of this methodology that was invented by Prof Younis, who received a Noble Peace Prize for his work in this area of micro-finance technology in his home country, Bangladesh.

Members are in a group of 5 to 50 persons and agree to save a set amount every week. The group has three sub-groups for the lending cycles. After an initial period of four weeks of savings, loans are given to the first sub-group, and after another two weeks to the second sub-group and after another two weeks to the final sub-group. The loans are a multiple of the savings of the individual at the time of the loan offer.

The methodology is highly mathematical and even defaults can be comfortably planned for. Loan loss rates for this methodology are normally 5% or less, and it generates a substantive amount of loan interest to make it commercially viable, even within the brick and mortar approach.

How does the company earn its revenue in this business model?

Medmobile Ltd earns its revenue from the financial service provider who is using the CMSA. We earn a monthly commission income of US$1.00 for each customer who is on the system at the end of each month. So for example, if there are 100,000 customers on the system, we will earn US$100,000 for that given month.

However, in these MNO collaborations with commercial banks, we have seen very high customer uptake rates because of the massive nationwide advertisements. It is not uncommon to reach 1 million customers within the first 12 month period. Our current collaborating MNO already has over 10 million customers, so we are confident that our business model will be able to generate substantive revenue levels in the shortest possible time frame.

What were some early challenges that you faced?

Sorting out the technology design and finding the venture capital investors

​Is there a favorite moment in business you can share​?

When the first customers in the pilot test actually opened their bank account and set up their saving and credit group using their mobile phone….

What are some business challenges you currently face?

The slow pace of integration of the big companies that we need to collaborate with.

This sounds like a fantastic opportunity. Is it possible to invest in MedMobile?

There is still a limited amount of equity available in the company. Anyone interested can contact us through our website (www.medmobileltd.com) or through our Managing Director Mr. Fred Amisi at amisi.fa@medmobileltd.com.

 Other than the money what types of satisfaction do you get out of your work?

I get my satisfaction from knowing that this mobile banking business model mobilizes the savings of the poor people and uses that same money to provide loans to them….turning the existing banking models upside down where they currently use the poor people’s savings to lend to the rich people.

How do you remind yourself of what’s important?

I currently live in a village where there is no piped water or electricity…our water is trucked in and our electricity comes from a solar system. Every day I see the poor people around me so I am constantly reminded of the work that needs to be done to help them…

Do you have a specific daily routine?

Yes…first it’s to wake my daughter and get her off to school…..then it’s just work, work, work until she gets home. Sometimes I am working here at home on the internet and sometimes I am traveling out to the villages to work with the local people there. If I am at home I take a small break to greet my daughter when she gets home and find out about her day. Then I get back to work till later when I break again to help her with her home work. Then it’s back to work for a few more hours till it’s time to shut down and wrap up the day’s home issues.

What do you do to unwind?

I like to play some reggae music (old time selections from Studio 1, Treasure Isle and Channel 1) on my music system, play my guitar, play with my daughter. I also like to take my daughter out to the park or swimming, and in the evenings I like to have some adult drink and a nice cigar to pass the time.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born in Mandeville, Jamaica and grew up in Claremont, St Ann…then we moved to Harbour View and then Cassia Park off the Red Hills Rd in Kingston.

Your favorite Jamaican food is…?

Breakfast: ackee and saltfish, fry dumplings and plantain. Lunch or dinner: oxtail and broad beans with fish and rice and peas. We have a great Jamaican restaurant (Velisa’s Jamaican Restaurant) here in our capital city Dar es Salaam, which is run by a fantastic lady entrepreneur (Ms. Betty Delfosse-Ingleton), so I always go there when I visit the city.

By Dr. Glen Laman, Author of Jamaican Entrepreneurship.  www.glenlaman.com

Reinforcing the Door Jamb 

Atlanta residents are concerned about a recent rash of break-in.  Criminals are finding that it’s quite easy to kick in a front or back door and gain entry to your house.

What can you do?  You can reinforce the door jamb.  What is a door jamb? A doorjamb, door jamb or simply jamb (also sometimes doorpost) is the vertical portion of the door frame onto which a door is secured.

Take a  look at this news story about Door Jamb armour

Atlanta’s Glenda Erskine was the guest speaker at the Watford Hill Primary School Alumni Association Banquet. Here is the text of her address.

Address Presented to Watford Hill Primary School Alumni Association

“ All Hands on Deck”

By Glenda Walker-Erskine

August 8, 2015

Mistress of ceremony, ladies and gentlemen, there is no other place on earth, that I would rather be, at this time, than to be here with you, to share in this historic occasion. It is therefore with a feeling of elation, that I rise to be your guest speaker for this occasion.

There is much I wish to share with you. I will have to exercise much restraint not to over-do. When I accepted the invitation to be here with you, I started to mull over what I would say and I thought to myself – Why don’t you start at the beginning of what led up to this occasion?

Ten years ago, I had a vision to do something tangible for my alma mater, Watford Hill Primary School, the institution that nursed and nurtured me, and helped establish my core values – as it has done for many students, many of whom are in this very place.

Because my parents, the late Douglas and Linda Walker, placed a very high premium on education, it occurred to me that I should do something to honor their memory. And what better way to do so than to establish an education foundation at the school where their five children received their primary education. For those of you who remember us – Joy, Lurline, Glenda (that’s me), Lena and Jennifer. Unfortunately, Joy and Lena transitioned. Lena 20 years ago and Joy 11 years ago. Both gone too soon.

I shared the vision with my two surviving siblings, Lurline and Jennifer. Together, we visited the Ministry of Education in Kingston and shared our vision with someone in Personnel. The lady with whom we spoke liked the idea. During our discussion we voiced our concern about accountability. My sister, Jennifer asked, “How will we know that the financial aid we will bring to the school will be used for the purpose for which it is intended, and not be mis-appropriated?” We were advised to make out the monthly cheques in the name of the school – Watford Hill Primary and those cheques can only be lodged in the account that is held between the school and the Ministry of Education, and at the end of the school year the Principal is obligated to submit receipts to the Ministry of Education specifying how the money is spent .We liked the idea. We visited the school one summer when Mr. Williams was Principal and were quite impressed with his book keeping methods.

But it was under the leadership of then Principal Mrs. Clara Kerr that our vision really gained energy. I recall us sisters asking her what she considered the most pressing need of the school and she replied, “To subsidize the Canteen Breakfast and help to provide learning materials in the areas of language arts and math for grades 1- 6.”

It so happened at that time I was an active teacher in the classroom – a certified Reading Specialist for Kindergarten through High School as well as a Remedial Math Specialist for Elementary grades.

During the time that I worked in the area of Remediation, I placed much emphasis on “hands-on materials and other alternate methods of teaching, which is characteristic of my preferred style. I am insistent on this method because as you are aware we all learn better by doing. So I drew from my own experience and compiled hands on materials which, over the years proved to be highly successful.

For the past ten years the Douglas and Linda Walker Foundation has consistently supplied the school with materials which, were shipped in over-sized suitcases and boxes.

I am confident that these modern, fun-filled materials helped to make learning more practical and less laborious for the students. It also makes the teachers work less tedious.

The Canteen Breakfast continues to meet a need. It is a wonderful feeling I experience when I awake each day and know that learning does not have to compete with hunger because some child or some children can go to school and eat breakfast because of the stipend that the foundation provides.

Two years ago, I decided to do more for my alma mater. I thought to myself, “Jamaica made me, nurtured me, gave me a college education – free of cost – no educational loans. Jamaica established my core values and sent me forth into the world equipped with confidence. I owe Jamaica a great deal.”

I think of my own children, two were born in this country and have completed graduate work in their own field. But they are saddled with exorbitant educational loans. This is one reason why I am compelled to do more for my country.

In January 2014, I re-challenged myself and decided to do more by sharing my tithe with the school and provide a stipend for teachers to work with under- performing students after school. When I shared this thought with Principal Richardson, his response was, “You don’t have to pay the teachers. They remain after school anyhow. My response to him was my usual refrain about any profession, “Teachers are already overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. It is not fair to ask them to do more without giving them an incentive to let them know, “We recognize your hard work and we love and appreciate you.”

Last year my grand-daughter, Nia, and daughter, June, developed an impressive web site for the foundation. For those of you who are not aware, the web site is www.watfordsalt.org. Let me share with you how the name for the web site originated. When the tutoring program was financed we decided to call it SALT. The acronym SALT stands for Scholars and Leaders in Training. My sister Lurline, came up with a brilliant idea. She suggested that when the resource center is completed there should be a mural on one wall that depicts grains of salt and underneath this picture should be posted the Bible verse that says, “You are the salt of the earth and if the salt has lost its flavor, it is fit for nothing.” This is an apt quotation that will challenge every child that enters the building. The Foundation will make a strong recommendation for this mural to be painted, on one of the walls of the resource center. “You are the salt of the earth also applies to each of us.”

In a newspaper article published for Jamaicans in the Diaspora, Jamaican author and journalist Dr. Glen Laman wrote an article in praise of the Foundation’s work titled: “Watford Hill Primary School: A Model for the Jamaican Diaspora. It was rated among the top ten stories of the year. Dr. Laman commented that the school’s progress based on test scores is remarkable.

Four weeks ago my siblings and I visited the school during its summer session. It was field day. It turned out to be a nostalgic moment for us because we remembered field day at this school when we were children. I especially remember volley ball – teachers versus students. But their field day had an added flavor – music from the sound of drums filled the air. It was very impressive. The summer program was sponsored by Dr. Earl and Carolyn Glen- Foundation.

My sisters and I renewed acquaintance with the principal and staff. It was delightful to see Principal and staff bubble with joy as they shared their vision for an even more exciting and successful up-coming school year in 2015-2016.

We toured the rest of the premises – the unfinished teacher’s cottage and the unfinished house for the pastor. We noted the need for a roof for the nearby church on the hill which was always a vital part of our school experience. I will discuss this particular need with some of you later.

There are some Jamaicans who are not inspired to give back to our island home. They claim that they have problem with accountability. Allow me to detour and address this problem. Because it was a problem for us. But you will recall earlier how we dealt with the problem- by visiting the school on occasions and talk to members of the staff and community leaders. Here is another way we deal with the problem. We share this method with people with whom we talk.

My husband is helping a family member-a thirteen year old boy who will be entering 8^th grade next school year, which begins in September. His father reached out to us last year. He was failing math and his teacher warned that he could not progress to grade 8 if he did not pass grade 7 math. We paid for a private math tutor. He was able to graduate to 8^th grade for next school year. We continue to pay the tutor to jump start grade 8^th math as well as revisit 7^th grade math skills where necessary. My husband also provided money for book rental for next year. We requested that he sends us his report card so that we may keep track of his progress. Both father and son were told that they would be held responsible.

Do you come across Jamaicans who speak disparagingly of home? When they hear a challenge to contribute to a worthy cause back home they respond, “Who helped me”; “What is in it for me?” or “I already made my contribution when I worked for the government.” On one occasion I spoke with someone who had left Jamaica 40 years ago and refused to contribute because he felt he had done enough when he lived there. It is in times like these we recall the old adage, “It takes a village to raise a child” or “it takes all hands on deck.” We must remember the commitments and sacrifices of teachers, and members of the community over the years who invested in us and ensured that we would make it; that we would not merely survive, but thrive

Today, I challenge us to ask, “what have we done for our Primary School that gave us a great start on this journey toward our success?” Or if I put the question another way, I ask: “How has our success and accomplishments benefited the school and community that shaped our core values?” Our school, our teachers, our community leaders, our parents have sacrificed, and we have excelled, many of us, in spite of great odds.

A friend of mine said to me recently “I have not met a Jamaican yet who does not exude confidence.” Where did this confidence come from? It comes from all those people who played a vital role iin our upbringing.

At the Diaspora Conference held in Jamaica this year Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller publicly thanked the Diaspora’s support to Jamaica and mentioned that it would be impossible for Jamaica to succeed economically and of course educationally without the millions of dollars contributed by Jamaicans.

We always rise to the occasion. In a recent report – published by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce- they reported that 39% of Jamaican household receive financial help from loved ones abroad. And this is how Jamaicans reported how they spend the money each month. 50% of Jamaicans reported that they spend the money we send home on household expenses. 18% spend the money we send on school fees; and the others on personal items such as utility bills.

The bottom line is that our gifts to our communities are transforming lives and ensuring a new future for our children. The Prime Minister mentioned that when we give to Jamaica our gifts become an informal type of social security, especially for children and senior citizens. Our gifts become a reliable shock absorber in times of need. You know that many children depend on our financial aid to provide a cushion for them.

What is needed is all hands on deck. In many organizations its always the faithful few who do most of the work but this has never been the case with Jamaicans in the Diaspora. I am so proud of you all.

Remember we are the salt. The children, teachers, and community depend on us. Please join us and allow our giving to provide shock absorbers for the bumpy situations that confront our young people. Let us match the aspirations of our young people with our commitments. It is going to take all hands on deck. “To whom much is given, much is expected”. And may God continue to bless you richly.

Audley Shaw

Jewel Scott

Atlanta Jamaicans can attend two political fundraisers  as Attorney Jewel Scott, Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Atlanta,  and Audley Shaw, JLP spokesman on Finance and Planning kick off fundraisers in Atlanta.

Scott who is the former Clayton County District Attorney, is running for the position of Judge.  The kickoff of the Jewel Scott for Judge campaign and the Grand opening of her headquarters is November 14, 2015.  Call   770.383.5066 for information.

Shaw will be in Atlanta next week for the “Moving Jamaica from Poverty to Prosperity” Fundraiser to assist JLP campaigns/candidates in St Ann, Clarendon, Trelawny, St Elizabeth and Manchester.  The event will be held on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 6:30pm and hosted by former JLP senator Dr. David Panton at 4190 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30342. Call 310.689.6586  for more information.

Reprinted from: Minority Report / 少數派報告

by Michael McGaughy

Jamaican Twofer: Book Review and Notes

In my research and investing I stress three things: people, structure and value.  I look for companies that are controlled and managed by quality people, have corporate structures that align minority and majority shareholder interests and trade at valuations that are below fair value if not outright cheap.

This post is mostly about people and a bit about value.

Let’s get value out of the way.  My interest in Jamaica was spurred close to two years ago when it came up on my screens as having some of the world’s least expensive listed companies.  Stocks were cheap, but what about their value? To answer this question I started to research the country and its listed companies.  Most of what I learned seems positive for investors and ‘cheap’ quickly became ‘value’.

Part of that learning process included reading “Jamaican Entrepreneurship: A review of the characteristics, traits and ideas of some of the island’s most accomplished entrepreneurs”.  It is simply one of the best books I’ve read for a while and near perfect for my type of research and investing.

Positive Vibrations

Before reviewing the book, below are some interesting and lesser-known information about Jamaica that I came across.  Most of news flow has been positive in the short time I’ve been looking at the country.  Consider the following:

• Investors are bullish about Jamaica’s future. If stocks markets make indicators of future growth, the Jamaican economy should do well in the next few years. The JSE All Jamaican Composite recently hit its all time high this month and is up 72% so far this year in Jamaican dollars and 65% in US dollars.
• Sovereign borrowing resumed.  Jamaica issued its first sovereign bond in three years in July 2014.  It was way oversubscribed (related article here).
• SME support. According to the 2015 Doing Business Report by the World Bank, Jamaica has the best laws for small and medium-sized businesses in the Caribbean.  It ranks as the 58^th best place for small businesses in the world, jumping 27 places from last year (article here).
• Reinvigorated bauxite exports.  Despite the price of aluminum falling close to its 2009 low, bauxite production appears to be increasing with Russia’s Rusal expanding production.  Bauxite is an importance source of foreign exchange for Jamaica (article here).

Read More>>   Minority Report

Anthony C. Winkler

Atlanta Jamaicans are mourning the passing of Anthony C. Winkler, one of Jamaica’s most gifted and successful writers.  He died peacefully at his home in Dunwoody, Georgia on September 18, 2015. He is survived by his wife Cathy, daughter Becky, son Adam and his (Adam’s) wife of three weeks, Amy. He was 73.

In 2014 Winkler was awarded the Townsend Prize, a biennial literary award recognizing the achievement of Georgia fiction writers.  He was also a recipient of Jamaica’s Musgrave Medal for his achievements in Literature receiving the gold medal in 2014 and silver in 2004.

His most recent novels include The Family Mansion and God Carlos both of which dealt with the European colonization of the island of Jamaica.

Two of his novels have been made into movies: The Annihilation of Fish, starring James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave; and his most famous work, a satirical novel titled, The Lunatic.

Winkler’s first novel was also his favorite.  The Painted Canoe took him several years to write and over 10 years to get it published.  After many rejections, Kingston Publishers finally published it in 1984. His other novels included, The Duppy, Dog Wars, Crocodile and The Great Yacht Race. 

 His non-fiction books included, Bob Marley: My son, written with Cedella Marley Booker, Bob Marley’s mother; Trust the Darkness: My Life as a Writer; and  Going Home to Teach, an autobiographical account of his experiences during the turbulent 70’s at a school in the rural Jamaican town of Moneague.

He wrote two plays: The Burglar and The Hippopotamus Card.

Although he is better known for his novels, Winkler made his living writing college textbooks which included, Grammar Talk, Writing Talk, A Brief Introduction to Speech, Readings for Writers, Writing the Research Paper and Reading, Writing and the Humanities.

 Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Winkler attended schools in Kingston (Excelsior) and Montego Bay (Cornwall College and Mt. Alvernia Academy) and left Jamaica when he was 21 to pursue a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English.

Winkler will be missed by the Jamaican community in Atlanta where he resided since 1978. He served as president of the Atlanta Jamaican Association for two terms during which he coordinated hurricane Gilbert relief efforts, scholarship programs and brought plays from Jamaica.

Glen Laman
www.glenlaman.com