as far as the deaths connected with the dutty wine, i would just say i’m skeptical. i’m sure it could happen, but i’ve neither read/nor seen firsthand reports of this. as a jamaican american, i say it’s good to be proud of one’s culture, but not it’s not good to simply accept it uncritically. if a responsible adult wants to dutty wine, it’s all good. (i don’t, but that’s just cuz it’s so headache-inducing.) however, a couple of months ago at the brooklyn west indian day parade, i saw a very pregnant young teenage girl doing the dutty wine on the street. i thought it was a very sad commentary. i agree that we shouldn’t encourage our children to become sexualized at a young age. it is just this sort of thing that leads to kids becoming parents before they are old enough to take responsibility for themselves. and in regards to the post about eurocentrism, i would just say that not monitoring children’s only feeds into unfortunate ideals that black people are oversexed “heathens.” and in regards to the dutty wine in relation to west african dance, we must also remember that there were dances that children performed, and then there were dances that women performed to mark their coming of age. and those dances are very different.

Love it….hafi big up di afrobellas fo real!!!

Anyway there has been an autoposy done on the girl who is being reported died from doing the ‘Dutty.’ The initial reports have come back inconclusive. I can keep you updated if you like or needed.

Bless for Life
LANCE-O
KULCHA SHOK MUZIK

However, are you saying that both adults and children should embrace the “dutty wine” as integral to our culture??? Look, I’m from the islands too. I love nothing better than to drink a rum and wine and carry on to some tassa or soca. Put on Machel Montano’s “Big Truck” and I will act a fool for you. But I really don’t believe children should be sexualized so early, and these dances are fertility dances. In my (admittedly limited) knowledge of African cultures, there typically is a rite of passage from child to adulthood, wherein participants are expected to pass some kind of cultural rite or perform a ceremony before they can enjoy the pleasures and responsibilities of adulthood. None of the children pictured here are of that age. And their parents aren’t exactly encouraging them to celebrate their ancestral rites. Also, I highly doubt that the women who are participating (and killing themselves) in “dutty wine” competitions are giving props to their African ancestors before they start to shake it. For them, it ain’t that complicated. I’d like to think I’m wrong about that, but I sincerely doubt it.

Great post!