This post is a reflection on the gambling phenomenon in Jamaica in light of the “nuttin na gwaan” culture and philosophy. I read a statement in The Sunday Gleaner of September 20, 2009 that caught my attention and stirred my interest. In an article titled “Church versus racetrack” on page A5, a man by the name of Delroy Brown stated in essence, among other things, that Sunday racing would eliminate the boredom that comes along with Sundays and that horse racing on Sundays would contribute to his going to the track “‘fi win a thing cuz nuttin na gwaan’”.
Fundamentally, this is a paradoxical statement at best and utterly scandalous at worst. One would think that if indeed “nuttin na gwaan” in that Mr. Brown and many others in Jamaica are struggling economically and otherwise by virtue of the painful impact of the global economic recession, he and others like him who find solace in gambling would logically and expectedly desist from such an activity and take another look at their questionable and pernicious lifestyles towards making a change for the better. However, it seems that he has a perspective on life and a philosophy of the Jamaican reality that demands another look.
When Jamaicans say “nuttin na gwaan” they mean, at times and in certain circumstances, that they are struggling financially and they are feeling the economic squeeze. It seems, however, that there is a spin to this that has emerged and is having an impact on people’s attitude to life’s challenges and struggles within the Jamaican context. This “nuttin na gwaan” philosophy posits that if one is experiencing rough economic times, one must try “win a ting” by getting lost in a world that would most likely plunge one into deeper economic challenges and struggles. Essentially, one gets lost in a world that propels one into more social and moral darkness and hopelessness because in gambling one, more often than not, finds oneself in a no win situation.
It is my view that beyond this philosophy lies a self-securing and sanity-preserving psychology. I see an attempt to maintain one’s sense of worth and one’s sanity within a situation in which dehumanizing and oppressive forces are apparently determined to crush the poor and downtrodden into nothingness and social oblivion and uselessness. The “nuttin na gwaan” philosophy and culture is basically a psychological stance that some take in an attempt to retain a sense of “smaddyness” in a country in which their significance is undermined on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, we must confront this philosophy and culture that, despite its self-preserving dimension, is plunging more and more Jamaicans into debt, social decay and moral decadence. Whereas one might object to this confrontation by claiming that gambling, whether on a Wednesday or Sunday, is not inherently wrong, one cannot turn a blind eye to its destructive consequences. We must also challenge those who prey on this “nuttin na gwaan” culture by deceptively drawing the disillusioned and dispossessed poor into their web of gambling with the aim of making a killing. There must be another way for us to make “things run” and better the lives of ordinary Jamaicans.
I suggest a three-pronged approach in this confrontation. First, we must educate our children about the virtues of hard work and making smart choices in order to experience upward social mobility. Second, the government of Jamaica should become more creative in generating more jobs rather than more gambling opportunities so that the mantra would become “things a gwaan” rather than “nuttin na gwaan”. Finally, the church should arise more often out of her seat of comfort and challenge the forces of social decay and moral mayhem via more outreach programmes and humanitarian activities. We must do more for the poor and underprivileged. Things must “gwaan” in Jamaica again!
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