It is no question that Oprah is a powerful woman who impacts so many lives and inspires so many women to reach for greatness in a male dominated world. With that being said, it is hard not to notice that women have continued to diminish stereotypes and tear down barriers placed on them by society. There are countless women who have contributed greatly to the development of Jamaican society and broken the mold of what is deemed “appropriate” careers for women. These women have continued to dominate in their respective fields and have helped to pave the way for young girls to aspire to be anything they desire.
Buzzz Magazine shines the spotlight on four women who have created their own success doing the work they truly love while being a positive influence in Jamaican society. It was a tough job to choose from the vast number of potential candidates. We ultimately chose from the field of media and performing arts, philanthropy, education and entrepreneurship. One thing is for certain- these women share one vision: to see Jamaica flourish and grow and ultimately make the world a better place.
Yaneek Page
When you think ‘young, powerful, innovative entrepreneurs dominating their field’, there’s no way the name Yaneek Page shouldn’t immediately come to mind. The successful businesswoman, TV show producer and host, motivational speaker, writer, full time mother and wife has created her empire through hard work and dedication; all before the age of 35. Page is the Managing Director and founder of Future Services International, Jamaica’s first legal funding and litigant support company, founded in 2008. Future Services International has continued to provide Jamaicans with top class legal funding and assistance. Yaneek explains that the vision behind the company was to enable the ordinary Jamaican to have greater access to the formal justice system by providing legal funding, litigant support and empowering litigants.
“If you have a civil case and you don’t have the money to access medical reports, file a claim, pay for mediation and so on and you’re not exactly sure how to go about it, the purpose of the company was really to offer support and fill that pressing social need.”
Page had to deal with her own problems with the legal system after being injured in a serious motor vehicle accident. She wasn’t aware of her rights nor any of the compensation she was entitled to; and was not given legal assistance that she so desperately needed. This became her driving force and motivation to make sure the majority of Jamaicans never had to experience the same ordeal. While pursuing her Master’s degree at the University of the West Indies, majoring in social policy, she took a course in restorative justice. She then decided to start Future Services International to put her knowledge and training to good use in the service of the Jamaican people.
Yaneek is popularly known for the hit television show “The Innovators”, which she created and also produce. The Innovators is a reality TV series where entrepreneurs compete for cash & prizes as they strive to grow their businesses. They are guided by experts in business and given all the tools and directions they need to put them on the path to success.
For Page, the inspiration behind creating the show goes back to the days she was involved in the Young Entrepreneurs’ Association. Back then she conceptualised an initiative called Think Noise which was a support system among entrepreneurs to ‘think’ about helping each other by brainstorming solutions to pressing challenges and ‘make noise’ in order to publicly promote their respective businesses. The need for entrepreneurial support became even more urgent when she realised that some of her clients at Future Services International were in need of training and advice when using their settlements to start businesses. In order to be more effective and have meaningful impact, Page decided to become a certified entrepreneurship trainer. After a brief stint on a local affairs television programme she decided to apply her knowledge of television production to bring The Innovators television series to fruition.
“I do so much work on that show. I’m very close to my sponsors and my audience. I’m always trying to use the feedback from the audience and keep them engaged. I work very hard to create new elements in the show and review every script. No show goes on air that I have not reviewed at least twice. I want to make sure that the lessons don’t get lost in the entertainment. Each show has a platform, it’s TV with purpose. So yes, it must be entertaining so people will keep watching but they must learn solid lessons from it.”
Growing up, Yaneek always had an innate business mind and entrepreneurial attitude as she was working straight throughout the duration of her university studies. Before Future Services International, Page ran her own small business, selling cosmetics and providing beauty and skin care services at the early age of 17. Although it was a strenuous task, with long hours and seasonal remuneration, Page stuck with the business until she decided to terminate it at the age of 19 in order to start of her tertiary studies.
Thalia Lyn
Thalia Lyn
American philosopher and novelist
Roman Payne once opined that a strong woman
“… knows nothing of borders and invents her own rules and customs. Her life flows clean with passion, like fresh water.”
No one embodies this more than entrepreneur extraordinaire Thalia Lyn. Effervescent and charismatic, she is the face of Island Grill as well as many other entities that bear her signature seal of excellence as nothing she ever achieved happened through luck.
A business mogul, wife, mother, grandmother, mentor, Honorary Consul General (and the list goes on), this busy bee is always jetting off to some new venture but all her initiatives are labours of love that she is passionate about. From culture to horticulture, food to fun and everything in between, few people are as resourceful as Thalia. Nicola Cunningham caught up with this doyen of diversity recently and she gave her a little insight into the woman behind that now famous grill.
To say that her pace is nonstop would be an understatement as Lyn’s expertise is always in demand. In addition to her business interests, her involvement in numerous organizations such as the NCB Foundation and Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) demonstrates her compassion for others. “Community service, mentoring young people, agitating on gender issues and environmental projects to preserve our beautiful country are all issues that are important to me she said. Father Gregory Ramkisoon inspires me to live my best life so I enjoy working with MSC in particular because we care for around 500 abandoned and disabled children plus children with HIV/AIDS and psychotic disorders in 14 homes across Jamaica. It is truly humbling to see the joy on the faces of these children when they have visitors.”
Entrepreneurship was something she lived early, as her father founded Purity Bakery and her mother and aunt started the pastry department, hence the nurturing of a strong work culture. She learnt the value of being on time, that no task was too menial and most importantly to work smart, not just hard. Indeed, her love of people and giving back is in her DNA. “My father never forgot where he came from, the son of immigrants who got a lot of help along the way. When he sold his shares in Butterkist, he divided the money amongst 4 Catholic charities. He and my mother brought us up to have compassion and give back, and my children and grandchildren now have that trait – my older grandson Matthew is a MSC Youth Ambassador. We have to ‘do well’ so that we can ‘do good.’ It’s a circle, what goes around comes around.”
Family she shared is a big part of her life as she grew up with 35 cousins in five homes with her grandparents in the middle house. “My parents were extraordinary self-made people who brought up 12 children – nine girls and three boys – all of whom my father determined had to be equipped with a tertiary education.” This philosophy was something Thalia herself instilled in her own two boys Michael and Craig and she describes her style of parenting as relaxed but non negotiable when it comes to respect and integrity. “We’re very involved with their every move – doting is a euphemism. It wasn’t ‘luck’ that produced two sons who have really never caused us any heartache – they would say I “go hard”.
And going hard also means that she is no slouch in the fashion department. This Immaculate Conception High alumna has often graced the social pages rocking stylish outfits, yet still she does not consider herself to be a fashionista. “I just never outgrew ‘dressing up’ and I do buy styles and colours that suit me, but I’m not great at accessorizing which gives one that ‘complete’ look.”
And when it comes to completion you rarely see Thalia out and about socially without her husband Michael as these two make marriage seem easy. When asked how they keep the spark fresh and romantic, Thalia’s response is, love and commitment go hand in hand. “Next year will be 50 years, and we’re an active duo, always on the go – so not sure about’ fresh and romantic’ – more like ‘tried and proven’ with a shared love and devotion to our two sons, their wives and our four fabulous grandchildren Matthew, Annabella, Max and Mimi.
To hear Thalia tell it, the first job she ever had taught her an invaluable lesson that stayed with her for life. “My first job was with the Overseas Examination Office when I was still a student and I learnt a lesson in confidentiality. I told a relative he had passed his Senior Cambridge exam and he blabbed and got himself and I into big trouble.”
Learning that and other sound business ethics would go a far way later on when she sought to enter the quick service industry( QSR). Innovation was the fuel that propelled her as she recognised that in order to be competitive she had to ‘come good’. “There wasn’t a QSR chain on the food landscape that truly embodied our unique Jamaican comfort food while promoting a healthy lifestyle. We originally started with the name Chicken Supreme, trying to imitate the foreign chains, since that is the bias in Jamaica. But with the throwing out of the bland parsley and oregano seasonings and the success of marinating the chicken with jerk, we totally ‘Jamaicanized’ our operations, transformed into Island Grill and 18 stores later, here we are!” Expansion has taken them into the Caribbean market, specifically Barbados as their success lies in their menu – healthy comfort cuisine, fresh, no mystery, honest home cooked Jamaican food – farm to table.
Dr. Renee Rattray
Dr. Renee Rattray has dedicated her life to molding young minds and improving the lives of people around her. She is also a devoted pioneer working on promoting the importance of good education in Jamaican society. Her love for helping people better themselves has shown through her years of hard work for the development of the education system in Jamaica. She has served as principal of St Andrew Preparatory School, head of education at the Jamaica National Foundation, head of learning and development at the Jamaica National Group, one of the first inspectors with the National Education Inspectorate, and also as project manager for PALS (Peace and Love in Schools).
Her parents had a great influence on her as a youth. She watched them dedicate their lives to assisting others who needed help. Her mother travelled all across Jamaica and worked as a social worker, probation officer and motivational speaker. Dr. Rattray always had that teaching bug inside her from an early age as she would teach every chance she got; she used to always impart the lessons she learned to the children in her community. With such a deeply rooted passion for educating and sharing her knowledge, she went to pursue teaching as a career, believing it was her calling.
After graduating Immaculate Conception High School, she took a risk and decided to further her studies in special education at the Mico University College. Although this went against her father’s hope for her to pursue a career in law, Rattray knew that God had a bigger plan for her and she trusted in that path.
“I chose to go to Mico because I recognised there was a calling. I had a cousin that came to live with me from overseas and he was struggling. We used to take him to the Mico Care Center to be assessed and I began to help him to learn better. And I found that I had the patience to do it and I therefore thought I would do special education and I fell in love with seeing people develop and learn. So I’ve always been delighted to be a part of creating that AHA! moment for people. I love it, it’s a part of me, and I come alive with it. It doesn’t feel like work to me.”
Dr. Rattray also stays motivated by following the best piece of advice she received from her mother to “be you because everybody else is taken.” She believes it is important to ignore the negative voices in your head and forget the self doubt by focusing on where you want to be.
Dr Rattray would advise parents to make education fun again for the children in order to keep them excited to learn. Her stance is that parents focus too much on the mathematics and preciseness of it all, they are not giving the children the opportunity to explore and create in their own way. Rattray believes that if parents focus more on who their children are and not try to push them into the direction they think the child should go in, then it will ultimately become easier for the child to grow and learn as an individual.
Rattray continues to foster new, exciting strategies to enhance the education system in Jamaica, most recently with the introduction of her new project called Science Genius Jamaica which focuses on using popular dancehallmusic to help teachers make learning more interesting for students.
“We’ve partnered with a friend of mine from Columbia University and his work is centered on using hip hop culture to teach science. So we just launched the Jamaica leg of his project but we are using dancehall music instead. We have artistes such as Tifa, Wayne Marshall and Tanya Stephens who are helping us by going to schools and engaging students. So it’s going to be a competition to come up with science themes dancehall songs. They are super excited about it already. You know we have to just try and reach students where they are, we cannot continue to keep doing things the same way.”
Dahlia Harris
Dahlia Harris has been touching the hearts of the Jamaican people for many years. Whether it’s through her beautiful portrayal of characters on stage, her charismatic personality on morning television or her bubbly persona and welcoming voice on radio broadcasts.
From the age of 4, Dahlia began performing at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s speech and drama festivals. Performances at church and school productions were also the norm, and let her to pursue a career in theatre. Her experiences started off a bit rocky, but ultimately she was inspired to dive head first into her field.
“The first play I went to see was what they call a roots play. I was shocked out of my mind because the kinds of plays I’ve been exposed to were nothing like that. When I went, poor likkle Christian girl, there were many expletives and nudity so I never made it through the show. I left at intermission and never wanted to go again. Then I took my mom to see another play with Joan Hutchinson, Blacka, Paleface and Bello and I thought it was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen and I think that kind of re-energized my love for theatre.”
Dahlia’s debut commercial stage performance was in 2000 for Jambiz’s “Children Children”, which turned out to be a hit. She was then invited to work on another production, “Oliver’s Posse” and everything started to fall into place from there.
She is undeniably multi-talented having written, produced and starred in more than 24 plays throughout her career. Judgment, God’s Way, Back a Yaad, Thicker than Water, Jamaica 2 Rahtid, Me and Mi Chapsie, Country Duppy, Hurricane Lovers, and Bay Vibez are just a few from her full repertoire.
As writer she is able to address certain issues and engage the audience, while her role as actor allows her to feel the energy of the audience more immediately. She admits that producing may not be her favourite but is a critical stage to make her vision come to life.
Although seasoned in the business, Dahlia still gets stage fright and humbly finds ways to handles it.
“Because audiences are so different, you can anticipate how people are going to respond but you’re never quite sure. You want to remember lines and where you’re going so I just try to get some quiet time for myself, listen to some music, go through the show in my head and pray before each performance. I tell people all the time, “Nerves are good”. It’s just your body telling you that you have a little extra energy to go and you just need to focus and get it done.”
As one might expect, the world of theatre can be a very unpredictable and things may not go as planned. Learning to handle hiccups is something Dahlia had to learn.
“In Ras Noah and the Hawk there was a scene where one of the actors was supposed to mimic hitting God in the head. I noticed every show the stick kept going closer and closer to the actor playing God and I said mine yuh lick God in him head enuh. The actor seh no man mi have it mi have it. And I think one night he got so close that maybe the splinter or something was on the board that when him fling the board it hit God and the wig came off his head with the board. So there was God standing up with a stocking cap on his head. Just to see the look on their faces! Oliver Samuels run off the stage, Campbell ben up in the corner it was the most hilarious thing I had ever seen. The audience didn’t know what to do with themselves.”
What may seem ironic is the fact that she is motivated by the young talents she works with daily. Her adoration for youth and fostering their creative minds can also be seen in her work and she does not hold back from offering advice at every opportunity. She implores youths to respect their craft, learn the respective principles and techniques and utilise technology available to them; but above all, they should learn to handle rejection in the business. She too has received advice, even from fellow veteran in the arts, Winston “Bello” Blair:
“He said to me, “Enjoy it and whenever you are on stage just do what you came to do. Don’t be distracted by critics or by the audience or by other actors, only execute what you know is right and enjoy it.” That’s something I apply every single time I perform on stage.”
Citing a lack of stability and consistency challenges for a career in the arts, she is passionate about providing more opportunities for the youth in Jamaica, always ensuring there is a space for young talent in her plays. She is currently working on a community project to empower groups to write, direct and perform. Simultaneously, she aims to emphasise women’s contribution to the arts, explaining the Jamaican Women in Theatre Festival she organised for March 2017.
To continue reading, purchase Vol.9 #1, 2017 Issue.
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It is no question that Oprah is a powerful woman who impacts so many lives and inspires so many women to reach for greatness in a male dominated world. With that being said, it is hard not to notice that women have continued to diminish stereotypes and tear down barriers placed on them by society. There are countless women who have contributed greatly to the development of Jamaican society and broken the mold of what is deemed “appropriate” careers for women. These women have continued to dominate in their respective fields and have helped to pave the way for young girls to aspire to be anything they desire.
Buzzz Magazine shines the spotlight on four women who have created their own success doing the work they truly love while being a positive influence in Jamaican society. It was a tough job to choose from the vast number of potential candidates. We ultimately chose from the field of media and performing arts, philanthropy, education and entrepreneurship. One thing is for certain- these women share one vision: to see Jamaica flourish and grow and ultimately make the world a better place.
Yaneek Page
When you think ‘young, powerful, innovative entrepreneurs dominating their field’, there’s no way the name Yaneek Page shouldn’t immediately come to mind. The successful businesswoman, TV show producer and host, motivational speaker, writer, full time mother and wife has created her empire through hard work and dedication; all before the age of 35. Page is the Managing Director and founder of Future Services International, Jamaica’s first legal funding and litigant support company, founded in 2008. Future Services International has continued to provide Jamaicans with top class legal funding and assistance. Yaneek explains that the vision behind the company was to enable the ordinary Jamaican to have greater access to the formal justice system by providing legal funding, litigant support and empowering litigants.
“If you have a civil case and you don’t have the money to access medical reports, file a claim, pay for mediation and so on and you’re not exactly sure how to go about it, the purpose of the company was really to offer support and fill that pressing social need.”
Page had to deal with her own problems with the legal system after being injured in a serious motor vehicle accident. She wasn’t aware of her rights nor any of the compensation she was entitled to; and was not given legal assistance that she so desperately needed. This became her driving force and motivation to make sure the majority of Jamaicans never had to experience the same ordeal. While pursuing her Master’s degree at the University of the West Indies, majoring in social policy, she took a course in restorative justice. She then decided to start Future Services International to put her knowledge and training to good use in the service of the Jamaican people.
Yaneek is popularly known for the hit television show “The Innovators”, which she created and also produce. The Innovators is a reality TV series where entrepreneurs compete for cash & prizes as they strive to grow their businesses. They are guided by experts in business and given all the tools and directions they need to put them on the path to success.
For Page, the inspiration behind creating the show goes back to the days she was involved in the Young Entrepreneurs’ Association. Back then she conceptualised an initiative called Think Noise which was a support system among entrepreneurs to ‘think’ about helping each other by brainstorming solutions to pressing challenges and ‘make noise’ in order to publicly promote their respective businesses. The need for entrepreneurial support became even more urgent when she realised that some of her clients at Future Services International were in need of training and advice when using their settlements to start businesses. In order to be more effective and have meaningful impact, Page decided to become a certified entrepreneurship trainer. After a brief stint on a local affairs television programme she decided to apply her knowledge of television production to bring The Innovators television series to fruition.
“I do so much work on that show. I’m very close to my sponsors and my audience. I’m always trying to use the feedback from the audience and keep them engaged. I work very hard to create new elements in the show and review every script. No show goes on air that I have not reviewed at least twice. I want to make sure that the lessons don’t get lost in the entertainment. Each show has a platform, it’s TV with purpose. So yes, it must be entertaining so people will keep watching but they must learn solid lessons from it.”
Growing up, Yaneek always had an innate business mind and entrepreneurial attitude as she was working straight throughout the duration of her university studies. Before Future Services International, Page ran her own small business, selling cosmetics and providing beauty and skin care services at the early age of 17. Although it was a strenuous task, with long hours and seasonal remuneration, Page stuck with the business until she decided to terminate it at the age of 19 in order to start of her tertiary studies.
Thalia Lyn
American philosopher and novelist
Roman Payne once opined that a strong woman
“… knows nothing of borders and invents her own rules and customs. Her life flows clean with passion, like fresh water.”
No one embodies this more than entrepreneur extraordinaire Thalia Lyn. Effervescent and charismatic, she is the face of Island Grill as well as many other entities that bear her signature seal of excellence as nothing she ever achieved happened through luck.
A business mogul, wife, mother, grandmother, mentor, Honorary Consul General (and the list goes on), this busy bee is always jetting off to some new venture but all her initiatives are labours of love that she is passionate about. From culture to horticulture, food to fun and everything in between, few people are as resourceful as Thalia. Nicola Cunningham caught up with this doyen of diversity recently and she gave her a little insight into the woman behind that now famous grill.
To say that her pace is nonstop would be an understatement as Lyn’s expertise is always in demand. In addition to her business interests, her involvement in numerous organizations such as the NCB Foundation and Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) demonstrates her compassion for others. “Community service, mentoring young people, agitating on gender issues and environmental projects to preserve our beautiful country are all issues that are important to me she said. Father Gregory Ramkisoon inspires me to live my best life so I enjoy working with MSC in particular because we care for around 500 abandoned and disabled children plus children with HIV/AIDS and psychotic disorders in 14 homes across Jamaica. It is truly humbling to see the joy on the faces of these children when they have visitors.”
Entrepreneurship was something she lived early, as her father founded Purity Bakery and her mother and aunt started the pastry department, hence the nurturing of a strong work culture. She learnt the value of being on time, that no task was too menial and most importantly to work smart, not just hard. Indeed, her love of people and giving back is in her DNA. “My father never forgot where he came from, the son of immigrants who got a lot of help along the way. When he sold his shares in Butterkist, he divided the money amongst 4 Catholic charities. He and my mother brought us up to have compassion and give back, and my children and grandchildren now have that trait – my older grandson Matthew is a MSC Youth Ambassador. We have to ‘do well’ so that we can ‘do good.’ It’s a circle, what goes around comes around.”
Family she shared is a big part of her life as she grew up with 35 cousins in five homes with her grandparents in the middle house. “My parents were extraordinary self-made people who brought up 12 children – nine girls and three boys – all of whom my father determined had to be equipped with a tertiary education.” This philosophy was something Thalia herself instilled in her own two boys Michael and Craig and she describes her style of parenting as relaxed but non negotiable when it comes to respect and integrity. “We’re very involved with their every move – doting is a euphemism. It wasn’t ‘luck’ that produced two sons who have really never caused us any heartache – they would say I “go hard”.
And going hard also means that she is no slouch in the fashion department. This Immaculate Conception High alumna has often graced the social pages rocking stylish outfits, yet still she does not consider herself to be a fashionista. “I just never outgrew ‘dressing up’ and I do buy styles and colours that suit me, but I’m not great at accessorizing which gives one that ‘complete’ look.”
And when it comes to completion you rarely see Thalia out and about socially without her husband Michael as these two make marriage seem easy. When asked how they keep the spark fresh and romantic, Thalia’s response is, love and commitment go hand in hand. “Next year will be 50 years, and we’re an active duo, always on the go – so not sure about’ fresh and romantic’ – more like ‘tried and proven’ with a shared love and devotion to our two sons, their wives and our four fabulous grandchildren Matthew, Annabella, Max and Mimi.
To hear Thalia tell it, the first job she ever had taught her an invaluable lesson that stayed with her for life. “My first job was with the Overseas Examination Office when I was still a student and I learnt a lesson in confidentiality. I told a relative he had passed his Senior Cambridge exam and he blabbed and got himself and I into big trouble.”
Learning that and other sound business ethics would go a far way later on when she sought to enter the quick service industry( QSR). Innovation was the fuel that propelled her as she recognised that in order to be competitive she had to ‘come good’. “There wasn’t a QSR chain on the food landscape that truly embodied our unique Jamaican comfort food while promoting a healthy lifestyle. We originally started with the name Chicken Supreme, trying to imitate the foreign chains, since that is the bias in Jamaica. But with the throwing out of the bland parsley and oregano seasonings and the success of marinating the chicken with jerk, we totally ‘Jamaicanized’ our operations, transformed into Island Grill and 18 stores later, here we are!” Expansion has taken them into the Caribbean market, specifically Barbados as their success lies in their menu – healthy comfort cuisine, fresh, no mystery, honest home cooked Jamaican food – farm to table.
Dr. Renee Rattray
Dr. Renee Rattray has dedicated her life to molding young minds and improving the lives of people around her. She is also a devoted pioneer working on promoting the importance of good education in Jamaican society. Her love for helping people better themselves has shown through her years of hard work for the development of the education system in Jamaica. She has served as principal of St Andrew Preparatory School, head of education at the Jamaica National Foundation, head of learning and development at the Jamaica National Group, one of the first inspectors with the National Education Inspectorate, and also as project manager for PALS (Peace and Love in Schools).
Her parents had a great influence on her as a youth. She watched them dedicate their lives to assisting others who needed help. Her mother travelled all across Jamaica and worked as a social worker, probation officer and motivational speaker. Dr. Rattray always had that teaching bug inside her from an early age as she would teach every chance she got; she used to always impart the lessons she learned to the children in her community. With such a deeply rooted passion for educating and sharing her knowledge, she went to pursue teaching as a career, believing it was her calling.
After graduating Immaculate Conception High School, she took a risk and decided to further her studies in special education at the Mico University College. Although this went against her father’s hope for her to pursue a career in law, Rattray knew that God had a bigger plan for her and she trusted in that path.
“I chose to go to Mico because I recognised there was a calling. I had a cousin that came to live with me from overseas and he was struggling. We used to take him to the Mico Care Center to be assessed and I began to help him to learn better. And I found that I had the patience to do it and I therefore thought I would do special education and I fell in love with seeing people develop and learn. So I’ve always been delighted to be a part of creating that AHA! moment for people. I love it, it’s a part of me, and I come alive with it. It doesn’t feel like work to me.”
Dr. Rattray also stays motivated by following the best piece of advice she received from her mother to “be you because everybody else is taken.” She believes it is important to ignore the negative voices in your head and forget the self doubt by focusing on where you want to be.
Dr Rattray would advise parents to make education fun again for the children in order to keep them excited to learn. Her stance is that parents focus too much on the mathematics and preciseness of it all, they are not giving the children the opportunity to explore and create in their own way. Rattray believes that if parents focus more on who their children are and not try to push them into the direction they think the child should go in, then it will ultimately become easier for the child to grow and learn as an individual.
Rattray continues to foster new, exciting strategies to enhance the education system in Jamaica, most recently with the introduction of her new project called Science Genius Jamaica which focuses on using popular dancehall music to help teachers make learning more interesting for students.
“We’ve partnered with a friend of mine from Columbia University and his work is centered on using hip hop culture to teach science. So we just launched the Jamaica leg of his project but we are using dancehall music instead. We have artistes such as Tifa, Wayne Marshall and Tanya Stephens who are helping us by going to schools and engaging students. So it’s going to be a competition to come up with science themes dancehall songs. They are super excited about it already. You know we have to just try and reach students where they are, we cannot continue to keep doing things the same way.”
Dahlia Harris
Dahlia Harris has been touching the hearts of the Jamaican people for many years. Whether it’s through her beautiful portrayal of characters on stage, her charismatic personality on morning television or her bubbly persona and welcoming voice on radio broadcasts.
From the age of 4, Dahlia began performing at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s speech and drama festivals. Performances at church and school productions were also the norm, and let her to pursue a career in theatre. Her experiences started off a bit rocky, but ultimately she was inspired to dive head first into her field.
“The first play I went to see was what they call a roots play. I was shocked out of my mind because the kinds of plays I’ve been exposed to were nothing like that. When I went, poor likkle Christian girl, there were many expletives and nudity so I never made it through the show. I left at intermission and never wanted to go again. Then I took my mom to see another play with Joan Hutchinson, Blacka, Paleface and Bello and I thought it was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen and I think that kind of re-energized my love for theatre.”
Dahlia’s debut commercial stage performance was in 2000 for Jambiz’s “Children Children”, which turned out to be a hit. She was then invited to work on another production, “Oliver’s Posse” and everything started to fall into place from there.
She is undeniably multi-talented having written, produced and starred in more than 24 plays throughout her career. Judgment, God’s Way, Back a Yaad, Thicker than Water, Jamaica 2 Rahtid, Me and Mi Chapsie, Country Duppy, Hurricane Lovers, and Bay Vibez are just a few from her full repertoire.
As writer she is able to address certain issues and engage the audience, while her role as actor allows her to feel the energy of the audience more immediately. She admits that producing may not be her favourite but is a critical stage to make her vision come to life.
Although seasoned in the business, Dahlia still gets stage fright and humbly finds ways to handles it.
“Because audiences are so different, you can anticipate how people are going to respond but you’re never quite sure. You want to remember lines and where you’re going so I just try to get some quiet time for myself, listen to some music, go through the show in my head and pray before each performance. I tell people all the time, “Nerves are good”. It’s just your body telling you that you have a little extra energy to go and you just need to focus and get it done.”
As one might expect, the world of theatre can be a very unpredictable and things may not go as planned. Learning to handle hiccups is something Dahlia had to learn.
“In Ras Noah and the Hawk there was a scene where one of the actors was supposed to mimic hitting God in the head. I noticed every show the stick kept going closer and closer to the actor playing God and I said mine yuh lick God in him head enuh. The actor seh no man mi have it mi have it. And I think one night he got so close that maybe the splinter or something was on the board that when him fling the board it hit God and the wig came off his head with the board. So there was God standing up with a stocking cap on his head. Just to see the look on their faces! Oliver Samuels run off the stage, Campbell ben up in the corner it was the most hilarious thing I had ever seen. The audience didn’t know what to do with themselves.”
What may seem ironic is the fact that she is motivated by the young talents she works with daily. Her adoration for youth and fostering their creative minds can also be seen in her work and she does not hold back from offering advice at every opportunity. She implores youths to respect their craft, learn the respective principles and techniques and utilise technology available to them; but above all, they should learn to handle rejection in the business. She too has received advice, even from fellow veteran in the arts, Winston “Bello” Blair:
“He said to me, “Enjoy it and whenever you are on stage just do what you came to do. Don’t be distracted by critics or by the audience or by other actors, only execute what you know is right and enjoy it.” That’s something I apply every single time I perform on stage.”
Citing a lack of stability and consistency challenges for a career in the arts, she is passionate about providing more opportunities for the youth in Jamaica, always ensuring there is a space for young talent in her plays. She is currently working on a community project to empower groups to write, direct and perform. Simultaneously, she aims to emphasise women’s contribution to the arts, explaining the Jamaican Women in Theatre Festival she organised for March 2017.
To continue reading, purchase Vol.9 #1, 2017 Issue.
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