NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2022 15 and practice. His Facebook posts are replete with anti-capitalist rhetoric such as, “we open our hearts and wallets to a single victim of the structural violence of capitalism”, “I am not moved by a single case of suffering because I am focused on the institutional and structural crimes of capitalism”, “we should simply refer to the bastards as bloodsucking capitalists” and “we need to create mass awareness of capitalism as a system of oppression”. To him, capitalism is about the aggrandisement of the individual, not the community. So, his moving to Spring Garden is not borne out of a flight of fancy, nor is it just an individual crusade against what capitalism contains. It is for the greater good of the community, and that is why he is not the only one on the bandwagon. He is one of four workers/members who are determined to make it work. “Oftentimes, we whine about what the system is doing to us, but we don’t embrace collective action to confront oppressive conditions. Let’s walk the talk or take the whip of oppression!” he said recently on Facebook. When The Gleaner visited him last month, Dr Nangwaya recalled the African philosophy of ubuntu, “I am because we are, we are because I am.” It is a concept in which people’s sense of self is shaped by their relationships with one another. In practice, it is about believing that common bonds within a group are more important than any individualistic philosophy and divisions within it. “Things cannot be better until the community is better. My freedom is conditioned on other people’s freedom, my prosperity is conditioned on generalised prosperity. I cannot be happy when others are not,” the man who regards himself a revolutionary petit bourgeois explained. “Now that we have revolutionised our consciousness, we must go among the people and share these bourgeois skills and knowledge that we have to raise their consciousness against oppressive conditioning,” he said. And when he was asked about the small number of people on board so far, he said the Cuban Revolution started with five people. Thus, at Makasa, the goal is to “create an alternative, an eco and tourism model to empower workers”, since it is a worker-owned business where everybody benefits from the “outcome of economic activities”. Therewill be probationary and full members who are part of the decision-making process. It is a social, economic, political and ecological developmental model that can be emulated in Jamaica, the Caribbean and the rest of the world. Not satisfied with mere political Independence, Dr Nangwaya has gone a step further. Mukasa Farms and Eco Retreat then is about self-sufficiency, charting his own course, rebelling against the individualism of mainstream Jamaica society, being true to his anti-capitalistic zeal, and of course, independence, not just for himself and his associates, but for those who wish to join them in a space where everything is intentional and for the betterment of all. Products • Pharmaceuticals • OTC Drugs • Herbal Products • Personal Care Items • Stationery & Office Supplies • Home Care Products • Novelties & Gift Items • Souvenirs • Pet Supplies We Offer • Blood Glucose monitoring • Blood Pressure monitoring • Patient counseling and follow up • Cholesterol test • Hemoglobin test • Compounding Royale Pharmacy HQ 44c Rose Street, Savanna-la-Mar Tel:876-918-1968/955-9010 Fax: 876-918-3751 Mon. – Sat. 8:00am- 8:30pm, Sundays & Holidays 9:00am- 7:00pm Royale Pharmacy # 1 10 Lewis Street, Savanna-la-Mar (Royale Medical Centre) Tel:876-918-1030/ 918-3221 Fax: 876-955-2373 Mon-Sat. 8:30am-9:00pm Email:royalepharmacy@live.com Website:www.royalepharmacy.com All major Health, Debit & Credit Cards Accepted Delivery Available conditions Apply Royale Pharmacy Royale_Pharmacy Royale Pharmacy Fairview, Icon Mall,12 Crane Boulevard, Montego Bay Tel: 876-727-3595/876-727-3596/876-822-7342 JAMAICA AT 60: WESTMORELAND Wood to make a cabin in the background and the remnants of a woodfire in the foreground in Dr Ajamu Nangwaya’s space at Spring Garden, Westmoreland. At Spring Garden in Westmoreland Dr Ajamu Nangwaya has been harnessing the energy of the sun.
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