
A Conversation between Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful and Rejin Leys
NDER: Can you talk about life in Jamaica from the perspective of a resident?
RL: Jamaica is like a lot other neighborhoods where I've lived in the City. We all want to think we're special, but it isn't that different from Bed-Stuy or East Flatbush or (I suspect) where you live in the Bronx. There are a mix of people of different backgrounds, who get along more or less and who forge a way of life by blending aspects of their home culture with what they find here. When I was growing up, there were more Haitians around, and they had some restaurants and shops. Now they've mostly moved east and there are more South Asians and Central Americans, as well as African- and Caribbean-Americans. It's very dynamic.
NDER: How is life for an artist in Jamaica? When people think about the arts in the City, the arrow automatically points Brooklyn. Jamaica, like my home in the South Bronx, is that place out there to which New Yorkers from elsewhere rarely venture.
RL: "How is life for an artist in Jamaica?" Well, there aren't that many opportunities in the immediate area, no work space, and few places for artists to gather. (It might be better for other disciplines: there is rehearsal space for dancers, and a nice performing arts venue.) There are initiatives trying to address this, and I hope they succeed because I think local audiences should have more opportunities to participate in the arts. But until they put more resources into developing the infrastructure to support the arts locally - we'll continue working and sharing our work with audiences in other parts of the City and beyond.
Photo: Rejin Leys
NDER: Can you talk about life in Jamaica from the perspective of a resident?
RL: Jamaica is like a lot other neighborhoods where I've lived in the City. We all want to think we're special, but it isn't that different from Bed-Stuy or East Flatbush or (I suspect) where you live in the Bronx. There are a mix of people of different backgrounds, who get along more or less and who forge a way of life by blending aspects of their home culture with what they find here. When I was growing up, there were more Haitians around, and they had some restaurants and shops. Now they've mostly moved east and there are more South Asians and Central Americans, as well as African- and Caribbean-Americans. It's very dynamic.
NDER: How is life for an artist in Jamaica? When people think about the arts in the City, the arrow automatically points Brooklyn. Jamaica, like my home in the South Bronx, is that place out there to which New Yorkers from elsewhere rarely venture.
RL: "How is life for an artist in Jamaica?" Well, there aren't that many opportunities in the immediate area, no work space, and few places for artists to gather. (It might be better for other disciplines: there is rehearsal space for dancers, and a nice performing arts venue.) There are initiatives trying to address this, and I hope they succeed because I think local audiences should have more opportunities to participate in the arts. But until they put more resources into developing the infrastructure to support the arts locally - we'll continue working and sharing our work with audiences in other parts of the City and beyond.
Photo: Rejin Leys