This article examines commonsensical, critical thinking, and sociological thoughts that show strong reasons why the dark races of Jamaica whose ancestors were part of the transatlantic slave trade or sent to Jamaica by other means are of the descendants of the children of Israel – and one might rightly guess the Kingdom of Judah.
This article focuses on why culturally, Jamaicans call the police system in Jamaica “Babylon.”
In examining the reasons for this, local Jamaicans have similar but slightly dissimilar explanations relative to why the Jamaican police system is called Babylon. Some of the reasons identified are as follow:
Some Jamaicans indicated that the police is called Babylon because it is derived from the Rastafarian movement, which looked at the police in similitude to Babylon, symbolizing corruption and malevolence.
Others say police is called Babylon in order to compare their experiences of being brought to the Americas to Israel (Judah) being brought to Babylon.
Furthermore, some say the Jamaican police system is a government system that depicts oppression and injustice.
The Jamaican culture has been making reference to their police system as Babylon for a long time now, but despite whatever reason they’ve indicated why their police is compared to Babylon, the real question is, why Babylon? Of all the systems and events with historical significance, why use Babylon to describe their experiences in the Americas?
In this day and age, one needs to question everything, question the narrative, don’t take information at face value, look at information with a critical eye, use common sense, use discernment, and don’t make up stories for the sake of having answers to questions.
Jamaicans should ask themselves, who started the notion of calling the police Babylon, what force or narrative is driving this, what period of time in history it began, what is the real reason or story behind why the police is called Babylon culturally?
Let’s apply some common sense for a second.
Let’s say labelling the police Babylon stemmed from the first generation of slaves transported to Jamaica. If these slaves were mere everyday Africans, it is safe to assume they had no connection to or knowledge of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon – that is, based on the fictitious historical information that has been told. In addition, recall that during the period of slavery, slaves were not allowed to read and write, much less having access to their own Bible to read about the experiences of Judah under Babylonian captivity. On top of that, the police system as we know it today did not exist at that time; however, such persons as Task Masters were present.
On the other hand, let’s say it is the recent descendants of slaves who began this cultural belief system, which compares their experiences in the Americas to Babylon, for example Bob Marley. Why would a set of people (Jamaicans) compare their experiences (slavery/post slavery oppression) to the experiences (Babylon captivity) of another set of people (Judah) by just reading their book (the Bible); knowing that they (Jamaicans) did not have ancestral participation in that experience (Babylon captivity) to make such valid comparison.
This would be like a person who has a simple headache comparing their experience to a person who has a migraine. Symptomatically, there is no valid comparison. A person who has a migraine might experience more severe symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light amongst other symptoms, which a person with a mere headache will not experience. Although both persons’ sicknesses might ache their heads, the person with the headache cannot compare the depth of their sickness to that with the migraine, since they have never encountered a migraine. Only a person who has had a migraine would be able to make that valid apples to apples comparison.
Babylon was not a system of slavery. If anything, knowing that the ancestors of Jamaicans were sent into slavery, it would make more sense for them to compare their slavery experiences to that of Israel’s slavery in Egypt (excluding the fact that Israel was not taken from their homeland). Would not one compare slavery to slavery, and not slavery to captivity. Captivity in this case meaning Judah served the King of Babylon for 70 years. [Jeremiah 25: 11]
While Judah was in Babylon, they were commanded by God to integrate into the Babylonian lifestyle.
“4Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; 5Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 6Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. 7And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” [Jeremiah 29:4–7]
So how did Jamaicans come to establish a belief system (CULTURE), which explains their EXPERIENCES in the Americas comparable to Judah’s captivity in Babylon? Let’s look at this from a sociological point of view.
What is Culture
The following is one of the best summed up explanation from a sociological perspective:
“Now the question arises what culture is. The following list refers to the definition of culture in Sociology: [1]
- Culture is the combination of shared values, norms, and beliefs of people.
- Culture refers to the way of living life that passes from one generation to another consisting of behaviours, values, and symbols.
- The accumulation of experiences, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, values, religions, and knowledge of a group of people is called culture.
- Culture depicts the method of sharing the knowledge of a large group of people.
- The communication of a group of people refers to the culture.
- The summation of the learned behaviour of a specific group of people is known as culture. Moreover, this learned behaviour is transferred from one generation to another.
- Culture involves a combination of thoughts in minds that differentiates the people of one group from others.
What Are the Cultural Differences?
There are different types of cultural differences. We can see the manifestation of cultural differences at various levels. For example, values are at the deepest level. Symbols are at the superficial level. Rituals and heroes lie in between the other levels.
- Symbols are those gestures, signs, words, and objects with a specific meaning for the specific group of people who belong to the same culture. Over time, culture accepts some new symbols and removes the old symbols. A group of people copies the symbols. Therefore, symbols lie at the superficial level.
- Rituals are those social activities that are important for the whole society. They include religious activities, greetings, and ceremonies.
- Heroes are those people who have the characteristics and qualities that society appreciates widely. People imitate their behaviours and values.
- Values lie at the deepest level of culture. They include the preferences of doing some particular acts. For instance natural acts, unnatural acts, right acts, or wrong acts. Usually, people do not discuss values. So they cannot copy them. Only those people who are adopting values are familiar with them.”
What is an Experience
It also makes sense to examine what an experience is. The definition of “experience” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is:
“1a: direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge
b : the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation
2a : practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity
3 : something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through
4a : the conscious events that make up an individual life
b : the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally
5 : the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality”
Police System in Babylonia
“In Babylonia, law enforcement tasks were initially entrusted to individuals with military backgrounds or imperial magnates during the Old Babylonian period, but eventually, law enforcement was delegated to officers known as paqūdus, who were present in both cities and rural settlements. A paqūdu was responsible for investigating petty crimes and carrying out arrests.”ica complex. [Wikipedia]
Judah’s time in Babylon signifies a time of oppression. The Police system is a system of oppression.
Lets summarize all this as it pertains to Jamaicans calling the police system Babylon.
Jamaicans’ ancestors have had direct observation of and participation in Babylonian captivity as a basis of their knowledge, which they passed from one generation to another. Because the Babylonian captivity was personally encountered, undergone, and lived through by Jamaicans’ ancestors, their Babylonian experiences in comparison to the police system makes up the conscious past of Jamaicans life (culture).
Now, as aforementioned, examine the information, thinking critically, use your common sense, if Jamaicans’ ancestors who were part of the transatlantic slave trade were not part of Judah who participated in the Babylonian captivity, why would they allude to this Biblical event.
The Bible is not just the word of God but a Cultural Book that belongs to a set of people – the Israelites.
The Babylonian cultural experience is one that was shared amongst the kingdom of Judah.
Sometimes we do not need a mountain of information to identify and come to the truth. Just use common sense. There is a reason why the Most High afforded such sense within us. And although through colonization Jamaicans have lost their Israelite culture, just like there is a remnant of us left throughout the Americas and the world, the Most High has allowed to linger, remnants of our culture that can be confirmed by the Bible. Again, exercise some common sense. Not all information being fed to you is the truth.
Take the time to read your Bible – that is the Old Testament. Everything you need to know about who you are and your culture is right in front of you. When you read, God will reveal bit by bit how so many things ONLY YOUR PEOPLE (that dark races of the Americas) DO CULTURALLY TODAY, that is exactly what the Israelites did culturally in the Old Testament. Some of us might find more evidences than others, since colonialism has wiped away our past in similar yet different ways.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children [Hosea 4:6]
To my Jamaican and Caribbean bothers and sisters – Bob Marley and others were wide awake long ago and ahead in knowledge of this than we are today. His messages to us through his songs were not some Rastafarian movement. He knew the truth about who we were. The best way he felt to communicate it was through his music. Think about it, he was a one of a kind artist and could have sung anything in his time of music. But have you realized a lot of his songs are in relation to the Israelites and their experiences.
Now, again, just use your common sense. Many of us are just being awakened from our colonial mindset.
Be awake. Stay awake.
For Your Reference
What and who is Babylon?
Based on the Bible, God had told Jeremiah that Judah would be captured by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and they would be in captivity for 70 yrs.
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; 2The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. 4And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. 5They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: 6And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. 7Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
8Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, 9Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. 11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. [Jeremiah 25: 1-10
References
[1] germanydaily.de/culture/definition-of-culture-in-sociology/
