I’m going to close up the chicken coop. It’s already night and all the poultry are in cages. I closed each cage and wondered why the stupid chickens kept coming back to the coop every night.
So Ends the chapter in Staceyan Chin’s 2009 memoir titled “There Will Be Treasure for You.” the other side of paradise. Staceyan, 13, had just been severely beaten by her parents as punishment for wearing a hand-me-down swimsuit. She had no parents and limped from house to house, relying on the kindness (or indifference) of various relatives and friends who lived in one of Montego Bay’s poorest areas. .
Almost 40 years later, Chin has returned to Jamaica. I manage my own chicken coop as part of an ambitious project called Kindred on the Rocks. Kindred on the Rock is a 70-acre community homestead in the hills of St. Catherine that Chin hopes to provide. It’s a safe haven for Jamaicans of all stripes, especially those who feel as lost as she felt in “paradise” as a child.
The renowned Jamaican poet and activist, who has been based in Brooklyn, New York for more than 30 years, purchased the land for Kindred in April 2022 and has been building it out as a community space and farm ever since. Masu. In her first post on the @kindredontherock Instagram page, Chin wrote:
As we build Kindred here, we hope people from all over the world will visit, work with us, and give us advice. I want them to lend their bodies to building this magical place, a safe space that respectfully welcomes all who dare to come, and a strong foundation for inclusive politics. I hope so. I couldn’t be more happy, I couldn’t be more scared, I couldn’t be more excited.
When asked what inspired him to make the bold decision not only to purchase such a large (very hilly) piece of land, but also to develop it into a shared space for others, Chin said, 2018 He revealed that the trigger was the experience of lockdown due to the new coronavirus infection in 2019. New York City taught her how important space is, especially for people from historically marginalized communities. Living in cities, they often relied on public spaces to connect with each other and the earth.
Chin hopes Kindred will provide a safe space for Jamaicans of all stripes, especially those who feel as lost as she felt as a child.
Having struggled with a lack of such space herself in the early days of the pandemic, she says, “I want a place where I can step outside and connect with the land beneath my feet, where I can look up at the sky and feel safe in the rain. ” to others. Please get some water. ” In particular, Chin envisioned a space that would be built by the community, for the community.
As part of her desire to create such a space, Chin named the 70-acre property Kindred on the Rock, inspired by Octavia Butler’s popular novel. Octavia Butler was a science fiction writer who dreamed of an alternative future world that many believe would take us out of the world. Modern confusion and fear.
Chin was also inspired by the word’s communal connotations. “I am deeply moved by the word ‘kinship’ because it speaks of a community that defines itself purely on the basis of connections.” You also owe me. I think that means I’m being nice to you. And you did me a favor. ”
CCommunity building hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Kindred on the Rock project. Chin admitted that one of the biggest challenges in making Kindred’s dream a reality was the ingrained class hierarchy in Jamaican society. She was well aware of such class lines during her impoverished upbringing in tourist-heavy Montego Bay.
In her characteristic candor, Ms. Chin summed up the situation in a recent interview:
I think it’s natural in Jamaica for people without means to think of themselves as people who have to negotiate their way up the power hierarchy. In rural Point Hill, people can still be seen waiting for visitors to arrive. We tell people who come to Kindred, “You’re not a customer. We expect you to participate as a member of our community and help clean up after yourself and help with the tasks that need to be done.” Masu. It was a delicate balance asking people questions. When people think of this in a tourism context, it’s more like, I’m here to facilitate your experience, rather than us co-creating an experience together. That was a challenge. I’ve seen many people get frustrated in the process. But I have also seen many miracles happen. When people step outside of themselves and take risks, many beautiful moments come from it that are well received on the other side.
Kindred has had a wide range of visitors since its inception. In part, this reflects the diversity found in Chin’s personal social circle. It started with that very circle. Friends came from near and far to help clear, plant, and renovate the farm, sometimes with professional help, sometimes with simple labor, or just companionship and support.
Over the past two years, we’ve grown from just friends to friends of friends to a local organization to a group of college students across the United States. In mid-2023, Kindred on the Rock welcomed its first group of visitors as part of “Black to the Land.” This consisted of four days of selected activities on the farm and surrounding Point Hill area, culminating in ‘Kindred Pride’. On the Rocks” celebration. The overnight program attracts participants primarily from the Caribbean diaspora and could be a future source of income for the farm.
Kindred on the Rock continues to work toward becoming a self-sufficient farm. The number varies depending on needs, but on average the farm employs about 12 people, who help with day-to-day farm operations while continuing to make necessary repairs and construction.
TIn the years since Mr. Chin purchased the land, Mr. Kindred has undergone extensive work on the property to accommodate at least 20 people in three renovated buildings. If you don’t mind, more is fine,” Chin estimates.)
The farm’s endless array of organic produce, including yams, bok choy, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, chili peppers, and, of course, eggs, can feed about 30 people a week.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Beryl destroyed some of these crops. But Chin’s optimism and energy are rallying support for the rebuilding effort. During the summer, she returned to Brooklyn and focused on organizing relief efforts for those affected by Beryl.
When asked what he most wanted people to know about Kindred, Chin said:
Kindred on the Rock is still an evolving space, and we’re looking for co-authors, collaborators, and collaborators to help make this our space. It’s not “me” space, “you” space, or “them” space, it’s “us” space. I want to cast the net wide and invite people to join me in this giant experiment of what the world would be like if we could spend all our time talking and negotiating all over the world. It’s time to create the world we all want to live in. How do you create a post-apocalyptic world? The closest we have come to an apocalyptic moment in our time is the coronavirus. And now we are all forced to go to experiments. This is the mission of our time.
Learn more about Kindred on the Rock here. www.menddigap.org
