The Luck of the Draw: What Ben-Hur and Septembers of Shivaz reminded me about Tivoli Gardens and Black Lives Matter
Violence and governance is so intertwined I don’t need to explore the entire length and breadth of it for you to know the truth in the idea. Everywhere in the world you look you can see the correlation between policy, policing and politics on the very lives on the citizens. In Jamaica the continuous war on the citizens of the garrison areas specifically Tivoli Gardens, in the United States the war against the black bodies that occupy the space without recognition just fear of death by cops are just a few examples that I can relate to as regards proximity to skin and neighbourhood. But what do I know of violence on personhood besides the few fist fights and squabbles I have experienced in the world. Tonight I watched two movies about the relationship between religion, politics and violence and if Marx is right that religion is the opium of the people then what these movies offer is a drug as dangerous as Meth in both its making and it’s taking. The two films though made by Holl...