Life and Debt (2001, 80 mins.)

Thursday April 5, 2007, 5:30pm & 7:30pm
Directed by Stefanie Black, Narrated by Belinda Becker

“This is the Jamaica the tourists see”, says the narrator in Stephanie Black’s documentary Life and Debt, a country of lush jungles, clear blue water, and sandy beaches. Beyond the luxury hotels, however, is a third world country fighting poverty, crime, and hopelessness. Based on the book A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, Life and Debt, the film studies the effects of the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank on the economy of Jamaica, focusing on the impact of economic globalization on the dairy farmers and factory workers. Backed by a soundtrack of native reggae music, Life and Debt is filled with economic facts. You don’t need a master’s degree in Economics, however, to understand the desperate faces of children in poverty, the agony of farmers who can’t sell their crops, or the hopelessness of factory workers who earn the equivalent of thirty US dollars per week.

Black interviews former Prime Minister Michael Manley who explains how the current situation came to be. When Jamaica achieved its independence in 1962 after being a colony of Great Britain for 400 years, help was needed to build its economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank gladly supplied this money in the form of short-term loans. These loans though came with strings attached. Subsidies to local farmers were prohibited and tariff barriers were lowered to allow cheap foreign goods to come into the country, inevitably driving local industries out of business. What’s remains is tourism, sweatshops and fast-food chains. Manley blames the big Western powers that have used Jamaica for cheap labor and easy sales. For example, thanks to huge subsidies other countries including the United States exported powdered milk to Jamaica at an excessively low price, forcing the local dairy industry to shut down. He also points out that big American businesses like Chiquita, Dole, and Del Monte have worked to stifle exports of local Jamaican bananas.

Did Jamaica have to develop this way? Come find out.

Discussions to Follow Each Screening. Please join us.

Producer's Web Site: www.LifeAndDebt.org