In Jamaica, we have dangerous bushes
But they have a role to play
I just heard a news report where residents of a semi-rural housing development are begging for “de-bushing” of undeveloped plots.
Criminals can hide behind trees, or even bushes.
This reminded me of when we moved into this house nearly forty years ago. A man named Charles - a large and somewhat intimidating man himself - advised us to cut down every tree. We did not, and he thought we were setting ourselves up for trouble. I must say I laughed off his anxiety, refusing to believe that there was a bad man lurking behind every tree. But still, we have found it handy to keep a couple of dogs, who enjoy exploring and barking at the trees and bushes (and at any humans they may come across).
By the way, I recall that Charles had a “zero tolerance” approach to any perceived criminality in the neighbourhood. I will never forget the fearsome sight of him charging down the road waving his “lass” (short for cutlass, or machete) at a fleeing would-be thief.
As for the bushes, there are other ways in which they play an important role in security matters in Jamaica. A common joke is the phrase often used by the police to describe the suspect who got away. He “escaped in nearby bushes.” It became a popular phrase in its own right. Bushes (whether prickly or not) are indeed sometimes convenient escape routes for the bad guys.
Until I came to live in Jamaica, I never knew of the verb “to bush.” For example, when roadsides get overgrown, “bushing” is required. This is the kind of work - and here, the “lass” comes into play once more - that is doled out to followers of political parties prior to elections or around Christmas time. It comes under the category of “bollo work” - temporary work dished out by politicians at appropriate times. Places like May Pen Cemetery - in colonial days an orderly place, with pretty flowerbeds - are now a dark, frightening tangle of bush. Every now and then they are de-bushed, only to grow up again a few months later. Bush grows fast in the tropics.
So “bush” is not a desirable thing for Jamaicans, on the whole. It is dangerous; it is always in the way; it is messy; and actually living in the bush is not everyone’s cup of tea, at all. But sometimes it is profitable.
