Saturday Morning Shows; Savannah
Saturday Morning shows has been on a slight hiatus for a few weeks, due to unavoidable circumstances we will no longer be hosted on The Transnational Gallery Of Jamaica. While the time spent there was a good exchange, we’ve decided that medium is the most sustainable route going forward for the time being. Here we will be able to curate and and ensure the quality of our content on a consistent basis. That being said, it’s good to be back. Here’s to a great summer full of great shows. And now, this week’s offering;
The nuances of Jamaica’s ongoing classist culture are often put under the scope by pundits and social commentators. But it is the less explored theme of rural vs urban that is found in this week’s exploration, which offers the most succinct criticism of classism. The “Savannah” series, written by Donisha Prendergast, directed and shot on location in Jamaica by Mykal ‘Kush Asher’ Cushnie of DSE, is a reflection on the subtle and less discussed archetypes that differentiate us.
Meanwhile the classist configuration of a city like Kingston plays a great role on the psychosocial atmosphere of the place, more rural areas experience a different response to the classist regime. In the more rural areas of Jamaica, like Portland in which part of this series takes place, the class construct is a lot more dormant. Even though poverty may still be common, perhaps even a lot more so, in the rural areas, the prejudice is almost dormant. The poor tend to get along well enough because of the abundance in nature around them, and this is a more commonplace, one might even say natural, way of life. Because of this the class segregation is not as enforced as it tends to be in a place like Kingston, though it still very much exists.
Savannah perfectly portrays this with the story of a young girl, after whom the show is named, uniting with her childhood friend now living in Kingston. Just as surely as they reconnect, the wheels of the fate turn and the cultures of the two worlds, urban and rural, begin to collide. During this collision, through the use of poignant and carefully plotted scenes, an examination is made of the condition. Somewhere along the way, Savannah begins to feel out of place, lost within the blur of city life and seeks solace by attempting a return. But trouble comes when her ride is caught in the unpredictable hurricane that is Jamaican street life. Savannah is swept up in the winds of destiny, seemingly helpless and terrifyingly pedestrian.
Many important issues are played out in this well put together ensemble of characters. The pilot episode is available for viewing on YouTube, as the crew continues to lobby for proper network support to continue the efforts. Please go over and support however you can, like subscribe share. Call TVJ, CVM request it on your TV, whatever it takes we need to keep this going.
Let’s find out what happens to Savannah. The need to support homegrown content should go without saying at this point.
