Al St. Louis, a Canadian actor/singer and spoken word artist (of Grenadian descent) has
longed to visit the island of Jamaica affectionately known as “Jam Rock.” He grew up
eating the Jamaican national dish, ackee and salted cod, which the locals call “saltfish.”
There are some who have mistakenly identified him as a Jamaican which Al quite
enjoys and this fuels his mission to visit the cities of Kingston and Montego Bay as well
as swim in their beaches or hike over the lush, green mountains.
Simultaneously, Al has also dreamt of visiting the island of Newfoundland, where his
wife happens to be from. Not only would he love to meet her family, but
Newfoundlanders have a similar nickname for their island as the Jamaicans do. They
call it “The Rock.” Al figures these two sets of people must be the coolest in the world
and puts plans in motion to check both territories off his bucket list. What he discovers is
that apart from being two islands with similar nicknames, they share colonial history,
love of music, a language all their own, huge personalities and of course, codfish and
rum.
Al starts off in Jamaica and while dining on a delicious plate of ackee and saltfish, he
learns that this same salt or codfish does not come from the Caribbean Sea, like
snapper, parrot and other fish popular in Jamaica. As he sits with the chef, local
fishermen and ordinary people, gathering personal stories from them about salted cod,
he discovers how this fish has been an important and essential part of their lives and it
all started during the days of slavery when codfish was imported from Canada in
exchange for rum.
This leads Al to visit the sugar cane fields of rural Jamaica where the ancestors once
toiled….and tour the distilleries that convert molasses into rum. It is this same rum
which was and still is imported by Newfoundland in Canada. Al is fired up to make the
trip up North to learn more about this fascinating trade, but before that he is inspired to
write and perform a new spoken-word piece, about his experience, accompanied by a
musician on drums. Patrons bid him farewell with a toast and bottle of Jamaican white
rum.
After a few awkward moments meeting his wife’s family in Newfoundland, Al is thrilled to
find himself on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic catching the very same fish he just
ate in Jamaica. He meets local chefs who use salt cod in their dishes, and he samples
one favourite, “fish and brewis” a traditional Newfoundland dish made from hard bread
and salt cod. Through the retelling of their experiences, Al discovers how the cod fish
became an important part of Newfoundland’s economy, and central to dishes eaten in
Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and other parts of the world.
Al is made an honorary Newfoundlander when he is “Screeched” in a hilarious ritual,
during which he learns of the origins of this practice, that uses the same rum imported
from Jamaica. Just like in the Caribbean, there are tiny bars on streets and lanes everywhere, filled with locals who play dominos and chat about everything from the women in their lives to international politics. They tell him of a few Jamaicans who actually live there, amongst them a University Professor who owns the restaurant “A Taste of Jamaica” in Corner Brook. The Professor shares with Al his history and how he came to settle in this windswept, northern clime far from balmy breezes and tropical heat.
Al loves the laid-back, easy-going nature that these folks share with Jamaicans, and
attributes it to island vibes…. even as both citizens fight against the stereotypes of
unintelligence and heavy drinkers. Somehow, these islanders have not only survived
extreme poverty and other hardships, (pre-Confederation Newfoundland and
Colonialism in Jamaica), they are among the most life-loving, humorous, strong-willed,
life-affirming people in the world.
Al is again inspired to write and perform a spoken-word piece for his wife’s family and
friends, gathered in Newfoundland and feels lucky and fulfilled to have participated in
this unique journey.