Music star Tessanne Chin had barely conquered American television before giving Jamaica’s roads an unflattering international review that was broadcast directly into living rooms all across the island.
After winning Season 5 of NBC’s The Voice in December 2013, the singer quipped to host Carson Daly, while receiving a vehicle prize from Kia Motors, that “we have the worst roads” back home.
The aside travelled well beyond the studio. In Jamaica, it prompted laughter, some hissed their teeth, but the quip triggered public debate and an acknowledgement from the agency responsible for much of the island’s road network.
At a post-Cabinet press briefing not long after, National Works Agency deputy chief executive Earl Patterson conceded that substantial work was needed. He pointed to funding from the Ministry of Transport and Works, the Tourism Enhancement Fund and a $500 million road programme, including $200 million earmarked for approximately 75,000 square metres of repairs.
Entertainers also seized the moment. Dancehall duo Twin of Twins released ‘Tessanne, Tell Dem’, encouraging the newly crowned television star to use her international platform to highlight other national concerns.
The episode offers a useful historical parallel to Beenie Man’s criticism of hurricane-relief distribution during his ITV News interview. Both involved Jamaican performers drawing overseas attention to problems at home, followed by official responses.
The distinction lies in those responses: Patterson acknowledged the shortcomings Chin identified and outlined planned repairs; however, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness went on the offensive, and challenged Beenie Man’s account and defended the Government’s recovery spending.
Years before ‘Weh Di Money De’, Chin had demonstrated how a few unscripted words from a Jamaican star could bring a domestic grievance to an international audience.
