Young Boys Learning to Fear, Hate and Harm: A Recipe for Sustaining Tribal Political Violence in Jamaica's Garrisons

Abstract

This article is part of a larger report, ‘Young Birds that Know Storm: Life Experiences of Boys of Ages 6–8 Years Living in Communities of Extreme Poverty and Violence’. Data from life histories of Jamaican inner city boys aged 6–8 suggest there is a deliberate attempt by politicians and some community members and parents to encourage boys to fear, hate and harm people who support the rival political party. The closer the boys lived to the headquarters of political gangs or garrisons, the more likely they were to have a close relationship with the MPs, councillors and political activists who oversee the ‘corners’ of the communities, and the more violent their behaviour, suggesting that training in political tribalism affects the boys' relationship with their peers. Only boys who received a high level of nurture and supervision seemed to absorb little of the training to harm supporters of the opposing party.