THE JAKO SUMMER/FALL 2005 ISSUE
A MUST READ

The Summer/Fall 2005 issue of the Jako Magazine is now in bookstores and other outlets. As with the previous issues, the contents of this the third issue of the magazine are well in keeping with the publisher?s mission of presenting the best of Caribbean writing and with encouraging and advancing West Indian culture and views worldwide.

However, more than the first two issues, the current issue presents a visual feast, particularly regarding the article, The Life and Art of Dustan St. Omer. Besides providing an indepth discussion of the life and paintings of the artist, the article includes many of St. Omer?s creations, including two-page spreads of most of his famous murals. To put this article into perspective, consider one of its quotations. "By painting a black God and religious murals populated not just with black people, but with ordinary St. Lucians, St. Omer had effectively given St. Lucians back their God and religion."

In another article, Derek Walcott: The Prodigal, the magazine reviews the Nobel Laureate?s latest book, The Prodigal. However, this is not your ordinary book review. Rather, it a perspective of the life and poetry of Derek Walcott as they relate to the poet?s views on St. Lucia and his relationship to St. Lucia and its people, and how this compares and contrasts with his relationship with the great metropolitans of the world. Concerning the poet?s relationship with St. Lucia, in The Prodigal, he asked, "Prodigal, what were your wanderings about? What did you swear to uphold? This (village) filth? Or the aria that soars like a banner from its gates?" The article follows Walcott as he travels the world; it explores the cost to West Indians of living overseas; it then accompanies Walcott home to witness his homecoming; and, to cap it all, there is a subsection with the heading "The Deseasonalization of Derek Walcott," which, I must say, is as tantalizing as the title is intriguing.

Most, or, I should say, all of us are aware of the liberalization of the telecommunications sectors of OECS countries (St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, and St. Kitts) that has taken place in recent years. If all are not aware, then clearly all are enjoying the fruits of this liberalization effort. Notice the pervasiveness of cell phones, a direct result of liberalization. However, many of us are only vaguely aware of ECTEL (Eastern Caribbean Telecommunication Authority), which was set up to manage the liberalization process and to help regulate the sector once liberalization was achieved. Well, we need remain in the dark no longer, for in the article, The Making of ECTEL: a lesson in Caribbean Integration, Dr. Anderson Reynolds, senior economist at ECTEL (2002-2003), provides an intriguing account of how ECTEL came about, what led to the path of telecommunications liberalization, the heroes of the movement, and the obstacles that had to be overcome, not least among them being the global telecommunications giant, Cable&Wireless. But, to top it all, the article presents the making of ECTEL as an example of how to integrate, and therefore has plenty of relevance to the current CSME and CCJ integration initiatives. One question asked in the article that put things into perspective is, "How could a country truly call itself independent when a foreign international (Cable&Wireless) has exclusive control of the industry (telecommunications) earmarked as one of the most important for its continued economic growth?"

These are just the three, more lengthy articles in the Summer/Fall 2005 issue of The Jako, but the treats of this most recent issue do not end there. There is a poetic tribute to emancipation, equipped with a pictorial narrative, that features poems by Sharon Trezelle, author of Seeds, and multiple National Arts Award winner for poetry, and by Dr. Anderson Reynolds, who needs no introduction. The poems move from expressing the pain of bondage of all kinds to the joy of freedom and self actualization. There is The Wake, a poignant short story by McDonald Dixon that is sure to bring back memories of the good (or bad) old days. Continuing the visual feast of the article on St. Omer, the magazine features Fou!, a hilarious cartoon exposition by John Phulchere, considered by some to be the best cartoonist in the Caribbean.

And then there is Diet and Health, by Dr. Josiah Rambally, author of the popular book, Beyond Medicine: A Medical Doctor?s Spiritual Odyssey. Readers should be warned that Diet and Health isn?t your ordinary "run off the mill" health and beauty-tip article designed to sell magazines. It is a compelling piece of substantiated writing that goes to the very heart of the main source of poor health and premature deaths. It is impossible to read this article and not give serious thought to changing one?s lifestyle and eating habits. I know that for me, since reading the article, I have gone beyond giving it serious thought. I have already taken drastic steps to bring down my blood cholesterol to an acceptable level. In Diet and Health, Dr. Rambally writes, "I have made many autopsy reports in which all organs were healthy except that the coronary artery (one or more) was blocked with fatty streaks, and that had been sufficient to bring an end to life. You can help reduce strokes, sudden death, and bypass surgeries by keeping your cholesterol level down." How can one remain unmoved by such statements by one with the credentials to make them?

Clearly, most would agree with me that The Jako is well worth reading. Therefore, I wish to urge everyone to give the magazine the support it rightly deserves, and to respond to the publisher?s call for letters to the editor, and for poems, short stories, essays, and book, music, and theatre reviews. Contributions can be emailed to or mailed to Jako Productions, Gablewoods South, PO Box VF665, Vieux Fort, St. Lucia.

SUBMISSIONS
The Jako considers unsolicited manuscripts, including letters to the editor, poems, short stories, essays, and reviews of books, music, art, film, and theater. Correspondence should be mailed to: The Jako, Gablewoods South, P.O. Box VF665, Vieux Fort, St. Lucia, West Indies or emailed to: info@jakoproductions.com.

ADVERTISING AND CIRCULATION
The Jako is published quarterly by Jako Productions, New Dock Road, Vieux Fort, St. Lucia, West Indies. Printed in St. Lucia. Advertising and circulation: Gablewoods South, P.O. Box VF665, Vieux Fort, St. Lucia, West Indies, 758-454-7839,info@jakoproductions.com, http://www.jakoproductions.com/.

The Jako, Summer/Fall 2005. Copyright ? 2004 by Jako Productions. All rights reserved.

SUBSCRIPTION AND BACK ISSUES
Readers are encouraged to subscribe to the magazine. Subscription rates for readers residing overseas are US$24.00 for a full year (four issues) and US$47.00 for a two-year (8 issues) subscription. St. Lucia residents should call or email for subscription rates. See subscription form for further details.

For back issues (Winter 2005) of The Jako, please send payment of US$6.00 to above address.