RAGGA NYC AND JAMSTERDAM: CONNEK JA
CONNEK is a travel project & platform dedicated to connecting queer folks and our allies across country borders through online media, story telling, and events specifically in Jamaica.
In 2018, RAGGA NYC and Jamsterdam joined forces to launch CONNEK, a travel project and platform dedicated to connecting queer folks and our allies across country borders through online media, storytelling and events, specifically in Jamaica. Our main event is the CONNEK annual extended weekend, filled with exclusive excursions, dinners and social gatherings.
CONNEK is dedicated to spotlighting the amazing queer talent in Jamaica who are rewriting the story of Jamaica’s relationship to queerness. With the power of travel and in-person gatherings, CONNEK works to build community by hosting inclusive events in Jamaica throughout the year.
Against all odds, Kingston, Jamaica celebrated their 4th Pride in 2018. At this pivotal time in Jamaica’s queer liberation, CONNEK’s mission is to help develop the often short-sighted perceptions of queerness in the Caribbean. There is no time like the present to bridge the gap of connection and aid this country’s already courageous movement towards the future. The time for demystification and bridge building is now! Join us for our next CONNEK adventure.
Our History
In 2014 Neon Christina, founder of RAGGA NYC, booked a trip to Jamaica. Close friends and family alike discouraged him from going. He had heard rumors about Jamaica and its homophobic attitude in his online research were there was an overwhelming amount of negative news about the country's queer folk which was alarming. He dreadfully cancelled the trip.
Fast forward to 2017, he finally gained the courage to re-plan his trip to Jamaica. A mutual friend named Tsige who had recently visited connected him a queer friend of hers living in Kingston named Chaday who would guide him once he arrived. On the trip he not only met Chaday, but went hiking, attended street parties, heard local Reggae bands, had amazing food and overall found himself on a soul level. It was life changing to be in a black country as a queer adult defying all the scary stories he’d heard.
When he came back to NY he had time to reflect about how afraid to go to Jamaica. He did a lot of thinking about the way fear of black countries vibrates outward from the media and affects all people. How this daunting media hits people of color and more so the queer community of color the hardest. The fear of violence keeps a lot of people away from black countries throughout the world and in this case, Jamaica. So how could we change that?
What better way to change someone’s mind about a community and place than to go there and talk with people? The power of travel is real. Unfortunately, there have always been roadblocks for the traveler of color. We have seen this even here in the U.S. with the need for publications like the “Green Book”. The “Green Book” was a travel guide that listed businesses and private homes that would reliably serve black people during the era of Jim Crow law keeping motorists safe from dangers like sundown towns. On the flip side the gay & queer travel industry has often stayed clear of black countries at large and often only targets to gay men. This specific cross section of queerness and race in relation to travel is unseen. This is where Connek JA fills the void.
In turn Chaday expressed just how important it was for Jamaican queers and liberals to meet people from all over the world. To not just meet but to really connect and break bread with them. Chaday and Chris realized the need to see and hear the voices of queer Jamaicans living outside the dark narrative painted by most Western media. We wanted to not just bring folk to Jamaica to celebrate kinship but also shine a light on who these brilliant queer Jamaicans living in Kingston who were leading the change. This is the specific blend of programming that makes Connek JA different from any other travel project.
The time for bridge building not wall building is now. Join us today!
To support our project feel free to donate to our kickstarter, join us on our CONNEK annual trip or email us directly for more info at connekja@gmail.com. We hope you will join us on this journey and connect. To keep up to date with all things CONNEK follow our Instagram.