What is SOS Jamaica? The island of Jamaica has always been thought of as an earthly paradise with splendid beaches, profoundly spiritual people, where rastas smoke marijuana as a spiritual sacrament. Jamaica means sun, music, brotherhood... If you have been lucky enough to have visited this land you probably soon realized that what the outside world thinks is not at all the way things really are. What you might have associated with Jamaica quickly disappears as soon as you see the pervasive and serious problems afflicting the island, problems of day-to-day survival, corruption, and the violation of fundamental civil rights. SOS Jamaica's mission is: to give correct information about the political and cultural environment in Jamaica to aid Jamaican people in solving these serious problems to support initiatives which implement the basic rules for civilized behaviour and respect for human life to discourage and condemn the Jamaican authorities' antidemocratic, violent behaviour and attitudes towards other human beings These problems are not the preserve of the Jamaican people alone. The message and the model that the culture and politics of Jamaica spread through reggae reach many nations and realities, and this must not be treated lightly. In Europe, where reggae has taken root in a striking, we have also imported behavioural models which are utterly inappropriate, and unacceptable, i.e. the use of heavily sexist, domineering and disrespectful language; the unconditional use of marijuana, with no view to measured consumption and consequent reduction of harm; macho attitudes and sexual abuse of women; and, finally, a dubious religious identification with rastafarianism in its less tolerant forms, and, in our view, realistic. Unfortunately, all too often people find themselves agreeing with the message, and sharing the language that the media impose through their excessive powers of persuasion. Outside Jamaica is easy to find people accepting reggae and its message without the slightest critical awareness, not even when the lyrics are violent and racist, and against minorities and diversity. Above all, the message that SOS Jamaica wants to send the outside world is that in Jamaica, dying a violent death, both in the streets and prison, after police questioning or police search, is getting more and more frequent (!) It is important to note that the death penalty is still legal in Jamaica. This is unacceptable to those who love Jamaica, reggae, and the message of peace, love, brotherhood, and hope that it has always spread all over the world, not only through the rhythm of its music but also through the significance of its lyrics, an inalienable heritage so vital to people who are driven by the search for solidarity and the struggle against racism. SOS Jamaica works with jamaican associations whose primary goal is to provide death row prisoners in Jamaican jails with funds for trial expenses and supplies for survival, as well as to inform public opinion of the human rights violations on the island. The main destination for SOS Jamaican funds are for: Assist some of the families of people which have been abused Pay some money to afford the expenses for some campaigns such as domestic abuse, police brutality, children abuse Organizing cultural events, festival, debates and conferences to inform public opinion of the situation In Jamaica Creating informational material, newspaper articles, self-produced tapes and videos Creating and managing the web site www.sosjamaica.org