The film, which is based on Jamaica Kincaid’s novel A Small Place, Life and Debt, examines the consequences of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank programs on the economics of Jamaica, with a particular focus on the effects of global capitalism on dairy producers and industrial employees.
Inequality and underemployment are at record highs, and the country’s external current account deficit has increased. Life and Debt is a documentary with an original reggae accompaniment that is full of economic truths that need some prior knowledge to understand correctly.
Visitors begin to realize the fundamental differences behind the island’s magnificent, beautiful nature as the video opens with visitors arriving on the beach, using Ms. Kincaid’s words as a speech. Life and Debt reflects the relationship between Jamaican economic hardship and the procedures of global financial institutions while traveling home the disastrous effects of globalization.
It features a dynamic reggae background music and a piece of scorching voice-over information from the text by Jamaica Kincaid, as well as the group of former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, former Deputy Director of the IMF Stanley Fisher, and former President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
To sum up, the national reggae musical accompaniment was used to show that even in such a problematic situation, Jamaica has a cultural identity that attracts many people. The nature that is shown in the film also reflects the contrast of what problems the state can have despite the initially favorable conditions of existence.
Kincaid’s key topics include the impact of one’s birthplace on identification, culture, and the yearning for freedom. Tourists are not interested in the lifestyles of the locals because they have come to see the island’s natural features.