In all fairness, Spanish producer Fernando Garcia-Guereta starting filming the 61 minute documentary Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast? prior to the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
The film is presented at this year’s American Black Film Festival June 24-27 in Miami Beach, Florida. It is the only non-American film nominated, which says a lot. The film also premiered on Spanish television last January.
Of course, music is part of the film as Garcia-Guereta is really a music producer, and it features the music of Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley and Etana, among others.
Without the Jamaican music is like apple pie without the ice cream. It is part of their culture, part of their soul. Just think of Nuh Linga and you’ll know why.
Why Do Jamaicans Run So Fast?
The answer is NOT yam consumption NOR sprinting from gun shots, which might make sense as Jamaica has one of highest murder rates in the world per capita.
SPOILER ALERT:
The main reason is from school competitions, as well as the hardship Jamaican youths have when growing up. They discussed how far the students had to walk great distances to get to track practice, similar to the African distance runners on how they had to run to school and back.
Moreover, past Olympic Gold medal winners such as Ben Johnson (stripped in 1988), Lindford Christie (1992), and Donovan Bailey (1996) all came from Jamaican heritage.
Here is the trailer on YouTube:
Jimson Lee
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I do not know why…but damn they are fast…