Once news broke that the new colonel of the Accompong Maroons was elected in St Elizabeth on Thursday, the interwebs spiralled into a furore.
This was particularly so for Jamaican women, who couldn’t believe their eyes, or rather, feigned indifference to the ‘strong, sturdy Maroon man’ who’s the leader of the Accompong Maroons.
Many are accustomed to the over-60 figurehead – the stereotype of Jamaican politicians.
The photo that started it all, a portrait of Accompong Maroon colonel Richard Currie.
On the contrary, the 43-year-old is reportedly the youngest person to become a colonel and led the polls with a 681 to 400-vote win.
What is it about a man in public office or of authority that makes most women whet with desire? Loop Lifestyle sought some answers.
For fear of her boyfriend ‘seeing her name in print’, Sashalee Morris* opted to respond incognito.
She said: ‘He’s the Jamaican Black Panther…mi need fi get mi Maroon passport, and move go Accompong Town.’
Morris’ response was met with ‘If him stay good one more time…’ from her very single friend, cosmetologist Tashana Henry.
Both ladies were keen on the social media uproar as others gawked at images of the Maroon stud.
Another woman, who wished to remain nameless said: ‘You hardly see a tan good man inna Jamaica… di man tan good! Him proppa!’
‘Him can siddung ah di end ah my table, me woulda gi him di [chicken] breast’, was a comment sent from ‘Maxine from Kingston’.
More than his looks
A mutual friend of Currie confirms that colonel elect is not only a good-looking chap but quite brainy, too.
For purposes of this article, she’ll be called ‘Arlene’.
‘I know for a fact that he’s an intellect and a direct descendant of [previous Maroon leader] Cudjoe’, she told Loop Lifestyle.
However, she’s declared that she’s now more eager to learn of the history and mores of the Maroons.
‘Seeing these pics makes me want to learn more about the Maroons, I’m intrigued to learn about the true Maroon history. When I think about the things I learnt and read about the Maroons, it’s interesting, a lot of it seems ridiculous and antiquated, but I’m intrigued.’
She continued: ‘I want to know how [Currie] plans to interpret the rules of the Maroon and [tie] culture and history versus reality and intellect’.
The final comment came from a mature woman, who’s naturally peering beyond face value. She found Currie to be ‘confused’ and ‘unsure of himself’, adding that she sees a façade of confidence, and she doesn’t believe he’s very self-assured.
Twitter users had a field day as well