Rondie Pottinger is a man of many talents and accomplishments. Born
and raised in Manchester, Jamaica, on May 7th, 1973, he founded SaveJamaica.com
in 1995, later renamed Jamaica Good Life, a project dedicated to preserving and
promoting the island's cultural heritage. As a visionary philanthropist, he has
devoted his life to promoting the positive aspects of Jamaican culture and
history. His passion for photography led him to capture over 15,000 images of
Jamaica's people and places; in addition to photography, he filmed over 700
videos to promote Jamaica's rich cultural heritage.
Rondie Pottinger has an academic background in computer
science, which he studied at the University of Rochester. He used this
knowledge to build his successful company, which he operated from 90 Park
Avenue at the age of 23. He had Fortune 100 clients such as Merrill Lynch, Bank
of America, and Credit Suisse. Despite his success in the corporate world,
Pottinger felt a deep sense of responsibility to use his skills and resources
to help his native Jamaica.
Rondie Pottinger spent over a decade building institutions
virtually. He knew he could change Jamaica's poverty through virtual media and
technology. He felt the need for a new challenge, which led him to build
Jamaica Good Life with over 52,000 subscribers. Later, he met Clemson Brown,
who showed him his basement containing over 10,000 hours of African history
video footage. Pottinger later helped build the world's most prominent African
history archive and became its director, with over 129,000 subscribers on the
TransAtlantic Production YouTube channel. With a cumulative view count of 26
million for both platforms, these initiatives accomplished his goals. His
teachers are renowned scholars such as Dr. Henry Clarke, Prof. James Small, Dr. Yosef
Ben-Jochannan, and Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, all committed to reprogramming the
consciousness of people of African descent by teaching them about their rich
cultural heritage.
In addition to his work on Jamaica Good Life and
TransAtlantic Productions, Rondie Pottinger has also been involved in other
philanthropic efforts. He has donated a portion of his art sale to cancer
research, supported the Duncan Tree Foundation, and worked with various artists
and musicians to promote positive change in Jamaica. The Queens Borough
President recognized him for selling artwork to benefit cancer research in
Jamaica. His contributions to Jamaica were also acknowledged, and he was
honored for his humanitarian efforts through his artistic endeavors. These
achievements garnered recognition from 2.6 million residents.
Rondie Pottinger’s trip to Africa in 2018 was a
transformative experience, exposing him to the continent's vibrant culture.
While there, he secured land for the Marcus Garvey Library, which will serve as
a valuable resource for scholars and researchers interested in African history
and culture.
Pottinger's involvement in charitable endeavors has significantly
impacted Jamaicans, as well as his work with Jamaica Good Life and the
TransAtlantic History Project. He and his supporters demonstrated the potential
of using the internet to bridge the diaspora with local people by undertaking
various charitable initiatives. These included providing hearing aids for a
95-year-old principal, helping farmers obtain driver's licenses, and assisting
illiterate farmers with birth certificates. They also helped single mothers
with their businesses, among other initiatives.
One iconic charity program that Pottinger and Jamaica Good
Life supporters involved doctors flying in on a private plane to Jamaica to
provide medical assistance to the sick in Port Royal. These achievements were
made possible by the virtual bridge built between professionals to serve the
people, and they served as a blueprint for other YouTube charity programs to
follow.
During his visit to Trench Town in 2005, Rondie Pottinger
witnessed the poverty that plagued the community and was moved to act. He
developed an idea called "Poor No More" to empower young individuals
to generate income. He continued seeking individuals who shared his long-term
vision and acted as a catalyst for change. His 30-year plan began to bear fruit
in 2013 when he uploaded videos and information about herbal medicine, cultural
traditions, and farming to YouTube. Other vloggers were inspired by his work
and began to replicate it, leading to the preservation and celebration of
Jamaica's rich culture. The success of its original vision, savejamaica.com,
has ensured that the next generation can access and appreciate the cultural
heritage of Jamaica.
In 2005, Pottinger produced a documentary called
"Spotlight on Trench Town," which led to a sports professional from
Canada offering a soccer scholarship to a young man in Trench Town. Trench Town
is known for its unique musical heritage. Still, it also boasts one of
Jamaica's greatest visual artists, Sir W. Henry Eccleston, who was encouraged
by Bob Marley to continue his artwork. Pottinger was responsible for digitizing
Sir W. Henry Eccleston’s work, which represented Trench Town, and the proceeds
from the sale of these works were donated to the Trench Town Development
Association.
Pottinger’s work has also been featured in the Canarsie
Courier, a local newspaper in Brooklyn, where he collaborated with artist Sir
W. Henry Eccleston. This collaboration brought together two artists with a
shared passion for promoting cultural diversity and preserving the traditions
of their respective communities.
Pottinger’s commitment to Jamaica and its people extended
beyond photography and video. He recognized the importance of preserving the
country's herbal traditions and knowledge, leading him to establish
JamaicaHealthBox.com. This successful business provided natural remedies and
health products based on Jamaican herbs and plants.
Rondie Pottinger’s impact on Jamaica has been significant
through his various projects and initiatives. SaveJamaica.com (Jamaica Good
Life) has amassed over 12 million views, highlighting the country's positive
aspects and promoting tourism and investment. His work recording the elders and
their cultural knowledge has helped preserve Jamaica's history and traditions
for future generations.
Pottinger’s efforts to promote land ownership and farming
have fostered economic development and self-sufficiency. Through the Jamaica
Good Life Farmers initiative, he encouraged unity and collaboration among
farmers to work towards common goals and improve their livelihoods. His work
reflects a deep commitment to nation-building and promoting unity among
Jamaicans. His legacy serves as an inspiration to others who seek to make a
positive impact on their communities and promote the cultural heritage and traditions
of their people.
Pottinger’s vision of building a better Jamaica extended to
empowering inner-city youth and providing them with the tools and resources to
succeed in the digital age. He recognized the potential for e-commerce and
digital entrepreneurship to create opportunities and generate income, and he
worked to ensure that the youth of Jamaica could access these opportunities.
One component of Jamaica Good Life focused on providing
training and education to young people on how to leverage online platforms to
market and sell their products. Rondie Pottinger’s innovative approach was to
help these youths build profitable businesses by providing them with the skills
and knowledge needed to succeed in the modern world.
His movement rallied behind his "Agenda Unity"
philosophy, emphasizing the significance of distant unity and collaboration in
accomplishing common objectives. By focusing on a common agenda of land
ownership, farming, and economic development, Pottinger sought to foster a
sense of community and collective purpose among Jamaicans.
Rondie Pottinger's pursuit of the liberation idea continued.
His exposure to over a thousand videos from TransAtlantic Production's
"TapVideo.com" on YouTube helped him understand why the Jamaican
people were spiritually stagnant. As a result, one component of Jamaica Good
Life was to create playlists for inner-city youth to recondition their minds
with historical knowledge. This initiative led him to discover the first Change
and Balance Camp in St. James. Rondie Pottinger gathered some fishermen who had
turned from a life of crime and introduced them to African history through
internet uploads. It took them a year to watch over 100 videos, but eventually,
they began to develop a new mindset.
Rondie Pottinger coined the hashtag The New Black Mind and created
other phrases like "Agenda Unity." With his marketing background, he
could use one word to direct attention to over 700 videos to teach African
history to inner-city youths. In the future, inner-city youths can type the
hashtag The New Black Mind and instantly access all the content he has uploaded,
which would later increase self-love.
Rondie Pottinger’s work has significantly impacted, but his
efforts are ongoing. He has now built the Jamaica Health Box to improve his
people's lives physically. He psychologically impacted his audience through his
work with Jamaica Good Life and his travels to Africa. He studied at the
University of Rochester and believed media was the perfect weapon. He knew that
once he could enter the minds of his people, they would take the initiative to
progress positively in their cultural awareness and build the nation.
He utilized films to preserve herb culture and promote
farming and land ownership to achieve this. He also promoted African culture.
Rondie believed that building a nation must start with the individual's mind,
spirit, and body. It was no longer about unifying in a group or committee but
empowering individuals to build the nation. He recognized that the cultural
influence of nostalgia could pull people back from the systems they were sold,
which demanded they give up their culture to be part of something else. The
challenge, then, was to create meaningful content in a world to bring people
back to their roots and focus on their moral culture.
Rondie Pottinger has spent over 30 years working for Jamaica
and Pan-Africanism, using media as the perfect weapon to change people's minds
and culture. One of his final goals is to travel through the inner cities with
his team from St. James and present to young Jamaicans how to make money online
without crime, promoting the concept of CCCV - reduce Crime by increasing
Consciousness and Cash flow using Virtual tools. His work culminates in
presenting this concept to the inner-city youth, empowering them to take
control of their lives and legally tapping into the seven billion plus people
in the world economy.
Rondie Pottinger’s dedication to helping inner-city youth is
admirable. He empowers them to tell their stories, create content, and share it
with the world by providing access to affordable technology. This gives them a
platform for expression and helps break down stereotypes and misrepresentations
of their communities.
Over the past decade, Rondie Pottinger has been exploring
various mediums and technologies to determine what hardware would be necessary
for inner-city youths to engage with the digital world. He has researched the
cost of microphones, cameras, and laptops with good video cards, ultimately
building a computer system that can be replicated for under $500. He aims to
provide interested individuals with the means to create their own radio and
television content, even in home studios, at an affordable cost. To accomplish
this, he has built a television studio in a box and a radio studio in a box,
focusing on inner-city youths who may not have the capital to invest in
expensive technology.
Using cheap technology, inner-city youth can create
cartoons, design fashion, make websites, and connect with family abroad for
payment activation. This system will reduce poverty and crime and increase
productivity and learning. Rondie Pottinger focused on building a learning
institution without leaving its physical location. This visionary aimed to
create a blueprint for the future of his country by uploading his mind to the
inner-city youth and empowering them financially and culturally.
Through his photography, digital artwork, and philanthropic
efforts, Pottinger has started a movement in Jamaica that has positively
impacted countless people's lives. His tireless work has helped to preserve and
promote Jamaican culture and history, and his legacy will continue to inspire
future generations to do the same. His dedication to maintaining and promoting
Jamaican culture and African history has earned him the respect and admiration
of people worldwide. He is a true visionary and a shining example of what can
be accomplished with passion, dedication, and hard work. His legacy inspires
all those who seek to make a difference in their communities and promote
understanding and respect for cultural diversity. Rondie Pottinger’s impact on
Jamaica and its people is far-reaching and long-lasting. His commitment to
preserving Jamaica's cultural heritage, promoting economic development, and
empowering young people has left a legacy that inspires and motivates others to
work towards a better future for all.
Rondie's
dedication to his projects and ability to unite people under a common agenda has
made him a visionary and philanthropist. His legacy will continue to shape the
future of Jamaica for generations to come.
Rondie Pottinger
rondiepottinger@gmail.com
April 27th, 2024
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