Barrel Come

by Mikheal Deans, Ontonio Crisp, Iona Christian

Barrel Come! explores the effects that the migration of a parent has on children and their perception of the migrated parents. Social workers in Jamaica first introduced the term "barrel children" in the 20th century and subsequently spread to other English-speaking Caribbean islands. Barrel Come highlights the relationship these "barrel children" have with the migrated parent. In these parent-child relationships, Barrel Children are comforted by material possessions to mask abandonment, and lack of physical affection to fill the vacuum left by a missing parent. Additionally, barrel children develop a love for the content of barrels that equates to the love that the child possesses for the relocated parent.