I really enjoyed this mini series especially given that the Black cast spoke the Jamaican patois so well and hearing the original Jamaican folk songs added to the authenticity. Although Tamara Lawrence gave a great performance, I don't think she was the right person to play the role of July. In the book July is biracial. Tamara Lawrence is not a mixed race Black woman. Tamara Lawrence is a dark skinned Black woman with typically west African features and hair texture. As a Jamaican of mixed heritage I find this casting of Tamara problematic especially when we see that July is given an elevated status to the rest of the slaves. The casting of Tamara as July doesn't allow the audience to see colorism at play as it is more clear in the book. July is a mixed woman with typical "Eurocentric" features and for that reason she was favored by the mistress to be her house maid. History tells us that mixed race slaves were typically house slaves.
Review of The Long Song
