Kavelle Anglin-Christie, Staff Reporter 
Magician Neal Goldberg pulls a coloured ribbon out of his hand at Montego Bay Expo 2005. - Claudiine Housen Photo
MANY ASSOCIATE magic with black magic, something diabolical, or 'duppies', as we call them, and maybe that's why this form of entertainment hasn't caught on in Jamaica. And, with the look of things, after the Harry Potter series and how scared some people were; who knows?
Lewayne Turner, a local magician, says there is no reason for people to be afraid because it isn't the same as black magic.
"I do the flight of hands that's when you make things disappear and re-appear, or turn a kerchief into a purse, cut people in half," he said.
"I've been doing this since I was about five years old. But professionally, I've been doing it since grade five. My father is Sammy Question (another magician) so I grew up with him doing it and I watched and
started to follow," he said.
Turner says his events are usually well supported irrespective of some people's fears: "Yes man, especially when I perform at like kiddies parties and
primary schools and things like that. I also perform on stage shows like Teen Splash."
WANTS OVERSEAS FANS
Though Turner says they are supported, he says local magic shows are still not as successful as the ones overseas.
"A lot of times when magicians perform abroad they do so in theatres and get to work with different magicians. But you don't really have that out here," he said.
Apart from that, Turner says there aren't many magicians in the island and "maybe that's because it's hard to learn or there is no magic school."
Nonetheless, in a country where the term 'obeah man' is commonplace, it's doubtful that a magic school would catch on. Turner says it's this inability to separate the entertainment from the belief system that sometimes poses problems for him.
"You have 'black magic' and me nuh go there at all. That is what they call 'stage one magic' and voodoo. What I do is not spiritual, it's just that with my magic what they say is true, that the more you look, the less you see."
CRITICISMS
"I've been criticised by Christians, but sometimes I perform at church barbecues. Most Christians will say it is not of God, even this pastor man, but after I explained that it was not stage one magic, he said he didn't know, but other Christians don't know that," he said.
One Christian, Georgiana, says she doesn't have a problem with magic shows, as long as they 'don't cross the line': "I don't believe in magic because it's
never a thought that has come to
me before. I just think that anything that happens beyond the ordinary must be inspired by God and if it is inspired by the flesh it is a mere trick and it's not real.
"I don't think that there is anything wrong with watching it because there is always a need for different kinds of entertainment. But things like pulling a bird out of a rag, or saying that you are creating something is blaspheming. Once you cross the line with something like that, it is not of God," Georgiana continues.
Another young person, Antoneil, isn't a Christian, but says he doesn't believe the magic tricks and he doesn't follow the local acts.
"I guess I'm just not
interested. I've heard about David Blaine and I've read on the Internet how you do some of the tricks. But locally, sure I've been to some of the local fairs and I've seen them turn $100 to $1000 and pull an egg from someone's ear," he said.
He gave his reason for this form of entertainment not
catching on.
NEEDS MARKETING
"Because I guess it needs more marketing. People will be
astonished, so that's not the problem, but it's on the back burner compared to other entertainment like sports or parties. Then sometimes, people don't have the time to stop and look at magic because it's weird sometimes and there's some fear there," he said.
Though magic shows haven't been readily accepted in Jamaica, Turner says there has been some growth in the field and he expects it to continue: "Because sometimes when I perform overseas magicians will want to visit and when they do, they want to live here."
