Donald Johnson, who has lived all his life illiterate, enjoys some music while chilling out with daughter Sashauna. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

For Donald Johnson, a life of illiteracy has been like being held captive in a dreary dark dungeon, locked away from a rich world of vivid colours, entrancing drama, liberating truth and staggering beauty.

"Mi inna a dark world - to miself, mi inna darkness.

"Certain things wha' people can read and expose to, mi nuh expose to that. Mi only can watch the news and see wha' a gwaan, but fi tek up a book or The Gleaner and see wha' a gwaan, me cyah do it, mi cyah manage it," Johnson said.

His father couldn't read and didn't see any value in it for his son either. Johnson's dad was a yam farmer who believed that all young Donald needed to learn was how to dig the red earth and do hard work.

School dropout

A few letters, therefore, were all Donald Johnson could recognise when, at grade three, he was forced by his father's lack of support to drop out of school and start farming. For a man that didn't attend school, Johnson seems to have learnt well the lessons a life of illiteracy offered. For instance, he is a great advocate for education and works tirelessly to ensure that his own children do not suffer the neglect he did.

"Mi help fi mi pickney dem. Mi try nuh fi keep dem outta school.

"Mi work mi back off. Mi buy a weed whacker, go 'round and mi weed people yard just to keep dem up inna school," Johnson, 40, told The Gleaner.

Sequence of misfortune

Johnson's zeal for his children's education may perhaps be measured by the stitches he has received and the tissues he has damaged in his quest to ensure his children have enough to attend school.

For instance, while toiling away on the United States farm-work programme picking apples in Virginia, Johnson fell from a tree and gravely hurt his shoulder. The next year, after recovering, he went to work in Canada, but had to return home due to medical troubles, which eventually led to an operation. Still Johnson toils with the aim, he says, that one day his children will walk the halls of university.

"Mi haffi put certain effort - mi nuh mek dem know still."

"Mi waan dem fi go as far as them can, fi be able fi help demself ... get dem degree an' thing," Johnson shared.

Today, all Johnson's children can read and write. Both his daughters, Donalee, 14, and Sashauna, 11, say social studies is their favourite subject and have big dreams of becoming a teacher and artist, respectively. His stepson, Timoy, 17, who is a computer junkie, wants to become an engineer.

andrew.wildes@gleanerjm.com