COME TO JAMAICA, MAN

The West Indian Island That Gave Us Bob Marley and Bond, James Bond

By Kristen Jones

While the beautiful and culturally diverse Caribbean island of Jamaica is an attractive tourist magnet, it also has a long and ugly history of genocide and slavery that goes back at least to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494 and the Spanish colonizers who followed.

After seeing its stunning land and beaches, Columbus wrote that it was “the fairest island that eyes have beheld: mountains and the land seem to touch the sky … all full of valleys and fields and plains ”

The Coming of the Colonizers

Centuries before the arrival of these European invaders, this scenic land was inhabited in 600 or 650 C E by the Redware people, often associated with redware pottery Then, by roughly 800 C E , Arawak tribes, including the Taino, arrived These people named the land "Xaymaca," meaning "land of wood and water "

When the Spanish arrived, they enslaved these natives, who were also ravaged by diseases that the Spanish brought with them. As a result, early historians believed that by 1602, the Arawak-speaking Taino tribe had become extinct. However, it is now believed that some of these people escaped into the forested mountains of the interior, where they mixed with runaway African slaves and survived free from Spanish and then English rule. thousands of enslaved people, the English acquired exorbitant wealth from the island. It was not always easy though, and from time to time, they had to deal with slave rebellions and wars with free Africans called Maroons.

While the Spanish also transported hundreds of West African people to the island as slaves, most Africans were brought into Jamaica by the English who invaded the island in 1655. During this time, the Spaniards themselves escaped the island or were expelled shortly afterward. The population of English settlers remained small, but they brought in vast numbers of African slaves to work the sugar estates.

To maintain control, the British were extremely brutal in their repression of the slaves. As noted in 1739 by Barbadian writer Charles Leslie in his book, A New and Exact History of Jamaica, "No country excels (Jamaica) in a barbarous treatment of slaves, or in the cruel methods they put them to death."

Independence—Finally

Through the cultivation of sugar and the exploitation of hundreds of

Still, after nearly 180 years of slavery in Jamaica, the English finally abolished the evil institution in 1834. Although the “freed” slaves remained apprentices to the former slave masters for several years afterward, that practice was also abolished in 1838, and they received full freedom. More than a hundred years later, in 1962, the long-exploited island finally gained its independence from England. Today, the nation is a stable parliamentary democracy that operates as a constitutional monarchy and member of the Commonwealth. The current prime minister, Andrew Michael Holness, began his second term on March 3, 2016. Jamaica has two main political parties: the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP). The JLP now forms the government, and the PNP now forms the opposition.

Geography and Language

Jamaica lies about 87 miles south of Cuba and about 118 miles west of Haiti. At its greatest extent, it is 146 miles long. It is the largest island of the Commonwealth Caribbean and the third largest of the Greater Antilles, after Cuba and Hispaniola. Many small islands are located along the southern coast of Jamaica, such as the Port Royal Cays. Southwest of mainland Jamaica lies Pedro Bank, an area of shallow seas, with a number of cays extending generally east to west for about 100 miles.

The official language of the nation is English, so English-speaking visitors will have little problem communicating with the local people. In addition to English, Jamaican Creole is widely spoken. This language’s vocabulary and grammar are based in English, but its various dialects also derive vocabulary and phrasing from West African languages, Spanish, Irish, American English, and, to a lesser degree, French. Some elements of the language can be traced back to the island’s past in slavery, where African languages mixed with the native language of slave owners. The grammatical structure, lyrical cadences, intonations and pronunciations of Creole make it a distinct language and a wonderful manifestation of the melting pot of cultures that make up the island’s populace.

Famous Jamaicans and the Rise of Rastafarianism

When most people think of Jamaica, they probably think about Bob Marley. Arguably the nation's most famous export, even though he died more than four decades ago, Marley still holds stock as a reggae music pioneer who brought Jamaica's music, culture and worldview sharply into focus on the global stage. Successive Jamaican governments have remained keenly aware of his enduring star power, using his music in tourism commercials, promoting the Bob Marley Museum as a must-see attraction, and even partially decriminalizing marijuana. Marley was a staunch Rastafari, a religion that uses ganja as an integral part of spiritual observances.

Another famed artist of Jamaican descent, Jimmy Cliff, was born July 30, 1944. He is known as a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honor that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences. Cliff was also briefly a member of the Rastafari movement before converting to Islam from Christianity.

Marcus Garvey, born in Jamaica in 1887, was a political activist and supporter of black self-empowerment. Many Rastafari consider Garvey to be a prophet, similar to John the Baptist’s role in Christianity. In his teachings, he urged those of the African diaspora to not only return to Africa but to also “Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned.” Some believe that prophecy was realized with the crowning of the last emperor of Ethiopia.

Followers of Garvey’s teachings came together to form a religion in 1930, when Haile Selassie I became the emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarians consider the emperor their messiah, naming the movement after his birth name, Ras Tafari Makonnen.

There are approximately a million followers of the Rastafari movement worldwide. Clean eaters, Rastas consider their body to be a temple, based on the Old Testament teachings. Rastas do not drink alcohol or eat food that is not nourishing to their body, which includes meat. Many follow a strict dietary law called ital, which states that all food must be completely natural and pure, although what this means is interpreted in various ways. According to Old Testament scripture (Leviticus 19:27), they also believe they should not cut their hair because it is where their strength lies. As a result, dreadlocks form naturally over time. Rastas also do not consider marijuana a drug. Instead, it is a medium that is used to open their mind and increase their spiritual awareness. Smoking marijuana is considered a religious ritual.

Rastas see Africa as a paradise on earth, and at the core of the movement is the belief that all people of the African diaspora should return to their homeland. Many Rastafaris hope to return to Africa during their lifetime. The colors of their flag are red, green, black and gold.

Nuclear Island

It is surprising to discover that Jamaica, the pristine paradise in the tropical Caribbean, has its own nuclear power plant, the first and so far only one in the West Indies. Erected in 1984, its purpose is not to make Jamaica a nuclear power with its own arsenal of bombs, but rather to supply energy, not only to the island but to the entire Caribbean. Currently the reactor, located on the University of the West Indies campus at Mona, Jamaica, is for research purposes only. At the moment neither the technology nor the budget is available to convert Jamaica’s electrical grid, now powered 90 percent by fossil fuels, to nuclear power, but the development of smaller, cheaper reactors may make it possible in the near future.

A Diverse Cuisine Derived From Many Nations

Jamaican cuisine developed on the island as a result of waves of slavery and the various nations involved in the practice. Jamaican callaloo, for example, is based on the African Angolan dish calulu. The fruit of the most popular Jamaican dish, ackee, was also brought to the Island by West African peoples. The Spanish, the first European arrivals to the island, and Spanish Jews contributed dishes such as the vinegary escovitch fish (Spanish escabeche), which was partly altered by Jamaicans.

Later, the Cornish may have influenced the development of the Jamaican patty, a pasty-style turnover filled with spiced meat. Chinese and East Indian influences can also be found in Jamaican cuisine such as roti and curry goat as a result of indentured laborers who replaced slaves after emancipation and brought their own culinary talents. Salted codfish was brought by Portuguese Jews who had escaped the Inquisition in the 1500s and is now used in the national dish ackee and saltfish, but it was also a staple for enslaved Africans as a longlasting, affordable protein.

Jamaican cuisine also includes Rastafarian influences. Rastafarians have a vegetarian approach to preparing food, cooking and eating, and they introduced a host of unique vegetarian dishes to Jamaican cuisine. Some also believe in cooking with little or no salt.

Pork is very popular in Jamaica, and stew pork and jerk pork are among the most popular pork cuisine. Ackee, saltfish and Jamaican patties wrapped in coco bread are also popular Jamaica staples. A typical Jamaican breakfast might include ackee and saltfish, seasoned callaloo, boiled green bananas, and fried dumplings.

Tourism: A Great Opportunity for the Island

Tourism began in Jamaica in the 1890s when the United Fruit Company, seeking to use the excess capacity of its ships, encouraged cruises to the island and tourist hotels were constructed. Tourism, however, did not flourish until after World War II when accelerated depreciation allowances for investment in that sector helped triple the number of hotels from 1945 to 1970. Further hotel incentive legislation in 1968 continued to transform the industry, eventually strengthening the role of larger hotels. After a 20-year period of growth, tourism slumped in the mid-1970s for a variety of reasons, ranging from radical domestic policies to negative press coverage abroad. In the 1980s, the tourist market was recaptured, and it expanded more quickly than the rest of the economy. American tourists were believed to be traveling more often to the Caribbean as a result of growing terrorism in Europe. In addition, Jamaica became particularly attractive as numerous devaluations of the Jamaican dollar made United States dollars more valuable and because English was widely spoken there. Mainly because of the white-sand beaches and pleasant weather, Jamaica's north coast has become the island's tourist center, the main points being Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Port Antonio. Many tourists also visit Kingston, but this city is most important as a commercial center and the seat of the government.

Unfortunately, the vast tourism potential of the island is currently marred by its high crime rate, and the U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory on October 5, 2022, cautioning potential tourists to reconsider Jamaica due to crime and not to travel to certain areas. Before planning a trip, it is therefore recommended to check current advisories.

If the nation can dramatically reduce its high crime rate in the coming years, it should be even better able to attract vacationers who want to learn about its history and enjoy its music, ethnically rich foods, people, diverse ecosystem, resorts, and beautiful landscape and beaches.