Jamaica

Leslea Pedersen

History 141

September 9, 2009

Dr. Michael Arguello

Jamaica

Geography

• Jamaica is an island in the Carribean,

south of Cuba.

• The island is mountainous and

tropical with beautiful beaches and

coral reefs.

• It is the third largest island of the

Greater Antilles in the West Indies.

• There are thermal springs in various

areas on the island. There are no

volcanoes, but the island is subject to

severe earthquakes.

Jamaica

Geography

• The island is tropical with a mean

annual temperature of 80 degrees

fahrenheit.

• Annual rainfall varies by region

throughout the island. Late summer,

early fall is hurricane season for

Jamaica.

• The island is rich in bauxite deposits.

• There is a wide variety of plants,

trees, and birds.

• There are no venomous reptiles in

Jamaica; this is a good thing.

Jamaica

History

• The indigenous people of Jamaica came

from South America. They were Taino

and spoke Arawakan.

• Christopher Columbus claimed the

island for Spain in 1494. It was later won

by Britain in the 17th century.

• The first Spanish settlement, Sevilla,

had to be abandoned due to pirate raids.

• After becoming a British colony around

1670.

• During this time, sugar was a lucrative

commodity. Plantations were established

and African slaves were imported to work

the plantations.

• Jamaica was the world‟s leading sugar

exported for 200 years.

Jamaica

History

• In the 19th century, England abolished

the slave trade and passed laws to improve

how blacks were treated.

• Around 1962, Jamaica became

independent from Britain. However, it is

still in the realm of the Commonwealth of

Britain and Queen Elizabeth II is the Head

of State.

• Descendents of Indian and Chinese

indentured servants live in Jamaica today.

• After their independence, Jamaica

experienced a strong economic growth.

Bauxite and tourism being two lucrative

commodities. However, worldwide

downturns experienced in the „70s and

„80s and aluminum manufacturer

problems have taken their toll on

Jamaica‟s economy. Tourism remains a

good money maker.

Jamaica

People

• The population of Jamaica is

predominately black.

• The majority of the population are

descendents of the African slaves who

worked the sugar plantations during the

first 200 years of British rule.

• There are also descendents of the

Indian and Chinese indentured servants

living in Jamaica.

Jamaica

People

• The population is 2,825,928. The

annual increase recently declined to

0.76. Many Jamaicans have

immigrated to the United States,

Britain, and Latin America.

• English is the official language.

There is also a dialect spoken which

incorporates African, Spanish, and

French influences.

• Christianity is the predominant

religion in Jamaica.

• There is a great deal of poverty in

Jamaica.

Jamaica

Culture

• The culture in Jamaica is a blend of

British and African as a result of being

a British colony and the sugar

plantations worked by African slaves.

• Jamaica was a part of the British

empire for over 300 years. Their

customs reflect this influence.

• The African flavors are manifested in

their music and dance.

Jamaica

Culture

• Raggae music is distinctly Jamaican.

People who are into music will

instantly recognize Raggae music and

make the connection to Jamaica.

• Calypso and Soca are two other

genres of music from Jamaica and the

Carribean area.

• Jerk chicken and jerk pork are

Jamaican recipes specific to Jamaica

which use spices such as cinnamon,

nutmeg and ginger.

Jamaica Nation Report

Sources

Encarta: www.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia

Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org

Jamaica

Part II

Leslea Pedersen

History 141

September 22, 2009

Dr. Michael Arguello

Jamaican Culture

• There are over 30 traditional

Jamaican dances, which follow three

specific styles: African derived,

European derived, and Creole which is

a fusion of the first two styles.

• The African style dances were

mainly for religious/worship

ceremonies, but the quadrille is of a

social nature. The quadrille was

usually accompanied with a traditional

African work song sung by slaves.

• European dances were brought to

Jamaica by indentured servants from

Scotland, England & Ireland. The

most popular is called the Morris.

• Creole dances were created in

Jamaica and fuse together the African

& European styles together. The oldest

& most popular is called Johnkannu.

Jamaican Culture

• Jamaican music comes from an

African foundation, but has been

influenced by the music of England &

France.

• Reggae is a genre which is always

associated with Jamaica. It has a very

relaxing vibe, with a rhythmic

propulsion that makes you want to get

up and dance. The great-great grand-

daddy of Reggae is “mento,” not to be

confused with calypso, a form of folk

music. The lyrical inspiration for

mento was tropical issues.

• Ska is another genre of Jamaica. It

combines a New Orleans blues style

with mento. Popular with young

Jamaicans and the poorer population.

• Jamaican music has changed a lot

over the past 35 years.

Jamaican Culture

• The artists of Jamaica display a

spirituality that parallels the other

aspects of the isolation of the island.

Edna Manley‟s “Negro Aroused” and

Ronald Moody‟s “Head” are

considered icons of visual art pieces.

These pieces are said to be imbued

with emotion.

• Looking back over the pieces of art

up to the 1960s, you see the colonial‟s

model influences, particularly

economically speaking. Judging from

what the art reflects, English culture

influences were greatest on the

Jamaican population. There is not too

much influence from Africa, the

Chinese or India.

Jamaican Culture

• Jamaica‟s literature is well known

internationally. Their literature has

come from a rich tradition of

storytelling (oral history), connecting

both the written and oral forms.

• Jamaica‟s natural speech is an

element which helps to make their

literature unique.

• A famous poet/author from Jamaica,

Claude McKay, immigrated to the

United States and was an inspiration to

the writers of the Harlem Renaissance

in the 1920/1930s.

Sources

“3 Moments In Jamaican Art”

www.iadb.org

Literature:

http://jamaica-guide.info

Dance:

www.my-island-jamaica.com

Music:

www.ddg.com

Jamaica

Part III

Leslea Pedersen

History 141

September 22, 2009

Dr. Michael Arguello

Jamaica

Current Events

• Jamaica is now an independent

country, but part of the commonwealth

of England. It is a parliamentary

democracy, closely modeled after

England‟s. It was formerly a colony of

Great Britain.

• There are three branches of

government. The executive branch is

led by the Prime Minister. The other

two are the Legislative and Judicial

branches. This is also like the U.S.

• In 2006, for the first time in history,

Jamaica had a woman for Prime

Minister.

Jamaica

Current Events

• There are two major political parties.

Both are associated with big trade

unions. A third party, not associated

with any unions, was created in 1995,

but is no longer very active.

• Slum lords called “dons” at one time

gain power through links to the

political parties.

• Since the 1980s and 1990s, the slum

lords‟ involvement with drug

trafficking has enabled them to be

independent of the political leadership.

• This is a very unfortunate reality.

Jamaica

Current Events

• Jamaica‟s economic problems are

naturally a big part of their political

debate.

• The unemployment rate is 15%

and inflation is 9.4%.

• Over the last 5 years, the garment

industry has suffered from reduced

export earnings & continued factory

closures. This may be attributed to

intense competition, absence of

NAFTA parity & drug

contamination.

• The Government of Jamaica hopes

to encourage economic activity

through, in part, privatization,

reduced interest rates and boosting

tourism.

Jamaica

Current Events

• The United States is Jamaica‟s

most important trading partner.

Jamaica relies heavily on tourism

from the United States.

• Many U.S. businesses have

operations in Jamaica. The

United States‟ total investment in

Jamaica is more than $3 billion.

• Jamaica is an active member of

the United Nations.

Sources

For Jamaica Part III, my only source was Wikipedia.