Jamaica 1
Running Head: JAMAICA

Jamaica: Course Project for Diversity in American Society

The University of Akron- Wayne College
Jamaica: Course Project for Diversity in American Society Jamaica is a beautiful island nation that is rich with a unique and spirited people. The nation has seen its share of hardship that somewhat continues even today. Despite a struggling economy, as well as mass emigration, those that remain have kept many rich traditions alive. In this project, I’d like to introduce you to the nation of Jamaica. It is a very unique nation with an extensive history. However, I will summarize some of the broad facts and information surrounding this country to at least present a rounded image of what Jamaica provides to our world. I’ll begin with a general outline of the demographics, history, and culture. Following, I’d like to approach a few topics that I found to be interesting and also relevant to our course.
Localization
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, 145 miles in length and as much as 50 miles in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about 90 miles south of Cuba and 120 miles west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated. It has an area of 4,244 square miles, which is roughly the size of Connecticut.
Population
The population of Jamaica in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 2,651,000, which placed it as number 135 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 7% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 31% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 97 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 0.92%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 2,977,000. The population density in 2002 was averaged at 620 per square mile. Most of the population resides in coastal regions. It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 56% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Kingston, had a population of 655,000 in that year. Other leading cities are Spanish Town (92,383), Portmore (90,138), and Montego Bay (83,466). According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 1.7%.
Government and Politics Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy with the monarch being represented by a Governor-General. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who officially uses the title "Queen of Jamaica" when she visits the country or performs duties overseas on Jamaica's behalf. The Governor-General is nominated by the Prime Minister and the entire Cabinet and is appointed by the monarch. All the members of the Cabinet are appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister. The monarch and the Governor-General serve largely ceremonial roles, apart from their potent reserve power to dismiss the Prime Minister or Parliament. Jamaica's current Constitution was drafted in 1962 by a bipartisan joint committee of the Jamaican legislature. It came into force with the Jamaica Independence Act, 1962 of the United Kingdom Parliament, which gave Jamaica political exile. This was followed by a reformation of the island's national anthem. The Parliament of Jamaica is bicameral, consisting of the House of Representatives (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House). Members of the House (known as Members of Parliament or MP’s) are directly elected, and the member of the House of Representatives who, in the Governor-General's best judgment, is best able to command the confidence of a majority of the members of that House, is appointed by the Governor-General to be the Prime Minister. Senators are appointed jointly by the Prime Minister and the parliamentary Leader of the Opposition. Jamaica has traditionally had a two-party system, with power often alternating between the People's National Party and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). However, over the past decade a new political party called the National Democratic Movement (NDM) emerged in an attempt to challenge the two-party system, though it has become largely irrelevant in this system (Permenter & Bigley, 2005, p.128).
Language
The official language of Jamaica is English. Informally, Jamaican patois is more commonly spoken by a majority of the population. Although British English is the most obvious influence on patois, it includes words and syntax from various African, other European, Pre-Columbian Caribbean, and Asian languages. In general, patois differs from English in pronunciation, grammar, nominal orthography, and syntax, having many intonations to indicate meaning and mood. A number of linguists classify Jamaican patois as a separate language, while others consider it to be a dialect of English (Permenter & Bigley, 2005, p.3).
Historical Experience The Arawak Indians, early residents who arrived from South America around 650 AD, named the island Xaymaca or “land of wood and water.” They lived peacefully on the land and the sea’s bounty. Jamaica was visited by Christopher Columbus in 1494 on his second voyage to the New World. When the Spanish arrived later, they were welcomed by the Arawaks. In return, they were executed or taken as slaves. The only thing that remains of this race was the name they gave to the island. In 1692, an earthquake struck the city of Port Royal, located on a peninsula near Kingston, and the entire city was lost to the sea. Today, efforts are underway to recover artifacts of what had been termed “the richest, wickedest city in Christendom” (Permenter & Bigley, 2005, p.11). The Spanish lost the island in 1655 to the English. Soon, slavery increased as sugar became a booming industry. During these years, the English tried to tame an area of the island in the Blue Mountains that they nicknamed “the land of look behind.” In this little-traveled region of Jamaica’s interior, soldiers feared attack by the Maroons, descendants of slaves who had escaped from the Spanish. Soldiers always rode two to a horse, one looking forward and one backward, in order to protect themselves. In 1739, the British gave the Maroons autonomy, and even today they retain a separateness from Jamaican authority. In 1834, slavery was abolished, but the the sugar industry continued. Later it was joined by the banana industry, and at the turn of the century visitors began to arrive aboard those banana boats. The tourism business grew to become Jamaica’s most important form of income. After the abolition of slavery, Jamaica’s plantation owners looked for another source of labor. From 1838 to 1917, over 30,000 Indians immigrated to Jamaica, followed by about 5,000 Asians from 1860 to 1893 who came as indentured laborers. They were also joined by immigrants from the Middle East, primarily what is now Lebanon. Jamaica has been an independent nation since 1962.
Economics and Currency Jamaica is a mixed economy with state enterprises as well as private sector businesses. Economic policy has pursued a familiar course of privatization of state-owned enterprises, deregulation, tight budgetary controls, and reform of the tax and banking systems. The process was supervised by the IMF and aimed principally at reducing Jamaica’s large national debt burden. Although these measures improved Jamaica’s financial position, it has offered little benefit to the population, with high inflation and unemployment rife. The Jamaican dollar and the U.S. dollar are widely accepted across the island (“Jamaican Currency”, n.d.). Jamaica's agricultural exports are sugar, bananas, coffee, rum, and yams. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, and financial and insurance services. Tourism and mining are the leading foreign exchange earners. Jamaica is a member of the Caribbean trading bloc, CARICOM, and of the Inter-American Development Bank.
Education
Education through the six years of primary school is compulsory and is free in government-sponsored schools. The age of entry into primary school is six years, and children generally complete primary school at age twelve. The academic year runs from September to July (with some local variation), and the Education Regulations prescribe a minimum of 195 days of instruction in the school year. The language of instruction is English. The history of education in Jamaica is perhaps best understood in the context of the island's colonial past. The education system and its administration were fashioned after the British system; many of the developments in the history of Jamaican education can be seen as responses to events such as the abolition of slavery 1834, the advent of suffrage in 1944, and the achievement of independence in 1962 (“Jamaica- Educational System- Overview”, 2006). Much of the recent history of education in Jamaica has been driven by the perceived need to develop "homegrown" responses to economic, social, and political pressures on the island and in the Caribbean region (as cited in Whiteman, 1994).
Religion
By far the largest religion in Jamaica is the Christian faith (“Jamaica”, n.d.). The Anglican Church, and the Church of God are throughout the country, and many old churches have been carefully maintained and/or restored. The Rastafarian religion is a folk derivative of the larger Christian culture, likely influenced by Ethiopian Coptic culture. There are also a small number of Jewish synagogues in Jamaica, dating from 17th century. Elements of ancient African religions remain in remote areas through out the island, most of which practices are described generally as Obeah, Kumina or Pocomania. Though the congregations are small, they are visited by many Christian and non-Christians seeking traditional solutions that cannot be found in churches or other religious organization. It is estimated that as much as 80% of the population secretly seek the services of the African traditional religious healers when confronted with serious problems that conventional society cannot remedy (“Jamaica”, n.d.).
Food
Jamaica residents have come from around the globe, bringing with them the cooking techniques, flavors, spices and recipes of their homelands and blending them with the bountiful harvest of this tropical island. The result is some of the most flavorful cuisine in the Caribbean (“Jamaicans”, n.d.). The first Europeans on the island were Spanish. Many Spanish Jews also arrived here during Spanish rule, contributing dishes such as escovitch fish, a vinegary concoction that’s found on many homestyle menus. The seventeenth century English influences developed the Jamaican pattie, a turnover filled with spicy meat that’s a favorite lunch snack with locals. It’s the equivalent of an island hamburger. A century later, Chinese and East Indian influences made their way to Jamaica, when indentured laborers who replaced slaves after emancipation brought their own culinary talents. Today, curried dishes grace nearly every Jamaican menu, using local meats such as goat, chicken and seafood. The cuisine of Jamaica contains cooking techniques, flavors, spices, and influences from each of the many waves of immigration to the island. Today, dishes which grace nearly every Jamaican menu include curry goat, fried dumplings, salt cod (the national dish of Jamaica), fried plantains, steamed cabbage, rice and peas, and jerk, a distinctly Jamaican style of barbecued meat and fried chicken that is now one of the most popular Jamaican foods worldwide.
Arts
Jamaicans take pride in their artistic style. Influenced by the island's unique culture as well as European, American, and African art forms, islanders have mastered a style all their own. The nation has produced many famous artists including sculptor and painter Edna Manley, painter Albert Huie, and the self-taught artist Kapo. Dances found on Jamaica fuse the styles of Europeans and Africans into a unique form. Some of the local dances are the jonkonnu, a dance practiced by slaves at Christmas time, bruckins, from the period after emancipation, and the newer ska. European dances like the maypole and quadrille are performed with mento music, while African dances like the gerreh, dinki-mini, and ettu were turned into commentaries on plantation living. New dances crop up constantly, but these older styles are the basis for new moves. The traditional dances of Jamaican culture are kept alive by organizations such as the National Dance Theater Company. The most popular form of Jamaican music is reggae, which has a sound that is easy to enjoy and has gained popularity throughout the world (Permenter & Bigley, 2005, p.82). Many reggae musicians have grown to international fame, most notably Bob Marley, who worked with and influenced many other local musicians before his death in 1981. The popularity of this genre has continued to this day. Dancehall, a variation of reggae, is also growing in popularity (Permenter & Bigley, 2005, p.83).
Literature
Derek Walcott, a Nobel prize laureate, born and educated in St. Lucia, attended college in Jamaica. Other significant writers from the island include Claude McKay and Louis Simpson. Louise Bennett, Andrew Salkey, and Mikey Smith have contributed to this phenomenon by writing works in patois. Ian Fleming wrote his famous James Bond novels while living in Jamaica. Jean Rhys is also well-known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea, which was set in Jamaica. Plays and works in Jamaican patois attract special attention. Jamaican authors are always faced with the decision of writing in standard English for a huge world-wide audience, or in the local patois, for a much smaller, but more trendy audience. Jamaican films with patois soundtracks require sub-titles for export to general markets. In general, the use of patois severely limits the potential audience for the otherwise universal Jamaican message. The island's local dialect has become an important element to their literature and other arts. The speech style is particularly notable in poetry or in prose dialogue.
Jamaican Immigrants in the U.S. Over the past several decades, close to a million Jamaicans have emigrated, especially to the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. The great number of Jamaicans living abroad has become known as the Jamaican diaspora. The scale of emigration has been widespread and similar to other Caribbean entities such as Puerto Rico, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. In the case of the United States, about 20,000 Jamaicans per year are granted permanent residence. Concentrations of expatriate Jamaicans are large in a number of cities in the United States, including New York City, Buffalo, the Miami metro area, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Hartford, and Los Angeles.
Discussion Concerning Language and Population Reforms My favorite aspect of Jamaica is their language. Jamaican patois is a rough, yet beautiful sound. I only speak English and just a small bit of Spanish so it’s difficult to understand patois. Yet it still lends some sort of appeal. As a more cultured America continues to accept artful independent films we may find more of the films coming from Jamaica that are suited to a world audience. The Rastafarian movement is one aspect of Jamaica that has been introduced into American culture. However, it certainly has not been widespread or influential to the capacity of transforming American culture. I came across an interesting bit of information concerning a population reform of Jamaica’s past. In July 1983 the Jamaican Parliament adopted the National Population Policy, which was developed by the Population Policy Task Force under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The objectives of the policy were to achieve a population not in excess of 3 million by the year 2000; to promote health and increase the life expectancy of the population; to create employment opportunities and reduce unemployment, underemployment, and emigration; to provide access to family-planning services for all Jamaicans and reduce the average number of children per family from four to two, thus achieving replacement fertility levels; to promote balanced rural, urban, and regional development to achieve an optimal spatial distribution of population; and to improve the satisfaction of basic needs and the quality of life through improved housing, nutrition, education, and environmental conditions (Permenter & Bigley, 2005, p. 223). It’s just a shame that the reform, for whatever reason never came to fruition.
In Conclusion When asked, “What do you expect from the people of Jamaica?” I’m only able to think that expectation is selfish and tacky. Any American traveling abroad should simply act as a diplomat, showing respect to the hosts of the country and representing the United States through our own careful and thoughtful actions. I’d rather hope that this type of behavior would be returned with a warm reception of the people of Jamaica. A warm greeting would be then graciously reciprocated.
| References |
|Jamaica. (2008). In Information Please Database: Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from |
|http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107662.html |
|Jamaica- Educational System- Overview. (2006, October 12). Retrieved April 24, 2009, from |
|http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/727/Jamaica-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html |
|Jamaican Currency. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://users.pullman.com/mitchelm/money.htm |
|Jamaicans. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from http://www.jamaicans.com/tourist/overview.html |
|Permenter, P., & Bigley, J. (2005). The Adventure Guide to Jamaica. Hunter Publishing, Inc. |