DOCSLIB.ORG

Jamaica's National Ecological Gap Assessment Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Jamaica's National Ecological Gap Assessment Report Jamaica’s National Ecological Gap Assessment Report May 2009 A component of the Protected Areas System Master Plan of Jamaica ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations ii Preface iv Acknowledgements v Executive Summary vi List of Acronyms xi Introduction 1 Jamaica’s Path Towards Protected Areas 3 Conservation Targets 7 Target Viability and Threats 10 Conservation Goals 12 Identification of Gaps 17 Closing Jamaica’s Protected Area Gaps 21 Recommendations 27 Glossary 32 References 34 Maps 37 Appendices 1. Contributors to National Ecological Gap Assessment 57 2. Marine Conservation Targets Represented Within Existing Protected Areas 60 3. Freshwater Goal Conservation Targets Represented Within Existing Protected Areas 61 4. Terrestrial Conservation Targets Represented Within Existing Protected Areas 62 5. Results of Protected Area Classification Workshop 64 6. Protected Areas Prioritization Workshop Results 67 7. National Biodiversity Research Agenda 74 iii ILLUSTRATIONS TABLES Table 1: Existing Protected Area Categories in Jamaica 5 Table 2: Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Conservation Targets 8 Table 3: Major Threats to Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Biodiversity in Jamaica 10 Table 4: Conservation Goals for Marine Targets 13 Table 5: Conservation Goals for Freshwater Targets 14 Table 6: Conservation Goals for Coarse-filter Terrestrial Targets 15 Table 7: Conservation Goals for Fine-filter Terrestrial Targets 16 Table 8: Overview of Proposed Add-ons to Existing Protected Areas 23 Table 9: Overview of Proposed Protected Areas 24 Table 10: Consolidated Protected Area Classification System 28 BOXES Box 1: Recommended Priority Areas 29 Box 2: Potential Conservation Mechanisms 30 MAPS Map 1.0: Recommended System of Protected Areas ix Map 1.1: Legally Declared Protected Areas in Jamaica 38 Map 1.2: Current Protected Area Network 39 Map 2.0: Distribution of Marine Targets 40 Map 3.0: Distribution of Freshwater Targets 41 Map 4.0: Distribution of Terrestrial Coarse- and Fine-filter Targets 42 Map 5.0: Distribution of Freshwater and Coarse-filter Terrestrial Targets 43 Map 6.0: Distribution of Freshwater and Fine-filter Terrestrial Targets 44 Map 7.0: Distribution of Freshwater and Marine Targets 45 Map 8.0: Cost Surface Model for Terrestrial Biodiversity 46 Map 8.1: Cost Surface Model for Freshwater Biodiversity 47 Map 8.2: Cost Surface Model for Marine Biodiversity 48 Map 9.0: Integrated Cost Surface 49 Map 10.0: Recommended Marine Conservation Portfolio with Goals Met 50 Map 11.0: Recommended Terrestrial Areas Portfolio with Goals Met 51 iv Map 12.0: Recommended Freshwater Portfolio with Goals Met 52 Map 13.0: Proposed National Protected Areas Portfolio – Priority Ranking: Biodiversity 53 Map 14.0: Proposed National Protected Areas Portfolio – Priority Ranking: Threat 54 Map 15.0: Proposed National Protected Areas Portfolio – Priority Ranking: Feasibility 55 v PREFACE The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its seventh Conference of Parties in 2004, adopted a set of goals and objectives on protected areas, called the “Programme of Work on Protected Areas” (PoWPA). The PoWPA is divided into three phases which span from 2004 to 2012. The first phase of activities requires that all parties (including Jamaica) complete a Protected Areas System Master Plan (PASMP). Preparing a Master Plan requires undertaking an ecological gap analysis to assess where the nation’s current protected areas systems fall short of protecting all biodiversity; assessing the management effectiveness of existing protected areas; planning to build the capacity of Protected Area managers at local and system level; and assessing the financial gap and planning for long-term financial sustainability. The National Ecological Gap Assessment Report (NEGAR) is the ecological component of the PASMP as required by the CBD guidelines. The Protected Areas Committee (PAC) is leading the development of the PASMP. The committee consists of heads of the government entities with legal responsibility for protected areas declaration and/or management. Formation of the PAC was necessitated due to the number of entities making decisions independent of, but impacting, each other. Members are: o CEO and Conservator of Forests, Forestry Department (Chair) o CEO, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA); o Senior Director, Environmental Management Division, Office of the Prime Minister; o Executive Director, Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT); o Chair of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Scientific Authority of Jamaica; and o Director, Fisheries Division. The mandate of the PAC is to prepare the Master Plan in accordance with CBD guidelines and national needs, as the road map towards an effectively managed and sustainably financed, representative protected area system. A Secretariat is provided to the PAC by The Nature Conservancy (Jamaica) and NEPA. In 2004 when the PoWPA was adopted Jamaica already had aspects of the plan completed through an Environmental Foundation of Jamaica project: legal, heritage and culture, and public awareness. Subsequently completed components are, Management Effectiveness Assessment and Capacity Development Planning. Ongoing work includes the sustainable finance analysis and planning; institutional mechanisms; and the National Ecological Gap Assessment, the subject of this report. The PAC will have a Master Plan drafted from the components developed, and will, through public consultations, define and publicise the system plan, leading to its formal adoption as a National Plan. The Ecological Working Group (EWG) was given the task by the PAC to prepare the NEGAR. The EWG is a multi-stakeholder grouping (governmental and non-governmental). Members of the EWG are listed in Appendix 1. It should also be noted that the PAC is the entity responsible for the PASMP and all of its components, including the NEGAR, and as such any comments or queries should be directed to the PAC Chair, Miss Marilyn Headley, CEO and Conservator of Forests, Forestry Department. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to the numerous individuals and institutions that contributed to making this report possible. In particular, we would like to thank BlueMaris Ventures, Dr Matthew McPherson and Mrs. Maya Gorrez-de Jongh, the consultants who wrote the first drafts and facilitated stakeholder workshops. The Nature Conservancy contributed in a number of ways, providing their guidance, technical and other support throughout this project. We would also like to acknowledge the technical assistance of Ms. Shawn Margles, Dr. Steve Schill and Mr. Owen Evelyn who diligently provided the maps as well as ongoing technical and logistical support for GIS-related products. We would also especially like to acknowledge the time and effort of the Jamaican experts and stakeholders who participated in the consultations carried out to review the results of this work (see Appendix 1)—their critical thinking, provided over a period of ten months, was instrumental in shaping the results of the final integrated protected areas system portfolio. vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Jamaica is committed to developing an ecologically-representative network of protected areas designed to conserve at least ten per cent of the nation’s remaining naturally-occurring terrestrial, aquatic and marine flora and fauna. The consensus is that this target is inadequate to protect Jamaica’s biodiversity because of the high levels of endemism. To achieve Jamaica’s goal, the National Ecological Gap Assessment Report was commissioned by Jamaica’s Protected Areas Committee to fulfil two basic objectives: 1) Identify where the existing protected areas fall short in adequately protecting a representative sample of all marine, terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity in the country, that is, identifying the ecological gaps. 2) Based on the identified gaps in representative protected areas, provide recommendations for bridging the gaps and implementing conservation of these areas. Jamaica’s current protected areas cover approximately 18% of the country’s land area as well as 15% of its archipelagic waters. Beginning with the Harbours Act of 1874 and the Morant and Pedro Cays Act of 1907, conservation efforts evolved through a number of legislative acts applied in a largely ad hoc fashion and, as a result, protected areas now fall into 19 different named categories under the jurisdiction of four government agencies within 3 ministries. Jamaica is currently addressing the need to reform the present protected areas complexity to ensure that the country’s resources are supported by viable and well- functioning biological processes. This will enable a robust system—aligned with international paradigms—to be put in place. Although the nature of the impending reform is under discussion among relevant agencies, this document provides parameters for consideration based on consultations with key stakeholders. The integrated ecological gap assessment described in this report builds on the Jamaica Ecoregional Plan (JERP). The latter provided separate gap assessments for marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems that were used to make recommendations to adequately conserve critical biodiversity within each one of these habitats. Expert and stakeholder consultations in conjunction with technical analyses using existing research data and other available information were used to develop the Plan. The work required a series
Load more

Recommended publications
  • After the Treaties: a Social, Economic and Demographic History of Maroon Society in Jamaica, 1739-1842
    University of Southampton Research Repository Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis and, where applicable, any accompanying data are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis and the accompanying data cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content of the thesis and accompanying research data (where applicable) must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holder/s. When referring to this thesis and any accompanying data, full bibliographic details must be given, e.g. Thesis: Author (Year of Submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University Faculty or School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. University of Southampton Department of History After the Treaties: A Social, Economic and Demographic History of Maroon Society in Jamaica, 1739-1842 Michael Sivapragasam A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History June 2018 i ii UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY Doctor of Philosophy After the Treaties: A Social, Economic and Demographic History of Maroon Society in Jamaica, 1739-1842 Michael Sivapragasam This study is built on an investigation of a large number of archival sources, but in particular the Journals and Votes of the House of the Assembly of Jamaica, drawn from resources in Britain and Jamaica. Using data drawn from these primary sources, I assess how the Maroons of Jamaica forged an identity for themselves in the century under slavery following the peace treaties of 1739 and 1740.
    [Show full text]
  • The Muslim Maroons and the Bucra Massa in Jamaica
    AS-SALAAMU-ALAIKUM: THE MUSLIM MAROONS AND THE BUCRA MASSA IN JAMAICA ©Sultana Afroz Introduction As eight centuries of glorious Muslim rule folded in Andalusia Spain in 1492, Islam unfolded itself in the West Indian islands with the Andalusian Muslim mariners who piloted Columbus discovery entourage through the rough waters of the Atlantic into the Caribbean. Schooled in Atlantic navigation to discover and to dominate the sea routes for centuries, the mission for the Muslim mariners was to find the eternal peace of Islam as they left al-Andalus/Muslim Spain in a state of ‘empty husks’ and a land synonym for intellectual and moral desolation in the hands of Christendom Spain. The Islamic faith made its advent into Jamaica in1494 as these Muslim mariners on their second voyage with Columbus set their feet on the peaceful West Indian island adorned with wooded mountains, waterfalls, sandy beaches and blue seas. The seed of Islam sown by the Mu’minun (the Believers of the Islamic faith) from al-Andalus gradually propagated through the enslaved African Muslims from West Africa brought to serve the plantation system in Jamaica. Their struggle or resistance (jihad) against the slave system often in the form of flight or run away (hijra) from the plantations led many of them to form their own community (ummah), known as Maroon communities, a feature then common in the New World plantation economy.1 Isolationism and lack of Islamic learning made Islam oblivion in the Maroon societies, while the enslaved African Muslims on the plantations saw their faith being eclipsed and subdued by the slave institution, the metropolitan powers and the various Christian churches with their draconian laws.
    [Show full text]
  • From Freedom to Bondage: the Jamaican Maroons, 1655-1770
    From Freedom to Bondage: The Jamaican Maroons, 1655-1770 Jonathan Brooks, University of North Carolina Wilmington Andrew Clark, Faculty Mentor, UNCW Abstract: The Jamaican Maroons were not a small rebel community, instead they were a complex polity that operated as such from 1655-1770. They created a favorable trade balance with Jamaica and the British. They created a network of villages that supported the growth of their collective identity through borrowed culture from Africa and Europe and through created culture unique to Maroons. They were self-sufficient and practiced sustainable agricultural practices. The British recognized the Maroons as a threat to their possession of Jamaica and embarked on multiple campaigns against the Maroons, utilizing both external military force, in the form of Jamaican mercenaries, and internal force in the form of British and Jamaican military regiments. Through a systematic breakdown of the power structure of the Maroons, the British were able to subject them through treaty. By addressing the nature of Maroon society and growth of the Maroon state, their agency can be recognized as a dominating factor in Jamaican politics and development of the country. In 1509 the Spanish settled Jamaica and brought with them the institution of slavery. By 1655, when the British invaded the island, there were 558 slaves.1 During the battle most slaves were separated from their masters and fled to the mountains. Two major factions of Maroons established themselves on opposite ends of the island, the Windward and Leeward Maroons. These two groups formed the first independent polities from European colonial rule. The two groups formed independent from each other and with very different political structures but similar economic and social structures.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Portland
    History of Portland The Parish of Portland is located at the north eastern tip of Jamaica and is to the north of St. Thomas and to the east of St. Mary. Portland is approximately 814 square kilometres and apart from the beautiful scenery which Portland boasts, the parish also comprises mountains that are a huge fortress, rugged, steep, and densely forested. Port Antonio and town of Titchfield. (Portland) The Blue Mountain range, Jamaica highest mountain falls in this parish. What we know today as the parish of Portland is the amalgamation of the parishes of St. George and a portion of St. Thomas. Portland has a very intriguing history. The original parish of Portland was created in 1723 by order of the then Governor, Duke of Portland, and also named in his honour. Port Antonio Port Antonio, the capital of Portland is considered a very old name and has been rendered numerous times. On an early map by the Spaniards, it is referred to as Pto de Anton, while a later one refers to Puerto de San Antonio. As early as 1582, the Abot Francisco, Marquis de Villa Lobos, mentions it in a letter to Phillip II. It was, however, not until 1685 that the name, Port Antonio was mentioned. Earlier on Portland was not always as large as it is today. When the parish was formed in 1723, it did not include the Buff Bay area, which was then part of St. George. Long Bay or Manchioneal were also not included. For many years there were disagreements between St.
    [Show full text]
  • Maroon Archaeology Cheryl White Louisiana State University at Shreveport, [email protected]
    African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter Volume 4 Article 20 Issue 1 October 1997 3-1-2011 Maroon Archaeology Cheryl White Louisiana State University at Shreveport, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/adan Recommended Citation White, Cheryl (2011) "Maroon Archaeology," African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1 , Article 20. Available at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/adan/vol4/iss1/20 This Articles, Essays, and Reports is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. White: Maroon Archaeology Omer Cooper J (1971) March 2011 Newsletter Maroon Archaeology An Interview with Cheryl White The following article presents an edited version of an interview by Dr. Cheryl White on her work in archaeological investigations of free communities of African descendant peoples that have often been referred to as Maroon settlements. The original interview, conducted by editor Anouska Kock, was published on Abeng Central via Word Press on March 18, 2011, and is reproduced here with permission. Settlements of Africans and African descendant peoples who defied slavery in the Americas include those referred to as Maroon communities. Dr. White’s discussion demonstrates how people of African descent have incorporated Maroon history into a proud sense of heritage. Such incorporation of this terminology in the development of heritage identities represents instances of proud defiance, as the phrase was originally derived from a derogatory Spanish word of “cimarrone,” which designated chattel that had run free.
    [Show full text]
  • Jamaican Folk Religion, 1919-1929
    University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/71099 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. Shadow worlds and “superstitions”: an analysis of Martha Warren Beckwith’s writings on Jamaican folk religion, 1919-1929 by Hilary Ruth Sparkes A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in History University of Warwick, Department of History February 2015 Contents Acknowledgements and Declaration and Inclusion of Material from a Prior i Thesis Abstract ii Introduction 1 i.) Martha Warren Beckwith in the academic scholarship 5 ii.) Her methodology 7 iii.) Secondary literature 16 iv.) My methodology 19 v.) My terminology 26 vi.) Chapter plan 28 Chapter 1: Jamaica: folk culture, race and identity 32 i.) Jamaica as it was 33 ii.) Growing radicalisation 39 iii.) Religion and resistance 45 iv.) The black middle classes 47 v.) Evolution of a national identity 49 vi.) Jamaica and the United States 53 vii.) Race and anthropology in the United States 57 viii.) Folk culture and national identity 65 Chapter 2: Obeah: ‘religion of the shadow world’ 73 Obeah and Obeah lore 73 i.) Obeah: questions of etymology and origins 74 ii.) Obeah practice 78 iii.)
    [Show full text]
  • Seaman's Valley and Maroon Material Culture in Jamaica
    SEAMAN'S VALLEY AND MAROON MATERIAL CULTURE IN JAMAICA E. Kofi Agorsah ABSTRACT Seaman's Valley site was one of the few known places in Jamaica where the Maroons came into face to face combat with the colonial military in a battle that featured the largest force ever sent against the Maroons. In that encounter the colonial forces were routed in a total defeat resulting in the abandonment of arms and ammunition and personnel. This paper compares the material culture from the Seaman's Valley site and Nanny Town. This paper will then show the significance of the longstanding strategic relationship between the two locations during the Maroon struggle for freedom and even after peace negotiations were sealed by treaties in the middle of the eighteenth century. Therefore, the Seaman's Valley site is depicted not only as a unique battleground, with a strategic and spatial relationship with Nanny Town in the Blue Mountains. It also, was a special brewing ground for the formation and transformation of Maroon material culture in eastern Jamaica. KEY WORDS: Jamaica, Maroons, Resistance, Seaman's Valley. INTRODUCTION One of the challenges faced by Maroons was the ability to forge new ways of life and new societies and to be able to maintain their hard-won freedom. Nevertheless, only a few Maroon groups survived. Maroon history informs us of how many African-Caribbean movements failed to survive: examples include the Afro-Caribs of Mt. Misery in St. Kitts in the 1630s, the so-called "rebel Negroes" of Barbados in 1648, the Antiguan Maroons of the Shekerley Mountain in 1685 and a small band of Maroons in the Blue Hills of Central Providence of the Bahamas in the 1780s.
    [Show full text]
  • Linguistic Heritage Conservation Plan: Digital Representation and Preservation of Jamaican Creole and Indigenous Toponyms
    Linguistic Heritage Conservation Plan: Digital Representation and Preservation of Jamaican Creole and Indigenous Toponyms by Diane Allen West B.A., M.A, Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy University of the West Indies Mona Campus [email protected] An Interdisciplinary Thematic Paper in preparation for MPhil Linguistic Research in Historical Onomastics Assigned Project for Cultural Resource Management Supervised by Dr Zachary Beier Department of History and Archaeology University of the West Indies (Mona) December 13, 2019 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Objective: ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Purpose: .............................................................................................................................................. 4 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT................................................................................................................. 4 RATIONALE: ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Names of Our Own: ........................................................................................................................ 4 Incongruities of Postcolonial Naming: ...........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Important People in Jamaica's History
    Important People in Jamaica’s History Introduction There are many important people who have helped to shape the Jamaican nation. Many of which have led or influenced the important events that were discussed in the previous topic. Here we will highlight those important individuals and their work or impact on the nation. Before we begin to list the names of these individuals, we must define a few important terms: Hero - This is a person who shows great acts of courage or strength when faced with danger or adversities. Our national heroes and heroine was named because of their services to Jamaica in a most distinguished nature. Heroine - The title given to a female hero. Our only heroine is Nanny of the Maroons. Nation - A large group of people united by history, culture or language and are located in a particular territory. Eg. Jamaica Caribbean Youth Development Institute Important People in Jamaica’s History Profile of Our National Heroes and Heroine Norman Washington Manley Born: July 4, 1893 in Roxborough, Manchester. Died: September 2, 1969 Parents: Margaret A. Shearer Thomas Albert Samuel Manley. Money: Present on the $5 coin. Short Biography Manley was a scholar, lawyer, athlete and soldier in World War I. He was the founder of the People’s National Party (PNP) and remained President for 31 years until his retirement. He played essential roles in moving the country towards independence (August 1962) and self-government (July 1959). Manley was conferred with the Order of National Hero on October 18, 1969 as per Government Notice 706 Jamaica Gazette, along with his cousin Alexander Bustamante.
    [Show full text]
  • Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT), Jamaica Archive and Gordon, Ms
    AtlAs of CulturAl HeritAge AND iNfrAstruCture of tHe Americas JAMAICA luis Alberto moreno President Board of trustees Honourable General Coordinator liliana melo de sada olivia grange m. P. Alfonso Castellanos Ribot ChairPerson of the Board Minister ● ● ● national liaison Trustees mr. robert martin Marcela Diez teresa Aguirre lanari de Bulgheroni PerManent seCretary ● sandra Arosemena de Parra ● national teaM Adriana Cisneros de griffin senator Warren Newby Desmin Sutherland-Leslie (Coordinator) gonzalo Córdoba mallarino Halcyee Anderson Andrés faucher Minister of state marcello Hallake Shemicka Crawford enrique V. iglesias ● Christine martínez V-s de Holzer ProGraMMers eric l. motley, PhD A Alfonso Flores (Coordinator) rodolfo Paiz Andrade Eduardo González López marina ramírez steinvorth directories Alba M. Denisse Morales Álvarez Julia salvi ● Ana maría sosa de Brillembourg Diego de la torre editorial Coordination ● Alfonso Castellanos Ribot sari Bermúdez ● Ceo editorial desiGn raúl Jaime Zorrilla Juan Arroyo and Luz María Zamitiz dePuty Ceo Editorial Sestante, S.A. de C.V. Atlas of Cultural Heritage and Printed and made in Mexico Infrastructure of the Americas: Jamaica isBN (colection:) 978-607-00-4877-7 Primera edición, 2011 isBN (Jamaica Atlas) 978-607-00-4910-1 first edition, 2011 © C. r. inter American Culture and Development foundation, ministry of Youth, sports and Culture, Jamaica. Acknowledgements Institute of Jamaica on behalf of the Cultural Atlas team, we would like to thank the following organisations provided fundamental information the following persons were instrumental in the creation minister olivia grange, m.P. minister of Youth, sports and Culture and support that enabled the publication of the Atlas: of the Atlas: for partnering with the inter-American Cultural foundation (iCDf) to facilitate the creation of the Atlas of Cultural Heritage institute of Jamaica (IOJ), National library of Jamaica (NlJ), ms.
    [Show full text]
  • Engaging Origins, Tradition and Sovereignty Claims of Jamaican Maroon Communities
    The Work of Diaspora: Engaging Origins, Tradition and Sovereignty Claims of Jamaican Maroon Communities By Mario Nisbett A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Percy C. Hintzen, Chair Professor Na’ilah Suad Nasir Professor Laurie A. Wilkie Summer 2015 © 2015 by Mario Nisbett All Rights Reserved Abstract The Work of Diaspora: Engaging Origins, Tradition and Sovereignty Claims of Jamaican Maroon Communities by Mario Nisbett Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Percy C. Hintzen, Chair This dissertation examines the concept of the African Diaspora by focusing on four post-colonial Maroon communities of Jamaica, the oldest autonomous Black polities in the Caribbean, which were established by escapees from slave-holding authorities during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In exploring the Maroons as a Black community, the work looks at how they employ diaspora in making linkages to other communities of African descent and for what purposes. Maroons are being positioned in relation to the amorphous concept of diaspora, which is normally used to refer to people who have been dispersed from their place of origins but maintain tradition and connections with kin in other countries. However, I complicate the definition, arguing that diaspora, specifically the African Diaspora, is the condition that produces the collective consciousness of sameness rooted in the idea of common African origins based on a common experience of Black abjection. This understanding of diaspora opens the way to see that the uses of the concept are varied.
    [Show full text]
  • Memories of the Motherland-Africa, Unshackled
    CHAPTER 2 GLOBAL AND LOCAL RESISTANCE; MEMORIES OF THE MOTHERLAND-AFRICA, UNSHACKLED Always Africa is giving us something new or some metempsychosis of a world-old thing. On its black bosom arose one of the earliest, if not the earliest, of self-protecting civilizations, which grew so mightily that it still furnishes superlatives to thinking and speaking men. W. E. B. Du Bois – Dark waters: Voices from within the veil (p. 32) In the previous chapter, we discussed the early formations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the enslavement of native populations, and the subsequent development of the Underground Railroad as a vehicle of physical liberation. In this chapter, we explore the conditions that ultimately led to the abolition of slavery. We argue that during the period of emancipation, in North America, most African Americans were illiterate, so education was the key to helping them attain true freedom in a racist society and a racialized world. In the African Diaspora, among the Black population in North America and the Caribbean, many slaves’ interest in Africa remained intact in spite of Europeans’ deliberate attempts at dehumanization and the constant attacks on Africa and African people. In North America, in the mid-1770s, around the time of the Revolutionary War, Prince Hall, a prominent Black leader and abolitionist in Boston (who was originally from Barbados), started the African Lodge to help advocate for the rights of Black people [African rights and rituals in the Masonic order]. Through his African Lodge, Hall also supported initiatives aimed at the upliftment of Africa. In addition to the American Revolutionary War [1775-1783] and the battle for North America, during this time, the British were also under siege by the Maroons in Jamaica [which was also a British colony].
    [Show full text]