DOCSLIB.ORG

Dreading Inna Babylon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dreading Inna Babylon Dreading inna Babylon Rastafari in Jamaica: Notions of Authenticity, Networks and Modes of Alternative Commodification Master of Cultural Anthropology Master Thesis 30-8-2013 Name: Merhawi Fessehazion Student number: 6184685 Thesis supervisors: Dr. Gerd Baumann & Dr. Peter van Rooden Second reader: Dr. Francio Guadeloupe Third reader: Dr. Barak Kalir E-mail address: [email protected] Content Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1: Histories: A Strangely Problematic Setting: from Oppression to Commodification ............. 5 Ideologies of Resistance that came before Rastafari ........................................................................... 9 The Emergence of Rastafari in Jamaica ............................................................................................ 10 The 'Dealing' with the Rastafari Movement by the Colonial Government........................................ 13 The Shift in the 'Dealing' with the Rastafari Movement by the State ............................................... 15 Chapter 2: Fieldwork Methods, My Position in the Field and Ideas about the ''Authentic'' Rasta ........ 18 Fieldwork Methods ........................................................................................................................... 18 Fieldwork intro: Who Was I? Their reflections on my Reflexivity .................................................. 19 Encounters: Whom did I Meet in the Field? Rasta, Non-Rasta, or an Essence of Rasta as Authenticity? ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Rasta's ................................................................................................................................................ 22 Non-Rasta's........................................................................................................................................ 24 An Authentic Rastafari? .................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 3: Distinctions: Being Sorts of Rasta : Symbols and the Embodiment of them ...................... 33 Symbols ............................................................................................................................................. 34 Haile Selassie ................................................................................................................................ 34 Red, Gold and Green ..................................................................................................................... 38 Dreadlocks ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Empress Menen ............................................................................................................................. 41 The Embodiment of these Symbols ............................................................................................... 43 Chapter 4: The Lack of Formal Networks and Contradictions ............................................................. 45 Organizational Structure.................................................................................................................... 45 Examples out of the Field .................................................................................................................. 48 Contradictions due to the Lack of Resources and Formal Organization ........................................... 50 Ideological Resources........................................................................................................................ 52 Chapter 5: Creating a Space within Babylon by Alternative Forms of Commodification .................... 53 Examples out of the Field .................................................................................................................. 55 Feelings Towards the Commodification of Rastafari ........................................................................ 56 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 59 Epilogue ................................................................................................................................................ 63 Literature ............................................................................................................................................... 64 Introduction ''Tell you about the Blackman Redemption; can you dig it? A Blackman Redemption; can you stop it? Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh no!'' - Bob Marley and the Wailers My initial acquaintance with Rastafari was, like with most of the people who do not live in Jamaica, through Reggae music. It was a form of protest music what sparked my interest in it, like Hip-Hop did when I was of a much younger age. Living in the Netherlands as a black man, I was, like many other people of color, trying to find my place it in this predominately white society. The focus of reggae lyrics that were inspired by Rastafari ideologies resonated with me. It helped me to find a sense of pride in being black. Something that I could not find in white mainstream music and national TV. The more that I started to listen to the music the more I got interested in Rastafari history and how it has developed from its beginning until now. The vantage points to look at Rastafari were and are numerous. As an anthropology student I started to develop an academic interest in the [Rastafari] movement. How they practiced their pan-Africanist ideas, defined blackness, why I had to explain on numerous occasions that the flag of Jamaica is not the same as the one of Ethiopia, that the consumption of weed is not legal in Jamaica and that the Jamaica population does not predominantly exists out of Rastafari's. It got me to wonder why these people were conflating the Ethiopian flag with the Jamaican flag. Especially when I knew that the history of Rastafari in Jamaica is one of oppression. How did these ideas that these people have came into being? When browsing through various tourist magazines, in which agencies are trying to lure tourists in coming to visit their country, one of Jamaica's biggest USP (Unique Selling Point) is Rastafari. There are different package deals wherein tourists can visit different hallmarks of legendary reggae artist of whom the most popular is Bob Marley. When visiting the numerous craft markets that Jamaica has to offer images of Bob Marley and the colors of the Ethiopian flag are to be seen in abundance. Tourists are walking around with knitted hats that have the colors of the flag of Ethiopia with artificial dreads attached to them, or are walking around with t-shirts with Bob Marley, or are wearing bracelets with the colors of the Ethiopian flag. The salesmen and women are all trying to sell these tourists different crafts which they think these tourists came for; and Rastafari holds an important role in various stands. This incorporation of Rastafari into the Jamaican culture and the important place it holds in it made me understand that the conflation of Rastafari and Jamaica by these various people was far from illogical. 1 My starting point of this thesis is that Rastafari started out as a counter-culture. It gave an alternative in the way that people looked at Africa and the way that black Jamaicans could perceive themselves. This was made possible via different ideologies and symbols. Via these symbols and ideologies they had set themselves apart from mainstream Jamaican society and the colonial regime. These symbols and a part of the ideologies are being co- opted/commodified [by the Jamaican state and tourist industry]. An interesting question from a academic perspective is: 'What happens when this ''Redemption'' is being commodified?' That is the predicament in which the Rastafari movement in Jamaica finds itself. From being shunned by the establishment and main society to becoming a ''lifeline'' in itself. So Rastafari finds itself being conflated with a system that has tried to oppress it from the moment of its offset. What sparked my interest was how ordinary Rastafari's dealt with these changes and which effects it had on them as a movement. Are they deploying various strategies to differentiate themselves from 'Babylon?' How do they find their place in nowadays Jamaica? This created the following question that I constructed for my thesis: 'How do Rastafari's in Jamaica differentiate themselves from 'Babylon' now that their symbols and ideologies are being co-opted by the Jamaican state and tourist sector (Babylon)?' To answer this question I have worked out a conceptual theoretical triangle. My first theoretical concept is in this triangle 'authenticity.' To differentiate themselves they have to distinguish the 'real' from the 'unreal.' I will analyze my data that I have gained during my fieldwork by using the works on authenticity by van der Port. My second theoretical concept is 'networks.' When talking about the ''authentic'' Rasta my focus will be on the individual. Another level of distinguishing oneself is on a group level. On a level of a 'moral' community. How do Rastafari's operate in groups to differentiate themselves from 'Babylon'? I will place this in a theoretical framework by drawing from the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Jamaican Politics, Nationalism, and Musical Culture in Transition, 1974-1984
    University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses 5-18-2007 Between Two Giant Sounds: Jamaican Politics, Nationalism, and Musical Culture in Transition, 1974-1984 Caree Banton University of New Orleans Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Recommended Citation Banton, Caree, "Between Two Giant Sounds: Jamaican Politics, Nationalism, and Musical Culture in Transition, 1974-1984" (2007). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 508. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/508 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Between Two Giant Sounds: Jamaican Politics, Nationalism, and Musical Culture in Transition, 1974 – 1984 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In History By Caree Ann-Marie Banton B.A. Grambling State University 2005 B.P.A Grambling State University 2005 May 2007 Acknowledgement I would like to thank all the people that facilitated the completion of this work.
    [Show full text]
  • 71 Reggae Festival Guide 2006
    71 71 ❤ ❤ Reggae Festival Guide 2006 Reggae Festival Guide 2006 Reggae Festival Guide 2006 RED, GOLD & GREEN MMEMORIESE M O R I E S Compiled by Wendy Russell Alton Ellis next started a group together: ALTON ELLIS AND THE There are reggae artists I treasure, with songs I FLAMES. The others had their careers too and I later started my play every radio show, no matter that the CD is no own group called WINSTON JARRETT AND THE RIGHTEOUS longer current. One such artist is roots man, WINSTON FLAMES. JARRETT and the RIGHTEOUS FLAMES, so I searched him out to fi nd what might be his own fond memory: We just had our history lesson! Can you imagine I grew up in Mortimer Planno, one of Rastafari’s most prominent Kingston, Jamaica elders, living just down the street? What about this in the government next memory - another likkle lesson from agent and houses there. manager, COPELAND FORBES: The streets are My memory of numbered First SUGAR MINOTT is Street and so on, from 1993 when I to Thirteenth Street. did a tour, REGGAE I lived on Fourth, SUPERFEST ‘93, ALTON ELLIS lived which had Sugar on 5th Street. He Minott, JUNIOR REID was much older and MUTABARUKA than me, maybe along with the 22. We were all DEAN FRASER-led good neighbors, 809 BAND. We did like a family so to six shows in East speak. MORTIMER Germany which PLANNO lived was the fi rst time Kaati on Fifth too and since the Berlin Wall Alton Ellis all the Rasta they came down, that an come from north, authentic reggae Sugar Minott south, east and west for the nyabinghi there.
    [Show full text]
  • Negotiating Gender and Spirituality in Literary Representations of Rastafari
    Negotiating Gender and Spirituality in Literary Representations of Rastafari Annika McPherson Abstract: While the male focus of early literary representations of Rastafari tends to emphasize the movement’s emergence, goals or specific religious practices, more recent depictions of Rasta women in narrative fiction raise important questions not only regarding the discussion of gender relations in Rastafari, but also regarding the functions of literary representations of the movement. This article outlines a dialogical ‘reasoning’ between the different negotiations of gender in novels with Rastafarian protagonists and suggests that the characters’ individual spiritual journeys are key to understanding these negotiations within the gender framework of Rastafarian decolonial practices. Male-centred Literary Representations of Rastafari Since the 1970s, especially, ‘roots’ reggae and ‘dub’ or performance poetry have frequently been discussed as to their relations to the Rastafari movement – not only based on their lyrical content, but often by reference to the artists or poets themselves. Compared to these genres, the representation of Rastafari in narrative fiction has received less attention to date. Furthermore, such references often appear to serve rather descriptive functions, e.g. as to the movement’s philosophy or linguistic practices. The early depiction of Rastafari in Roger Mais’s “morality play” Brother Man (1954), for example, has been noted for its favourable representation of the movement in comparison to the press coverage of
    [Show full text]
  • Coping with Babylon: the Proper Rastology (2005): Mutabaruka
    Coping with Babylon: The Proper Rastology (2005): Mutabaruka, Half P... http://www.popmatters.com/pm/film/reviews/50538/coping-with-babylo... CALL FOR PAPERS: PopMatters seeks feature essays about any aspect of popular culture, present or past. Coping with Babylon: The Proper Rastology Director: Oliver Hill Cast: Mutabaruka, Half Pint, Luciano, Freddie McGregor, Barry Chevannes (2005) Rated: Unrated US DVD release date: 7 October 2007 (MVD) by Matthew Kantor Burning All Illusion Tonight Rastafari is known to the world through reggae music. Many interviewees in Oliver Hill’s Coping with Babylon: the Proper Rastology, who live Rastafari in their daily lives, cite Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Dennis Brown in particular as ambassadors of Jamaica’s great folk religion, never seeking to diminish these musicians’ roles in spreading the word. Rastafarian imagery has infiltrated popular culture not just through reggae and other kindred music, but also in the form of clothing, fashion, and general iconography. Despite the well-established co-option of the religion’s trappings and the tremendous popularity of many reggae, dub, and dancehall artists, Coping with Babylon: the Proper Rastology takes a sober, relatively non-musical path in broadcasting the views and roles of Rastafari in the early twenty-first century. Musicians including Luciano and Freddie McGregor are interviewed but so are leaders of various Rastafarian sects in addition to everyday followers of the faith in both Jamaica and New York. The film serves to remind viewers that Rastafarianism is a religion that deeply affects its practitioners and that music is only one aspect of it. And, like most religions, different sects vary in some of their more significant approaches and practices.
    [Show full text]
  • Flags of the World
    ATHELSTANEFORD A SOME WELL KNOWN FLAGS Birthplace of Scotland’s Flag The name Japan means “The Land Canada, prior to 1965 used the of the Rising Sun” and this is British Red Ensign with the represented in the flag. The redness Canadian arms, though this was of the disc denotes passion and unpopular with the French sincerity and the whiteness Canadians. The country’s new flag represents honesty and purity. breaks all previous links. The maple leaf is the Another of the most famous flags Flags of the World traditional emblem of Canada, the white represents in the world is the flag of France, The foremost property of flags is that each one the vast snowy areas in the north, and the two red stripes which dates back to the represent the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. immediately identifies a particular nation or territory, revolution of 1789. The tricolour, The flag of the United States of America, the ‘Stars and comprising three vertical stripes, without the need for explanation. The colours, Stripes’, is one of the most recognisable flags is said to represent liberty, shapes, sizes and devices of each flag are often in the world. It was first adopted in 1777 equality and fraternity - the basis of the republican ideal. linked to the political evolution of a country, and during the War of Independence. The flag of Germany, as with many European Union United Nations The stars on the blue canton incorporate heraldic codes or strongly held ideals. European flags, is based on three represent the 50 states, and the horizontal stripes.
    [Show full text]
  • Reggae As Subaltern Knowledge: Representations of Christopher Columbus As a Construction of Alternative Historical Memory
    UCLA Mester Title Reggae as Subaltern Knowledge: Representations of Christopher Columbus as a Construction of Alternative Historical Memory Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7dg4f998 Journal Mester, 45(1) ISSN 0160-2764 Author Arbino, Daniel Publication Date 2017 DOI 10.5070/M3451029494 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Daniel Arbino Reggae as Subaltern Knowledge: Representations of Christopher Columbus as a Construction of Alternative Historical Memory Daniel Arbino University of Texas at Austin Birth of a music and a nation A casual reggae listener might consider the music to be upbeat and carefree, preaching messages of “getting together and feeling alright” and “not worrying about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be alright.”1 Such happy-go-lucky lyrics contribute to reggae’s interna- tional retail success, and they are used in ad campaigns to promote Jamaican tourism.2 However, in contrast to the aforementioned lyrics, reggae artists typically fused politics, spirituality, identity, and folk music to create highly discursive lyrics. Particularly during the era of newly independent Jamaica in the 1960s and 1970s, these complex lyrics reflected and forged a new society through media outlets such as the radio, dancehall parties, and deejay battles. The rise of reggae coincided with the construction of a new Jamaican society: reggae grew as a genre in Kingston’s urban shan- tytowns during the late 1960s, and the musical form responded to Jamaica’s independence from Great Britain in 1962. Reggae is influ- enced by other genres such as mento (a traditional Jamaican folk music that migrated with many from the country to the city), ska, rhythm and blues, and jazz.
    [Show full text]
  • Writin' and Soundin' a Transnational Caribbean Experience
    Oberlin Digital Commons at Oberlin Honors Papers Student Work 2013 Dubbin' the Literary Canon: Writin' and Soundin' A Transnational Caribbean Experience Warren Harding Oberlin College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/honors Part of the African Languages and Societies Commons Repository Citation Harding, Warren, "Dubbin' the Literary Canon: Writin' and Soundin' A Transnational Caribbean Experience" (2013). Honors Papers. 326. https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/honors/326 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at Digital Commons at Oberlin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Papers by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at Oberlin. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Spring 2013 Dubbin’ the Literary Canon: Writin’ and Soundin’ A Transnational Caribbean Experience Warren Harding Candidate for Honors Africana Studies Africana Studies Honors Committee: Meredith Gadsby, Chair Gordon Gill Caroline Jackson Smith 2 ABSTRACT In the mid-1970s, a collective of Jamaican poets from Kingston to London began to use reggae as a foundational aesthetic to their poetry. Inspired by the rise of reggae music and the work of the Caribbean Artists Movement based London from 1966 to 1972, these artists took it upon themselves to continue the dialogue on Caribbean cultural production. This research will explore the ways in which dub poetry created an expressive space for Jamaican artists to complicate discussions of migration and colonialism in the transnational Caribbean experience. In order to do so, this research engages historical, ethnomusicological, and literary theories to develop a framework to analyze dub poetry. It will primarily pose the question, how did these dub poets expand the archives of Caribbean national production? This paper will suggest that by facilitating a dialogue among Jamaicans located between London and Kingston, dub poetry expanded the archives for Caribbean cultural production.
    [Show full text]
  • Naming in Reggae Culture, the Example of Dub Poetry
    Commonwealth Essays and Studies 36.1 | 2013 Appelation(s) “Dis Poem Shall Call Names Names”: Naming in Reggae Culture, the Example of Dub Poetry David Bousquet Electronic version URL: https://journals.openedition.org/ces/5274 DOI: 10.4000/ces.5274 ISSN: 2534-6695 Publisher SEPC (Société d’études des pays du Commonwealth) Printed version Date of publication: 1 September 2013 Number of pages: 45-55 ISSN: 2270-0633 Electronic reference David Bousquet, ““Dis Poem Shall Call Names Names”: Naming in Reggae Culture, the Example of Dub Poetry”, Commonwealth Essays and Studies [Online], 36.1 | 2013, Online since 16 April 2021, connection on 22 July 2021. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ces/5274 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/ces. 5274 Commonwealth Essays and Studies is licensed under a Licence Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International. “Dis Poem Shall Call Names Names” Naming in Reggae Culture, the Example of Dub Poetry The question of names and naming emerged as a crucial concern in the cultures of the African diaspora as a way to resist the anonymity and loss of identity imposed upon slaves. Through examples taken from reggae culture and the subgenre known as dub poetry, this paper looks at how names imply a political and poetic use of language in black At- lantic cultures. This is what I call cultural identity. An identity on its guard, in which the relationship with the Other shapes the self without fixing it under an oppressive force. That is what we see everywhere in the world: each people wants to declare its own identity.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Jamaican Creole in the Jamaican Broadcasting Media
    Wissenschaftliche Arbeit im Fach Englisch A History of Jamaican Creole in the Jamaican Broadcasting Media vorgelegt von: Michael Westphal Prüfer: Prof. Dr. Christian Mair Big Up and tanks to: Prof. Mair for the tape recordings and guidance Axel for proof reading and feedback Philip for technical assistance Jamaica and Jamaican Broadcasting for a good time and inspiration Table of Content 1. Creole languages in the media 1 2. Outline of the study 4 3. Theoretical background 3.1 Different Theories for the description of the linguistic situation in Jamaican broadcasting 5 3.2 Diglossia 6 3.3 (Post –) Creole – Continuum 7 3.4 Acts of Identity 10 4. The special nature of broadcasting in the Jamaican mass media 12 5. Data 14 6. Macro-linguistic analysis 6.1 Methodology 16 6.2. Pre- Independence – late 1930’s to late 1950’s 6.2.1 Socio – historical background 17 6.2.2 Media background 18 6.2.3 Linguistic Analysis 19 6.2.4 Music 22 6.2.5 Conclusion 23 6.3. The Glorious Sixties 6.3.1 Socio – historical background 24 6.3.2 Media background 24 6.3.3 Linguistic Analysis 25 6.3.4 Music 28 6.3.5 Conclusion 30 6.4 Experiments with Socialism – the 1970’s 6.4.1 Socio – historical background 31 6.4.2 Media background 32 6.4.3 Linguistic Analysis 33 6.4.4 Music 37 6.4.5 Conclusion 38 6.5 The 1980’s – towards media liberalization 6.5.1 Socio – historical background 40 6.5.2 Media background 41 6.5.3 Linguistic Analysis 42 6.5.4 Music 48 6.5.5 Conclusion 50 6.6.
    [Show full text]
  • Untitled Will Be out in Di Near Near Future Tracks on the Matisyahu Album, I Did Something with Like Inna Week Time
    BACKAYARD DEEM TEaM Chief Editor Amilcar Lewis Creative/Art Director Noel-Andrew Bennett Managing Editor Madeleine Moulton (US) Production Managers Clayton James (US) Noel Sutherland Contributing Editors Jim Sewastynowicz (US) Phillip Lobban 3G Editor Matt Sarrel Designer/Photo Advisor Andre Morgan (JA) Fashion Editor Cheridah Ashley (JA) Assistant Fashion Editor Serchen Morris Stylist Judy Bennett Florida Correspondents Sanjay Scott Leroy Whilby, Noel Sutherland Contributing Photographers Tone, Andre Morgan, Pam Fraser Contributing Writers MusicPhill, Headline Entertainment, Jim Sewastynowicz, Matt Sarrel Caribbean Ad Sales Audrey Lewis US Ad Sales EL US Promotions Anna Sumilat Madsol-Desar Distribution Novelty Manufacturing OJ36 Records, LMH Ltd. PR Director Audrey Lewis (JA) Online Sean Bennett (Webmaster) [email protected] [email protected] JAMAICA 9C, 67 Constant Spring Rd. Kingston 10, Jamaica W.I. (876)384-4078;(876)364-1398;fax(876)960-6445 email: [email protected] UNITED STATES Brooklyn, NY, 11236, USA e-mail: [email protected] YEAH I SAID IT LOST AND FOUND It seems that every time our country makes one positive step forward, we take a million negative steps backward (and for a country with about three million people living in it, that's a lot of steps we are all taking). International media and the millions of eyes around the world don't care if it's just that one bad apple. We are all being judged by the actions of a handful of individuals, whether it's the politician trying to hide his/her indiscretions, to the hustler that harasses the visitors to our shores. It all affects our future.
    [Show full text]
  • Poetic Knowledge and the Organic Intellectuals in Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CGU Theses & Dissertations CGU Student Scholarship Fall 2019 A Matter of Life and Def: Poetic Knowledge and the Organic Intellectuals in Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Anthony Blacksher Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd Part of the African American Studies Commons, Africana Studies Commons, American Literature Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Poetry Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social History Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Television Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Blacksher, Anthony. (2019). A Matter of Life and Def: Poetic Knowledge and the Organic Intellectuals in Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 148. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/148. doi: 10.5642/cguetd/148 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the CGU Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in CGU Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Matter of Life and Def: Poetic Knowledge and the Organic Intellectuals in Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry By Anthony Blacksher Claremont Graduate University 2019 i Copyright Anthony Blacksher, 2019 All rights reserved ii Approval of the Dissertation Committee This dissertation has been duly read, reviewed, and critiqued by the Committee listed below, which hereby approves the manuscript of Anthony Blacksher as fulfilling the scope and quality requirements for meriting the degree of doctorate of philosophy in Cultural Studies with a certificate in Africana Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Armchair Travel Destination - Jamaica
    Armchair Travel _ Destination - Jamaica _ Interesting Facts Jamaica is the 140th most populous country in the world. It has an area of 10,991 sq km. It is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital and largest city is Kingston. English is the official language and Jamaican Patois is the national language of Jamaica. Jamaican dollar (JMD) is its currency. The natives or inhabitants of Jamaica are called Jamaican. It is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles. While many people associate Jamaica with coconuts, rum, and lilting accents, the country has a lot more to offer. With these 60 interesting facts about Jamaica, let’s learn more about its history, culture, people, flag, reggae music, and some weird and funny facts. Interesting facts about Jamaica you probably didn’t know 1. The original inhabitants of Jamaica cultivated corn and yams. Today, Jamaica is famous for cultivating sugar cane, bananas, and mangoes, none of which are indigenous. 2. Jamaica produces Blue Mountain Coffee, a highly sought-after and expensive coffee that is popular across the globe. It is one of the rarest coffees in the world. 3. In 1988, Jamaica was the first tropical country to send a bobsledding team to the Winter Olympics (Bobsledding – a winter sport in which teams of two or four teammates make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. The timed runs are combined to calculate the final score.) © Copyright [email protected] 2019. All Rights Reserved 1 Armchair Travel Destination - Jamaica _ _ 4.
    [Show full text]