Jamaica Land of Inspiration - 858 Words

Jamaica: Land of Inspiration Jamaica is full of diversity. From religion, to ancestry, and even geography, Jamaica is always evolving. From the towering mountains all the way to the warm and sandy beaches, Jamaica is a sight to see. However, Jamaica was not always a happy and carefree place. The Jamaican people have suffered from war, disease, and slavery. Jamaica is a small and beautiful country that thrives with culture and should be studied by everyone around the world. Geography and Climate Jamaica has a wide range of geography. The geography varies from mountains, to forests, to coastal plains, to scattered hills, and also plateaus (â€Å"History†). Although Jamaica is a small country, it is the largest island of the Commonwealth†¦show more content†¦Their first election was held in 1944, which was a major accomplishment for the Jamaican people. Then in 1958, Jamaica joined the West Indies Federation along with nine other U.K. territories. But, because the Jamaican people had the power to vote, they withdrew three years later because the voters rejected membership. In 1962, Jamaica gained independence from Britain, becoming their own country (â€Å"Jamaica Background†). Culture Religion, ancestry, and cuisine are all major parts of Jamaica’s culture. Most of Jamaica’s population consists of people of West African ancestry. 1.3 percent of people in Jamaica are West Indian (Witherbee). Another portion of Jamaica’s population are those who came to Jamaica very early from South America. Because there were so many types of people coming to Jamaica, religion was heavily influenced. Rastafarianism is practiced throughout Jamaica. It is a mixture of social and religious beliefs. A large number of Jamaicans are Christian. Other religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are also practiced (Witherbee). Famous Citizens The most famous and influential Jamaican is Bob Marley, who was a reggae star. His career started when he was the lead singer in a vocal trio called The Wailers. The Wailers music was a combination of Caribbean rhythms and American soul music. The Wailers became popular very quickly. They were signed in 1973 by Chris Blackwell. Shortly after they were signed, unfortunately, the Wailers broke up (Ruhlmann).Show MoreRelatedBob Marley : Political Activist1012 Words   |  5 PagesMarley was born in 1945 in Rhoden Hall of Jamaica, after his parent separation he moved to West Kingston with his mother. West Kingston is where the story begins for his love of music, which would have implications all around the world. Marley’s mother moved to Delaware, after a lengthy stay with her Marley returned to Jamaica and converted from Christianity to Rastafarianism. Marley’s presence can be felt in many platforms but his music was source of inspiration and awareness for poverty, racism andRead MoreClaude McKays Prominent Position in the Harlem Renaissance Essay example908 Words   |  4 Pagesis Festus Claudius McKay was an important person in the Harlem Renaissance, a prominent literary movement of the 1920s. His poems are traditional in technique and on the sentimental side in subject and tone.1 McKay was born in Sunny Ville, Jamaica, in 1889. McKay was the son of a peasant farmer. He took pride and knew a lot about his African heritage. He was interested in English poetry dealing with literary. McKay’s brother, Uriah Theophilus and an Englishmen Walter Jekyll helped McKay studyRead MoreThe Romantic Period and Robert Burns Essay984 Words   |  4 Pagescharitable institutions. Romanticism was a powerful reaction against Neoclassicism in liberation of the imagination and rediscovery of nature. English romantic writers tended to turn their backs upon cities and centers of culture for their inspiration, and to seek subjects and settings for their poems in mountains and valleys, forests, meadows and brooks. Romanticism made much of freedom and imagination. Some ideas that came with the romantic movement are that humble life is best, andRead More Biography of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Essay examples3604 Words   |  15 Pagespeople and promted them to do the same. Garvey was born in St. Anne’s Bay, Jamaica on August 17, 1887. He was a decendant of the Maroons, Jamaica’s first freedom fighters, and he was said to be proud of his pure black blood.(Nicholas, p 12) At the age of 14 he left school for financial reasons and moved to Kingston to become a printer and educate himself outside the classroom. He traveled and joined organizations in Jamaica. Garvey is often called the Black Moses because of the strength he hadRead MoreInfluence Of The Haitian Revolution1128 Words   |  5 Pagescivilized society that had many Native peoples governing and cultivating the land. Historians struggle with the arrival date of people on the Island however are certain that by 1200 A.D the natives had settled in and called this land their home. The original natives of this land are known as the Arawaks and operated as hierarchical system where status, prestige, and rankings were assigned to different peoples of the land in order to carry out their daily routines for the society to function. DutiesRead MoreThe People Believe About Rastafarians2044 Words   |  9 PagesRastafarianism. Rastafarianism is the most common known belief in Jamaica. It is a complex spiritual and political movement that emerged in Jamaica during its depression years in the 1930s. It combined inspirational Jamaican folk Christianity with pan-Africanist sentiments inspired by Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association. In repudiating British colonialism, Rastafarians were inspired by Ethiopia, noted as the one land of Africa mentioned in the Bible. Ethiopia’s twentieth-century emperorRead More Parallelisms and Differences:Rastafarianism and Judaism Essay6341 Words   |  26 Pagesqueen was very impressed during her visit to the Holy Land, and adopted the Jewish Religion. But her son Menelik, when he grew up, visited his father, and transferred the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum. It is at this point where a new religion of the Falasha Jews began in Ethiopia. The Falashas are the black Jews of Ethiopia, descendant from King Solomon and Queen of Sheba.Falasha means emigrant, exile, or stranger to the land and it is not impossible that the Jews of Ethiopia themselvesRead MoreHaitis Independence from France Came at a Cost Essay2624 Words   |  11 Pagesabsolutely nothing, the impossible happened: Haiti became an independent nation. Not only was its occurrence significant, but so was its effect on the rest of the world. Haiti now became an inspiration to countries in the Atlantic and throughout the rest of the world. These effects were seen in the country of Jamaica and one of the most powerful colonies at the time: the 13 colonies of British America. As the year of 1789 approached, the arrival of the need for freedom simultaneously arose. The FrenchRead MoreOral Traditions or Spoken Word in the Caribbean1557 Words   |  7 Pagesof our ancestors has paid off and borne fruit, oral tradition across the Caribbean is very much alive, grounded as it is, in a history of defiance, spanning tradition and development modernity. The oral tradition is the most important source of inspiration for the dub poets. To be placed within this tradition is an important aspect of their identity as popular artists in the full sense of the word. Being part of the oral tradition is one of the programmatic principles of the art form. With all itsRead MoreWhat Did The Haitian Revolution Do For End Racial Slavery And How Successful Was It?1381 Words   |  6 Pagesparliament (The Black Jacobins). Slave owners demanded the liberty of their right to choose what happened to their slaves under the threat of movement for independence as well. The National Assembly eventually granted the rights of citizens to the land-owning tax-paying Mulattoes after much controversy. The colonial administrators in Haiti refused to enforce this, which caused a Mulatto rebellion in 1790, led by Vincent Oge, which was violently put down. In 1791, a coordinated slave revolt erupted