African Diaspora in Jamaica
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What was slavery like in this place?
Jamaica had a history of slavery which brought over six hundred thousand slaves. For example, slaves were brought to Jamaica to work in fields and grow "sugar plantations" (Kopytoff). Sugar plantations was one of the main crops produced in the Caribbean in the 18-20 centuries, but in order for it to grow there needed to be slaves to do all the hard work for the government which is why Jamaica enslaved Africans. Also, these enslaved Africans that worked hard in the field were called the " Maroons" which comes from a Spanish word 'Cimarrones" and it mean't "mountainous". This is important because it gives us history of who these people were.
What was resistance to slavery like in this country?
The resistance to slavery in Jamaica was powerful because they fought back for their rights. For example, the Maroons started to run away from their Spanish-owned plantations when the British took the Caribbean Island of Jamaica from Spain in 1655 because they were tired of getting treated poorly and wanted freedom (Pyle). this shows resistance because the maroons began to refuse their owners rules. Also, as more slaves/Maroons started to run away into the mountains, their were enough of them to create an army which led to the first Maroon war in 1728 and the campaign against the British made them more determined to win this war. This is another example of resistance because their actually fighting back and not caring what the British believes.
How does the African Diaspora continue to affect this country today?
The African Diaspora culture in Jamaica has had an good impact on the world and inspired many people of it's kind today. For example, in the past in Jamaica Jerk Chicken was the most popular on the menu and in Jamaica the people expressed them selfs in all the colorful clothes they would wear. In 1513 African came to Jamaica with their own culture and religions which led to the culture that people follow in Jamaica now. Also, people that are Jamaican who lives on the island and off the Island follows these cultures till this day. We have a carnival ( labor day) where all the islands from the Caribbean dress up in all these colorful customs and dance to all the west Indian music. Therefore, Jamaica culture is spread everywhere around the world and people celebrate it to it's fullest.
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Works Cited
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Iiwinc. “The Culture of Jamaica.” Jamaican Culture | Caribya!, caribya.com/jamaica/culture/.
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pyle, howard. “The History of Jamaica.” Jamaica Information Service, Magazine, Jan. 1890, jis.gov.jm/information/jamaican-history/.
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