Jamaica Research Paper

The country that I chose to conduct a culture analysis on is Jamaica. Jamaica is a third world country located in North America and the 3rd largest island in the Caribbean Sea. There is a 2.5 million population, which equally divided between urban and rural areas. The country runs approximately 146 miles long and varies between 21- 52 miles wide. The climate is tropical and its main tourist attraction is their beautiful beaches. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston, which has a population of more than 645,000. Kingston is the chief port of Jamaica and is along the southeastern coast of the island. It is covered by the “Blue Mountains”, which is thickly covered which tree ferns. The Blue Mountains experiences an average of 200 inches of rain annually, resulting in topsoil erosion and an abundance of streams. Peasants nurture coffee, usually grown on large plantations, in the valleys of the mountains. It is amongst the most expensive coffees in the world and is exported mainly to Japan.

Burton (2015) in her Journal, ‘Globalisation and Cultural Identity in Caribbean Society: The Jamaican Case,’ however points out that Jamaica has a unique culture and this has shaped how that countries adapts to the effects of colonialism and even globalisation.

Reggae is a genre of music that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. It is known for the heavy and strong emphasis on the bass within the background beat. Reggae was perceived as a kind of music used to express feelings about the social, political, and economic hardships in Jamaica during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was performed by musicians from black ghettos who used unhurried beats to make a style of music of their own. Reggae became an important part of the lifestyle of many Caribbean islanders; expressing a sense of pride of their Caribbean culture.

The music industry in Jamaica is one of the most influential in the world. Popular music genres such as reggae and dancehall was both originated in Jamaica. Likewise, rap and hip hop was stated by a Jamaican, called Kool Herc. Bob Marley is also a famous music artist from Jamaica. His music played an important role in many movements in Jamaica and all over the world. The most famous one is the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Dancing is also important in Jamaica. A famous proverb in Jamaica, is that “those who can’t dance, blame it on the music”. In all african countries, music and dancing is really normal and it’s like this in Jamaica too. It is normal to dance on the streets in public and have fun, while listening to music. By all means music and dancing is undoubtedly important for Jamaica and the culture is mostly based around

The music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, ska jazz, reggae fusion and related styles. Jamaica's music culture is a fusion of elements from neighboring Caribbean islands such as Trinidad and Tobago (calypso and soca).

A time I remember going to a place that was different from anything I’ve ever experienced before, was Jamaica. I’ve been to other places around the world, but Jamaica was an entirely different experience. I’ve never been to Europe, but I’ve been to Mexico, various spots of Canada, everywhere in the United States, most of the Caribbean, and all the Virgin Islands (U.S. and U.K).

Jamaica is a land of diverse cultures. It has a number of different racial ethnic groups .The largest group however is the blacks or Africans so 'Jamaica’s culture' is predominantly black. Interwoven is also the European culture which these blacks learnt from their former white slaves masters. You will find Indians living in Jamaica also. Many Indians came to Jamaica as indentured servants and stayed, they too have an input in the Jamaica’s culture.

Christopher Columbus reached Jamaica in 1494 on a voyage to America. It was also documented that he was stranded in Jamaica for a year while on another trip. Christopher Columbus eventually took the Island for Spain and the Spaniard controlled Jamaica for a time. However in 1655 Great Britain conquered Jamaica from Spain. Many of the Spaniard hid and settled on the Island. Numerous Spaniard and Portuguese came to Jamaica after being expelled from there own countries. After being banned from France many Jews came to Jamaica. By this time Spaniards had already made slaves of the Indians inhabitance, which proved to be much for the Indians. The slaves’ die off during those times creating a demand for new slaves. Many of the African slaves were brought in during the 1700’s slave trade. Jamaica became a leader in sugar export using slave labor. However when slavery was abolished many Chinese and Asian Indians were brought in as laborers. The history of Jamaica makes up the population today. Jamaica is mainly made up of black people who descended from Africa. Second largest group in Jamaica are Asian, and lastly white Europeans. The national language spoke in Jamaica is English. However Jamaicans also speak a broken English called Patois. Patois is actually English-Creole language. This language is now known all over the world because of the influence it has in music. Patois has been used to create a Jamaican genre of music called Reggae. One of the most famous Reggae musician’s known worldwide is Bob Marley. Although he is now deceased he was and still is the most famous Jamaican to ever live. Furthermore, Reggae is not the only genre of music to originate from Jamaica. Other global styles of music have come out of Jamaica include ska, mento, rock steady, dub, dancehall, and raga. Through music Jamaica has introduce the world to a religion

Despite all the hardships in Jamaica, the country was able to have a culture of their own. On their own Independence Day, Jamaica created their own flag for the country (Jamaican Flag). All the colors in the Jamaican flag are a symbol of Jamaica’s independence from England. (Jamaican Flag). Jamaican music came from Africa and Europe (Jamaican Culture). Reggae music is well known type of music in Jamaica and the music genre tell a story about how Jamaica became a country (Jamaican Culture). Bob Marley is the most famous Jamaican’s musician because how his music impact the world (Jamaican Culture). He helps reggae music become a well-known type of music in today’s world (Jamaican Culture). Many nationalities in the world actually influence the

His growing style encompassed every aspect in the rise of Jamaican music, from ska to contemporary reggae. Marley’s lyrics lifted spirits and united nations. Robert Nesta Marley is put on a higher thresh hold that any before him, he stands on the podium as the greatest musician in this century. Through reggae Marley lives on influencing many well known bands today. Marley sang of love and above all else “Jah” a god in one of the many religions worshiped in Jamaica. The religion most commonly associated with Jamaican culture is Rastafarianism. This group of free spirited natives known as the Rastafarian’s belive in the spiritual use of marijuana, known to this island as “Ganja”. They speak Patios, pronounced (pa-twaa), an extreme Jamaican slang of the English language. Rastafarians live off the land and worship freely in the green mountains of the inner island. From an economic stand point Jamaica is generally a poor country with an average family income of 2,000 dollars a year. As a result Jamaican people rely heavily on the precious U.S. dollar brought in through tourism. Jamaica’s number one source for trade is Bauxite. The mineral rock Bauxite is rich within the rocky coast of the island. Although the overall status of Jamaican society remains poor, the abundant source of fish, fruits, and spices keep the natives well fed. Curry goat and Akki (saltfish/eggs) fill the bellies of Jamaicans everyday. Among my favorites are jerk pork and

     Jamaica is a tropical island, located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. Around the coastlines are beautiful beaches with crystal clear blue-green water. In some respects, this is the majority of what people know about Jamaica. In this orientation text you will better understand Jamaica’s history, the people who live there, the many different religions, geography, and governments that have ruled the land.

The Bahamas is known for its warm sunshine, perfect climate, and pristine beaches with crystal clear water lapping at the shores. It is one of the most popular and beautiful tourist destinations in the world and attracts thousands of travelers every year. Though gorgeous strips of sand ring every island of this 700-island archipelago, it is a multifaceted destination and offers a variety of exclusively Bahamian experiences for every type of traveler.

Columbus discovered Jamaica on May 5, 1494, one year after he heard of the existence of the island. However, the true history of Jamaica begins with the African-Jamaican people who came to the island twenty years after the English took control from the Spaniards. The history of Jamaica can be broken up into different time periods, which were defined by watershed moments or events. Jamaican history begins with the establishment of the native islanders called the Tainos who inhabited the island for hundreds of years before the discoveries of Columbus. (JNHT 1)

The key features of Reggae music are the 4/4 time signatures, the emphasised beats 2 and 4 of each bar melody, the short repeated bass/guitar riffs, the syncopation, the pentatonic/ major/minor/blues scales used,

Reggae music was a big part of Jamaican culture. Many artists practiced the style of reggae and some of the artists like Bob Marley influenced and showed people internationally all about this music. It originated around the time that Jamaica was being attacked by European countries like Spain and native people being taken into slavery. Bob Marley was born after the time of slave trading but whites still effected the native people and this is how he got his inspiration for his music.