Jamaican Culture 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.

After visiting the country of Jamaica this past summer, I realized how dissimilar some countries can be from the United States. Jamaica was not unlike the United States in a terrible way, but the disparities made me additionally interested in researching about the beautiful and culture-rich country of Jamaica. Even though the majority of facts about the history and culture of the United States and Jamaica are dissimilar, I was surprised to come across some similarities among these two countries.

According to the encyclopedia, culture is defined as “The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought [www.wikipedia.com].” In Trinidad these particular aspects are very distinct to the people's daily lives on the island. The diversity of actual cultures and ethnicities on the island has melted together over the centuries to create a Trinidadian culture of its own. There are influences from almost every part of the world including, India, China, the United States, Lebanon, Spain, Britian, Africa, and cultures native the Caribbean.

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

While many artists can reach the level of musical icons during their recording time, a few continue to remain relevant after they have died, and even fewer can touch peoples hearts and souls with as much power today as when they were alive, Bob Marley is one such artist. As Robert Palmer wrote for Marley’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “ No one in rock and roll has left a musical legacy that matters more or one that matters in such fundamental ways.” A few years ago while I was at a fast food restaurant, there were two women behind the counter, one younger and one older. While waiting for my order I overheard the younger woman confiding in the older woman about some life issues that she was going through at the time.

Reggae is especially popular through the international fame of Bob Marley. Jamaican music's influence on music styles in other countries includes the practice of toasting, which was brought to New York City and evolved into rapping. British genres such as Lovers rock, jungle music and grime are also influenced by Jamaican

When one thinks of Cuba, often a negative imagine comes to mind. This is no surprise, as most accounts of Cuba that we hear are horrible atrocities of the government of Cuba. As with most things in life, there is more than meets the eye with Cuba. At surface value, yes Cuba seems bad, but that is just because of the way the Cuban government and countless political struggles that the country has faced are portrayed. The Cuban people are actually a very proud people with a strong culture. if you looked past the communist nature of the country, Cuba is a vibrant and colorful place with a lot to learn about and a diverse culture to experience.

The most notable influence would be from Africa, this has been broke up into three categories dance, religious, and work/entertainment. Religious music has been influenced by Kumina, Pocomania, and Rastafari. This music is usually accompanied by drums and chanting, songs can also include singing and other instruments. Other forms of music that are becoming popular on the island are rocksteady, ska, soca, calypso, and jazz. In Kingston the fusions of the 90’s continue to influence the 21st century and has created a new sound led by producers Sly Robbie, Steven McGregor (son of Freddie McGregor), Daseca, Skatta Burrell, and Don Bennett. All these men have all forged a new mixture of hip-hop,

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.

It’s been thirty years from the time when the death of Bob Marley occurred and he is not only still popular, but his influence is still alive and well in hip-pop music today. Bob Marley’s music broke obstacles which is causing new artists to challenge themselves by wanting to compete against his career durability but also add some of his inspiration to their own music and sound. From the start of his world music career, Marley was always in his own path and had his own way of becoming successful. His dedication to his Rastafarian faith and his home country spoke to the “flower power” era full of free love and free thinking. There’s no real method behind how a young singer from Jamaica succeeded to blow-out his message across the world picking up a good number of fans from Switzerland to Africa, to the United States, and

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

Reggae Music Music itself is often times a strong indicator of a society’s culture, history, and beliefs. Sometimes however, when another group listens to one society’s music they also make connections to lyrics, sounds, and melodies that were put into the song. This is very much the case with Reggae music as not only did it take off in Jamaica, its country of origin, but the United States and parts of Europe as well. Jamaicans viewed music as a way to pass down traditions and as a way to pass through difficult times. Reggae music often times discusses the suffering of the Jamaican people in its lyrics.

In fact, Reggae has an influence in modern day Hip-hop. Hip-hop is both a cultural movement as well as a music genre. It dates back to the early 1970’s. It started to grow in the American suburbs. In Hip-hop, the artists advertised their names a little differently then other genres. They used to broadcast their names and band names with graffiti on sides of buildings and other public places. Subway trains were told to be the best way to get your name across in a fast way (Covach,

The music of Jamaica began five centuries ago, when Columbus colonized the land of the Arawak Indians. This dates the start of oppression by first the Spanish and then the English in this area of the Caribbean. Blacks were brought in as slaves by the English, and although Jamaica has had it's independence since 1963, the tension of authority and control still reigns. Jamaica is a story of injustice, international influence, ineffective governing, and unequal distribution of wealth; all of these elements provide a solid base for the theme of oppression and the need for a revolution and redemption in Jamaican music. Reggae in particular reflects these injustices, and the feelings, needs and desires to change the lifestyle that Jamaicans have historically lived. Reggae music has two meanings. It’s generic name for all Jamaican popular music since 1960, West Indian style of music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat. Reggae can also refer to the particular beat that was extremely popular in