Stereotypes To Wear Dreadlocks In Jamaica

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.

The most popular religion in Jamaica is Christian, with 64%. Some other religions people in Jamaica practice include Catholic, Jehovah's witness, Rastafarian, Roman Catholic, and Moravian. There are many other religions, but those are some of the most important ones to Jamaican people.

Imagine having the flexibility of wearing your hair loose and flowing. . .maybe pulled back in a simple rubber band, or allowing your long locks to swing expressively in front of your face. It's a natural feeling and style, that epitomizes your love for individualism, they are your Dreadlocks. The art of dreadlocks can be traced back to the Ancient Caribbean islands such as Jamaica where they were fine tuned to perfection by Rastafarians. Here at Syracuse University, students give a new meaning to what it is like to be a part of the dreadlock society without having to be a Rastafarian, a black radicalist, or politically correct. In fact, being able to be different and sculpt the hair away from the average

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.

The people who live in Jamaica also vary from the people of the United States greatly. Jamaica is approximately 90.9 percent African, while, on the other hand, in the United States Africans are considered a minority only making up roughly 12 percent of all people in the United States. Even though, the official language of Jamaica, and the language taught in their schools, is English, matching the language of the United States, the vast majority of Jamaicans speak Patois in their everyday life. “Patois is an English-based Creole language with West African influences. The pronunciation and vocabulary of Jamaican Patois are significantly different from English, despite heavy use of English words or derivatives. Jamaican Patois displays similarities to the Pidgin and Creole languages of West Africa, due to their common descent from the blending of African substrate languages with European languages” (Jamaican Patois). Patois is as well the language used in nearly all popular local music in Jamaica. Additionally our tour

I have decided to use portraiture to create a narrative between the portrait and the viewer, allowing the viewer to understand the individual that is being depicted through their physical characteristics and their personality. I see portraiture as a mean to express the issues concerning stereotypes towards African American hair and how those stereotypes influence the way society to perceive African Americans. My overall set of works, tell a story that reveals how these viewpoints oppress African Americans through images of their hair.

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 topic of intersectionality is an interesting and controversial one. Although we as a society have made great progress over the past several decades, there is still a long ways to go when it comes to complete equality of races, genders, sexualities, etc. One pattern I notice when it comes to these different categories is double standards. This is something that is such a huge problem with race, gender, as well as sexuality. I have noticed with race, there are certain hairstyles and fashion trends that are considered “trendy’ and “unique” on white women, are considered unattractive and unprofessional for women of color to wear, especially African-American. One hairstyle that has been in the media lately for controversial reasons is dreadlocks. There have been recent fashion shows where the models were wearing dreadlocks as a unique style. However, this is a hairstyle that African-American women have been

I have experienced many stereotypes myself. When I wear a head cap also known as a du-rag, I am often viewed as a hoodlum or a terrifying young black male. Head caps are often common for young black males to wear. What is the first thing you think when you see a tall black male with a black head cap on his head? The fact that I had a head cap automatically brought negative connation to what I represent as a person. The stereotypes of this certain group impacted everyone who may have similar feature. I was pre-judged just because I had similar feature to another black male with a head cap that may have been a “thug”. My appearance directly impacted what people thought of me before they even knew me, or before they knew the purpose of my

Without music there would be no dancing. The most popular form of music in Jamaica is Reggae, not only is it popular in Jamaica but also many other countries around the world. Reggae music has produced many famous artists one of the most popular who has had a global impact is Bob Marley. Dancehall music is a variation of reggae and its growing at an alarming rate. Reggae music has taken over as the main label for “Jamaican music.” Jamaican folk music has come a from many different sources over the years.

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.

     The people of Jamaica have no influence on the daily economic decisions that affect their lives. For almost 25 years, Jamaica has been able to keep a very small percentage of its national revenue because of agencies like the World Bank and IMF. While other big name countries continue to grow economically, these

First and foremost, reggae is not about weed. As some artists do bring up in their music about smoking and weed, reggae is known for their peaceful and loving lyrics. Matter of fact, Alborosie made a song name, “No Cocaine” to show how some artists feel about drugs. So ALL songs are about drugs? Eventually, when reggae was a new genre of music it was becoming popular around the world for its lyrics explaining political problems and civil rights movement. Now being 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.