Jamaica / Special Interests / Culture & Heritage

There is no escaping Jamaica’s powerful culture which has spread far and wide from its mother country, led by the intense influences of its music and its people. The island is indelibly associated with the unmistakeable reggae beat that underpins everyday life amid the spirit of its most famous son Bob Marley. Yet the widespread emigration of its people during the 20th Century, notably to the UK and the USA, has taken Jamaican culture across the world.

The island’s history is no less entrancing or turbulent. It is one of Amerindian tribes, colonialism and plantations amid tales of piracy and witchcraft. The first settlers, the Arawaks, lived a peaceful life around 1,500 years ago until the Europeans arrived; first the explorer Christopher Columbus and then the Spanish colonists in 1510. Little of their influence remains and they were followed by the English in 1655 who developed sugar plantations across the island, leaving a legacy of one of the biggest collections of historic Great Houses in the Caribbean. However, the English settlers were left a nasty surprise by the departing Spanish who had released and armed their slaves. These groups, known as Maroons, battled with the British for nearly 100 years from their mountain strongholds.

After the official end of slavery in 1834, the sugar industry dwindled and the island slipped into the doldrums. Jamaica became the fashionable place to be seen in during the heady, glamorous days of the Fifties when Noel Coward and Ian Fleming based themselves on the island and entertained a steady stream of celebrities. Just a few years later, in 1962, the island gained independence.