Jamaica’s Slave Population and Reggae Music

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Jamaica’s Slave Population and Reggae Music

Rape. Murder. Incest. Serial killers. Civil wars. Atomic bombs. Concentration Camps.
Internment Camps. Prisoner of war. Capital punishment. Domestic abuse. Hate crimes.
Natural disasters. Poverty. Suicides. Corruption. All of these things are awful problems that our world has encountered. But one very important problem is not listed. That problem is slavery. Slavery was, and is, one of the worst things our world has ever had to face and deal with, yet it is not talked about like rape and murder are. We avoid talking about slavery, why? We do not want to admit that it existed, that we made a huge mistake? People are in denial? I am not quite such why slavery has not been talked about more or why more people do not know more about slavery. I believe it is time to change that.

I chose to write my reggae paper on how Jamaican slavery influenced, and is reflected in, reggae music. I decided to research this topic because I find it intriguing. Slavery, in my mind, is the most awful existence a person can experience. I do not think I will ever be able to fully comprehend how one human being could treat a fellow human being with such disregard. Every country has had some interaction with slavery, whether in the past or present. It is unbelievable that few people truly understand how prevalent and awful slavery was and still is.

My paper will guide you through the history of Jamaican slavery, while inserting popular reggae music which I feel exemplifies the point I am trying to make: the history or Jamaica has affected reggae music. My paper describes the Transatlantic Journey, British rule in Jamaica, and what happened to the Jamaican people once they were emancipated. I feel that the lyrics I have chosen to incorporate into my paper are prime examples of how such popular reggae artists, such as Bob Marley and Burning Spear, were influenced by the oppression of their people.

How Could Something As Awful As Slavery Have Begun…

Before I conducted my research, I was troubled over the fact that something as awful as slavery could be justified and executed. I could not comprehend how something of this magnitude could ever be carried out. It was a race destroying itself. I came to understand that slavery, just like every other awful thing that goes on in this world, was concealed as something else.

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