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Jamaican cultural aspects
The significances of rastafarianism in the jamaican society
Impact of globalization on Jamaican culture
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Culture of Jamaica
The Jamaican culture is strong in religion, and the lifestyle that defines the people of Jamaica. The culture is mixed, with an ethnically diverse society, stemming from a history of inhabitants beginning with the original Taino people. Jamaica was discovered in 1482 by Christopher Columbus. Hence, the Spanish brought slavery to Jamaica, they were overthrown by the English in 1655. Jamaica then moved on to gain emancipation on August 1, 1838, which became a national holiday in later years. Black slaves became the dominant cultural force as they suffered and resisted the harsh conditions of forced labor. The Slaves fought back, and because of their aggressive nature the English fled, but still owned by the English the island and the natives lived by their rules up until August 6, 1962, when Jamaica gained independence, which is also another national holiday celebrated by Jamaicans. After the abolition of slavery, Chinese and Indians migrated to the
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This language came about by the slaves that were brought in from different African countries and tribes. Patios is a growing language and because it is broken English very hard to write, you will often find that one or two words can be a whole sentence.
One of the single most important parts of the Jamaican culture is religion. Being Jamaican myself, I can concur with that statement. With all seven Christian Denominations, by far, the most significant faith in Jamaica is Christianity, with a church being on every street, Jamaica has the most churches per square mile of any country in the world, earning them a spot in the Guinness Book of World records. The Rastafari movement was derived from a broader Christian culture, but its origin was influenced by rising consciousness of Africa, and awareness of political events in that
addition, after WWI, there were many waves of Jamaican peoples that would come to America.
Throughout Rastafari: Roots and Ideology, Barry Chevannes traces the beginnings of the Rastafari movements and the movements that gave birth to Rastafarian ideology, through both historical perspectives and through the narratives of those people closely associated with these movements. He begins laying out the groundwork of the Rastafarian movement at the slave trade, which gave rise to the institutionalization of racism and the subordination of black people in the “New World.” This racism, and its lasting effects on the social, political, and economic positions of black people in Jamaica led to a realization of the need to create a life, or a belief system, that would actually serve black people and their needs.
The Caribbean is comprised of a group of island. Jamaica is one of the greatest Antilles. It has a tropical climate. Each country has its own culture, Jamaicans is not an exemption, and they have an assorted and distinctive one. “Their culture is a complex mixture of African, Arabic, European, East Indian, and Chinese roots combining together to create a rich, dynamic heritage” (Gall, 2009).
"The Rastafarians emerge as a loosely organized inspirational group (or groups?) of men and women concerned at the plight of black people, especially the plight of those whose ancestors were forcibly removed from Africa to become the slaves of the white man on his plantations in the islands of the Caribbean"(Cashmore, 1). The English takeover of Jamaica in 1660 started the terrible beginning of the African Diaspora. Millions of Africans were stolen off of their continent and were shipped over to the Caribbean where they were fashioned to do slave labor so the Europeans could make money. Over 80 million Africans died in the process of departing to the islands. The slaves were denied any form of religion and were treated like animals. They were also denied food and were made to grow their own food so they could feed themselves. Many years went by till the slaves started to rebel. The 'Maroons' were a group of runaway slaves who started a powerful group of guerrilla warriors who lived in the most dangerous woods in Jamaica. But the Maroons gave in and signed a peace treaty in 1738 and were paid to catch the runaway slaves and became supporters of slavery.
...rican language largely depends on the racial composition of the speakers. The Bahamian language is more conserved, traditional and Christian than the American religion. There exists clear difference between religions in the two cultures with the Bahamian religion being dominated by the Baptists, Anglicans and the Creole-based traditional religion. However the American religion is more liberalized with Americans embracing many religions that are less known in Bahamas. The American culture customs has major difference with the Bahamian culture. The Bahamian culture is more pronounced with customs than in America. Bahamians are individualistic and do not attach their lifestyles to income but on ethnicity. It is therefore clear that the American and Bahamian culture have clear underlying differences than earlier believed pointing to major variations between the two.
The Rastafari movement stems from the teachings of the great Jamaican leader and motivator of masses, Maces Garvey. Garvey told the African people of the world to unite and to return to African, the homeland. Garvey’s vision was for the “Blacks to overcome their feelings of inferiority and build upon their own unique and evolving culture, and ultimately return to Africa to redeem their homeland and to build a future...
In the 1920’s and 30’s the Rastafari religion formed in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica. At the time, this area had an environment of great poverty, class discrimination, depression, and racism. The message they wanted to get across was freedom from oppression and it was influenced by African religious traditions. The Bible and the biblical themes have also helped shape the Rastafarian belief system.
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.
Since its founding in the 1930s, the Rastafarian movement has grown to the point where it has become a major cultural and political force in Jamaica. During its existence, the movement has challenged Jamaica's neo-colonialist society's attempts to keep whites at the top and blacks at the bottom of the socio-economic structure.
The Jamaican natives and imported African slaves endured Spanish rule for 150 years until the invasion of the British in 1655. The fleet of Admiral Penn and the ground troops of General Venables were able to conquer the island fairly quickly; although there was several failed attempts by the Spanish to regain the land. A civil government was established in English Jamaica in 1663 which attracted settlers to the island (Bennett 84).
Situated just south of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, Jamaica is well known as a popular tourist spot and the birthplace of reggae music. Populated initially by native Arawak Indians, who gave the island its name, “land of wood and water (Jamaica).” However, this beautiful land’s almost pristine beauty was shattered by outbursts of violence surrounding the 1980 political elections. This fighting was sparked by the people’s mistrust of the ruling socialist party at the time. The reasons for this fighting and this mistrust are not simple, they are intrinsically tied to the island nation’s history from the beginning of its colonial period five hundred years before.
Rastafari is a theology based upon the writings of Marcus Garvey a Jamaican social activist. The movement’s global spread from Jamaica across the world has been strongly influenced by Bob Marley and closely associated with reggae. Many of Marley’s songs captured the essence of Rastafari religion and its social and political beliefs. (bbc.co.uk, 2014)
As the Hispanic Caribbean has evolved it has managed to grow and thrive beyond belief, whether one is discussing art, music or just the culture alone the Hispanic Caribbean is truly reaping the benefits of allowing themselves to be influenced by many other cultures. While the Hispanic Caribbean is thriving they are still facing the many new found struggles that come along with the territory of becoming more affluent as well as more accepting to other cultures and their beliefs. Often with the growth of large proportions comes many problems, problems also can come about when incorporating of different cultures as a whole as well as just bringing in their beliefs and mannerisms. None the less it can be argued that the struggles being faced in
Pidgins and creoles are new varieties or types of languages, having developed from the contact between the colonial non-standard varieties of European and non-European languages from around the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Pidgin languages typically appeared in the trade colonies that had developed in and around existing trade routes, such as the West African coast. Reduced in structures and specialized in function, initially they served as non-native ‘lingua francas’ for those speakers who chose to use their native language for normal every day communications. Some pidgins have been able to expand into regular vernaculars, particularly in urban settings, and are rightfully labeled as ‘expanded pidgins’. An example would be the Pidgin-English from Nigeria or Cameroon, both as structurally complex as creoles.
Life made into a commodity to be bought and sold as an animal or machine, born to serve the dominant humans marked by white skin. In this way colonialism as a political entity was created to exploit the earth and its people in order to profit white Europeans. The economic dependency established by the slave trade established a stratified socio-economic hierarchy based on racism. The inequities inherent in this system caused the exploitation of less powerful resources to be established as the means of economic growth and prosperity throughout colonialism. The lack of representation of the oppressed black majority brought about a series of uprisings against colonialism. In Jamaica the Rastafarian movement brought to the forefront the pressing issues of deprivation upheld by the socio-economic structure of the island. The ideology of Rastafarians instilled personal liberation and autonomy at the time of Jamaican Independence, helping the population deal with decolonization. This paper will deal with the implications of this thesis throughout the history of Jamaica from the colonial to post Independence years (1962-1980). The rise of Rastafarianism can be seen in response to the history of inequity of colonialism. The mentality of humanization upheld in Rasta acted as force of mental liberation. The influence of this ideology upon society around the time of Independence was reflected in politics of the time. At the time of Independence serious historical issues of lack of representation of the black majority were articulated in the words and works of Rastafarians and their liberating ideology.