Black Jamaican

Black Jamaican
Benutzer:Richardfabi · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Black Jamaican
Population	Approximately 90% of Jamaica's population
Regions	Kingston, Jamaica, Montego Bay, Spanish Town, Mandeville, Jamaica, Port Antonio
Languages	Jamaican Patois, English language
Religions	Rastafari, Christianity, Africa, Maroon communities

Black Jamaican

Black Jamaican refers to people in Jamaica of predominantly African descent, whose ancestry traces to West and Central African populations brought to the Caribbean during the transatlantic slave trade linked with British Empire, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire, and French colonial empire activities. Rooted in histories of Transatlantic slave trade, plantation economies such as those cultivating sugar on estates in Saint James Parish, Trelawny Parish, and Clarendon Parish, and maroon resistance exemplified by the First Maroon War and the Second Maroon War, the community has shaped national identity through contributions to music of Jamaica, politics of Jamaica, sports in Jamaica, and global diasporic networks including links to United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Cuba.

History

Enslavement under the Atlantic slave trade brought Africans from regions including the Gold Coast (region), Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra, and the Congo Basin to plantations such as those run by the British South Sea Company and absentee owners in Westmoreland Parish. Rebellions including the Tacky’s War and resistance by leaders like Queen Nanny of the Maroons led to treaties such as the Treaty of Maroonage that established autonomous Windward Maroons and Leeward Maroons communities in areas like the Cockpit Country and Accompong. Abolition milestones include campaigns by abolitionists allied with figures like William Wilberforce and legislative acts such as the Slave Trade Act 1807 and Slavery Abolition Act 1833, after which emancipation in Jamaica shaped labor shifts to systems involving indentured servitude drawing migrants from India and China and altering demographics in parishes like St. Ann Parish.

Demographics

Populations concentrate in urban centers such as Kingston, Jamaica, Spanish Town, and Montego Bay while rural concentrations persist in Saint Thomas Parish and Portland Parish. Migration waves to metropolitan areas in London, New York City, Toronto, and Miami have created diaspora communities connected to remittances and transnational organizations like Caribbean Community networks. Vital statistics collected by Jamaican institutions such as the Statistical Institute of Jamaica show high proportions identifying as of African descent, with intermarriage and mixed ancestry involving East Indian Jamaican and Chinese Jamaicans in locales like Clarendon Parish. Socioeconomic indicators reflect disparities juxtaposed with achievements in sectors represented by institutions such as the University of the West Indies and University of Technology, Jamaica.

Culture and Society

Cultural production is globally influential: musical genres rooted in community expression include mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, and dancehall, propelled by artists affiliated with labels and studios like Studio One (record label), Tuff Gong, and producers such as Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby. Literary figures connected to the community include Claude McKay, Una Marson, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and Derek Walcott's contemporaries in Caribbean letters; festivals and public rituals occur in venues like Reggae Sumfest and Jamaica Carnival. Culinary traditions feature foods linked to historical agroecology such as ackee and saltfish, jerk (cooking), and use of spices associated with Spanish Town markets; visual arts thrive in galleries exhibiting work by artists like Edna Manley and Carl Abrahams. Sporting excellence is represented by athletes from clubs such as Mona Athletic Club and competitors like Usain Bolt, while community organizations include groups modelled after United Negro Improvement Association branches and contemporary NGOs.

Language and Dialects

Speech varieties include Jamaican Patois (Patwa) and Jamaican Standard English, reflecting creolization with lexemes from Akan languages, Igbo language, Kongo language, and substrate influences traceable to African languages. Literary and musical uses of Jamaican Patois appear in works by poets like Louise Bennett-Coverley and lyrics by performers such as Bob Marley and Vybz Kartel. Linguistic research by scholars associated with institutions like University of the West Indies and publications in journals referencing creole languages examine code-switching among speakers in districts such as Slipe Pen and Papine.

Religion and Spirituality

Religious life includes denominations such as Anglicanism, Baptist, Methodism, Pentecostalism, and the indigenous movement Rastafari whose notable figures include Haile Selassie I as a symbolic reference and community leaders like Leonard Howell. African-derived spiritual practices persist in syncretic forms found in maroon rituals in Accompong and in traditions influenced by Obeah and Jamaican folk practices; mission societies from Moravian Church and Seventh-day Adventist Church historically influenced religious landscapes. Sacred music traditions contribute to religious expression in spaces like Mandeville Parish churches and urban congregations in Kingston, Jamaica.

Politics and Social Issues

Political engagement involves major parties such as the People's National Party (Jamaica) and the Jamaica Labour Party with grassroots activism tied to trade unions like the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and social movements addressing issues raised in reports by organizations like Amnesty International and development agencies such as the Caribbean Development Bank. Debates around land rights in Cockpit Country, policing in areas like Downtown Kingston, Jamaica, and reparatory justice referenced in pan-African forums including African Union assemblies intersect with campaigns by civil society groups and cultural figures. Policy discussions take place in institutions such as Parliament of Jamaica and among diaspora lobbying networks in British Parliament and United States Congress.

Notable Individuals and Contributions

Prominent cultural contributors include musicians Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Shaggy (musician), Sean Paul, Buju Banton, Sizzla, Beres Hammond, Toots Hibbert, Sean Kingston, Chronixx, Koffee (singer), Vybz Kartel, Spanner Banner, Capleton, Sizzla Kalonji, Burning Spear; producers and industry figures such as Coxsone Dodd, King Jammy, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Chris Blackwell; writers and intellectuals like Claude McKay, George Lamming, V. S. Naipaul (Caribbean context), Louise Bennett-Coverley, Jean Rhys; political leaders such as Marcus Garvey, Alexander Bustamante, Norman Manley, Michael Manley; athletes including Usain Bolt, Merlene Ottey, Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce; artists Edna Manley, Carl Abrahams; religious figures Leonard Howell; and activists and scholars associated with University of the West Indies and transnational movements like the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.

Category:People of Jamaica