Day in and day out, we may easily take our heritage for granted. We enjoy the luxuries of a car, electricity, water, and even our very own music. Have you ever imagined life in Jamaica without these conveniences? We take a look back at life changing moments in our culture to appreciate the progress made over the years. Let’s appreciate our rich heritage and continue to chart our course going forward.
With myriads of motor vehicles traversing our roads daily, did you know that the first Motor Car was driven in the town of Black River? The town also holds the record as the first place electricity, piped water and telephone service were used. This may have been due to the area’s commercial and port activities which made it one of the island’s most important towns in the early centuries.
At one point, there were 22 parishes in Jamaica. It was not until 1866 that 8 parishes were eliminated, leaving us with the current 14. Those 8 parishes were: Port Royal (Kingston/St. Andrew), Saint George (St Mary/Portland), Saint David (St Thomas), Metcalfe (St Mary), Saint Dorothy (St Catherine), St John (Saint Catherine), Saint Thomas in the Vale (St Catherine) and Vere (Clarendon).
The first railway in Jamaica was built in 1845, covering the route from Kingston to Angels. By 1975 there was a thriving railway network for both freight and passengers. The industry suffered its fair share of challenges resulting in closures; the last of which occurred in 2012. Currently, the Government is exploring the revival of the Montego Bay to Kingston route in partnership with other entities to boost tourism.
Music is an integral part of Jamaican culture and over the years, festival songs have been longstanding staples. The first festival song victory went to The Maytals in 1966 with their track BAM BAM. Other winning songs over the years include Eric Donaldson’s CHERRY OH BABY (1971) and LAND OF MY BIRTH (1978), Tinga Stewart’s NO WEY NO BETTA DAN YARD (1981), Roy Rayon’s GIVE THANKS & PRAISES (1987), Stanley Beckford’s FI WI ISLAND A BOOM (2000), Winston Hussey’s TAKE BACK JAMAICA (2009) and our last winner in 2016, Oneil Scott with his piece NO WEH LIKE JAMAICA. Jamaicans anticipate the victor for the year 2017.
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #10, 2017 Issue.