imported>Epicgenius: Link Jamaica, as that article is directly related to the content of this article. Other topics like "Spaniards", "English", etc. are correctly not linked per WP:OVERLINK, but Jamaica isn't an overlink here.

2025-11-17T15:40:46Z

Link Jamaica, as that article is directly related to the content of this article. Other topics like "Spaniards", "English", etc. are correctly not linked per WP:OVERLINK, but Jamaica isn't an overlink here.

← Previous revision		Revision as of 15:40, 17 November 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{Short description\|none}}		{{Short description\|none}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=March 2021}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=March 2021}}
	'''Jamaican culture''' consists of the religion, norms, values, and lifestyle that define the people of Jamaica. The culture is mixed, with an ethnically diverse society, stemming from a history of inhabitants beginning with the original inhabitants of Jamaica (the [[Taíno\|Taínos]]). The Spaniards originally brought slavery to Jamaica. Then they were overthrown by the English. Jamaica later gained emancipation on 1 August 1838, and [[Independence of Jamaica\|independence from the British]] on 6 August 1962. Black slaves became the dominant cultural force as they suffered and resisted the harsh conditions of forced labour. After the abolition of slavery, Chinese and Indian migrants were transported to the island as [[indentured]] workers, bringing with them ideas from their country.{{Specify\|date=October 2023\|reason=what ideas}}		'''Jamaican culture''' consists of the religion, norms, values, and lifestyle that define the people of [[Jamaica]]. The culture is mixed, with an ethnically diverse society, stemming from a history of inhabitants beginning with the original inhabitants of Jamaica (the [[Taíno\|Taínos]]). The Spaniards originally brought slavery to Jamaica. Then they were overthrown by the English. Jamaica later gained emancipation on 1 August 1838, and [[Independence of Jamaica\|independence from the British]] on 6 August 1962. Black slaves became the dominant cultural force as they suffered and resisted the harsh conditions of forced labour. After the abolition of slavery, Chinese and Indian migrants were transported to the island as [[indentured]] workers, bringing with them ideas from their country.{{Specify\|date=October 2023\|reason=what ideas}}

	==Language==		==Language==
Line 50:		Line 50:
	[[Bruckins]] is a Jamaican dance performed to celebrate Emancipation Day.		[[Bruckins]] is a Jamaican dance performed to celebrate Emancipation Day.

	Dances:		'''List of Dances:'''
			{{columns-list\|colwidth=15em\|style=width: 1000px;\|

	*[[Bruckins]]		*[[Bruckins]]
	*[[Della Move]]		*[[Della Move]]
Line 145:		Line 147:
	*[[Wul Up]]		*[[Wul Up]]
	*[[Hula Hoop (dance)\|Hula Hoop]]		*[[Hula Hoop (dance)\|Hula Hoop]]
			}}

	==Theatre==		==Theatre==

imported>Cassandra Block: Fixed link for Seventh-day Adventists

2025-03-20T16:48:07Z

Fixed link for Seventh-day Adventists

New page

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
'''Jamaican culture''' consists of the religion, norms, values, and lifestyle that define the people of Jamaica. The culture is mixed, with an ethnically diverse society, stemming from a history of inhabitants beginning with the original inhabitants of Jamaica (the [[Taíno|Taínos]]). The Spaniards originally brought slavery to Jamaica. Then they were overthrown by the English. Jamaica later gained emancipation on 1 August 1838, and [[Independence of Jamaica|independence from the British]] on 6 August 1962. Black slaves became the dominant cultural force as they suffered and resisted the harsh conditions of forced labour. After the abolition of slavery, Chinese and Indian migrants were transported to the island as [[indentured]] workers, bringing with them ideas from their country.{{Specify|date=October 2023|reason=what ideas}}

==Language==
The official language of Jamaica is [[Jamaican English|Jamaican Standard English]], which is used in all official circumstances in the country. In addition to English, there is a creole derivative called [[Jamaican Patois]] (pronounced patwa, ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|æ|t|w|ɑː}})) which is the common language among Jamaican citizens.

==Religion==
{{Main article|Religion in Jamaica}}
By far, the largest religion in Jamaica is the [[Christianity|Christian faith]]. The [[Anglican Church]], [[Catholic Church]], [[Methodist Church]], [[Baptists]], [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-Day Adventists]] and the Church of God are present throughout the country. Many old churches have been carefully maintained and/or restored.<ref name="JNHTchurches">{{cite web|url=http://www.jnht.com/category.php?id=80|title=Churches|year=2005|publisher=[[Jamaica National Heritage Trust]]|access-date=21 October 2009|location=Kingston, Jamaica|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908183154/http://www.jnht.com/category.php?id=80|archive-date=8 September 2009}}</ref> The [[Rastafari movement]] is a derivative of the larger [[Christian culture]], but its origins were influenced by rising consciousness of Africa, and an awareness of political events in that continent. There is also a small number of Jewish synagogues in Jamaica, dating from the 17th century along with a few mosques. {{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

Elements of ancient African religions remain, especially in remote areas throughout the island. Some of these practices are described generally as [[Obeah]],
[[Kumina]], or Pocomania. Though the congregations are small, they are visited by many Christians and non-Christians seeking an experience they have not found in the churches.{{vague|date=June 2016}}{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} It is estimated that as much as 40% of the population secretly seek the services of the African traditional religious healers (also called Obeah workers) when confronted with serious problems that conventional medicine cannot remedy.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

The [[Baháʼí Faith]] arrived in Jamaica in 1943, brought by an American [[Pioneering (Baháʼí)|Baháʼí pioneer]], Dr. Malcolm King.<ref name="rites">{{Citation |last=Bridge |first=Abena |title=Divine rites – Uncovering the faiths |newspaper=The Jamaican Gleaner |date= 5 July 2000| url=http://old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20000705/News/News1.html}}</ref> In 2003, as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the establishment of Baháʼí in Jamaica, the Governor General of Jamaica, Sir [[Howard Cooke]], proclaimed a National Baháʼí Day to be held annually on 25 July.<ref name="4th">{{Citation |title=Jamaicans celebrate 4th National Baháʼí Day |publisher=Baháʼí World News Service |date=11 August 2006 |url=http://news.bahai.org/story/468}}</ref> In 2005, the community of about 5000<ref name="WCE-05">{{cite web |title=Most Baha'i Nations (2005) |publisher=The ARDA (Association of Religion Data Archives) |year=2005 |url=http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp |access-date=30 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414021730/http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp |archive-date=14 April 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> celebrated their activity and presence in Jamaica with the international Baháʼí choir, ''The Voices of Bahá''. The choir performed at Ward Theater and the University of the West Indies' Chapel, with proceeds earmarked to two Jamaican charities, (one serving families of policemen slain in the line of duty, and the one Denham Town Golden Age Home).<ref>{{cite press release |title=Voices of Baha to Perform in Kingston |publisher=Jamaica Information Service |date=29 June 2005 |url= http://www.jis.gov.jm/information/html/20050629t110000-0500_6159_jis_voices_of_baha_to_perform_in_kingston.asp |access-date=30 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612204010/http://www.jis.gov.jm/news/117/6159?mode=redirect |archive-date=12 June 2011 }}</ref>

Other religions practiced in Jamaica include [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], and [[Islam]].

===Rastafari===
{{Main article|Rastafari movement}}

[[File:Rastafarian Man In Rasta Cap.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Rastafarian]] man in a [[rastacap]] at a port of Jamaica's [[Black River, Jamaica|Black River]].]]
Originating in the 1930s,<ref>'' Dread History'' by Professor [[Robert A. Hill (Jamaican historian)|Robert A. Hill]] (2001), {{ISBN|0-948390-78-6}} {{ISBN|978-0948390784}}.</ref> one of the most prominent, internationally known aspects of Jamaica's African-Caribbean culture is the [[Rastafari]] movement, particularly those elements that are expressed through [[reggae]] music. In the 1970s and early 1980s, [[Bob Marley]] became the most high-profile exponent of the Rastafari culture and belief system. His reputation as an innovative musician devoted to his faith<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davebulow/wow/lyrics_bob_marley_-_we_and_them.htm |title=Words of Wisdom - Biblical Quotations in Reggae Lyrics |access-date=2009-02-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510012728/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davebulow/wow/lyrics_bob_marley_-_we_and_them.htm |archive-date=10 May 2009 }}</ref> has continued to grow since his death, so that by 2004 his greatest hits compilation, ''[[Legend (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)|Legend]]'', had sold 20 million copies worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2004/10/25/cx_2004deadcelebtears_9.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041027010747/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2004/10/25/cx_2004deadcelebtears_9.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 October 2004|title=The Top Earners For 2004|website=Forbes|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref> making him arguably the world's most famous Jamaican in the music industry, and certainly the nation's biggest-selling recording artist.

Rastafari itself is a [[monotheistic]] belief system, based on teachings found in the [[Old Testament]] and the [[New Testament]] – particularly the [[Book of Revelation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davebulow/wow/lyrics_bunny_wailer_-_armageddon.htm |title=Words of Wisdom - Biblical Quotations in Reggae Lyrics |access-date=2009-02-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519013252/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davebulow/wow/lyrics_bunny_wailer_-_armageddon.htm |archive-date=19 May 2009 }}</ref> However, what distinguishes Rastafari from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, (which also cite [[Abrahamic]] beliefs), is that Rastas believe in the divinity of the Emperor [[Haile Selassie]] of [[Ethiopia]].

Hailed by Rastas as H.I.M. (His Imperial Majesty), [[Haile Selassie I]] is regarded as God himself, the true descendant of [[Solomon]], and the earthly embodiment of [[Jah]] (God)<ref>[http://dooballoh.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=12982 Anthony B: Lyrics to 'Conquer All".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125084731/http://dooballoh.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=12982 |date=25 January 2011 }}</ref> – in what believers see as a fulfillment of prophecy regarding [[the second coming]] of the [[Messiah]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davebulow/wow/lyrics_lee_scratch_perry_-_soul_rebel.htm |title=Words of Wisdom - Biblical Quotations in Reggae Lyrics |access-date=2009-02-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014190233/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davebulow/wow/lyrics_lee_scratch_perry_-_soul_rebel.htm |archive-date=14 October 2008 }}</ref>

Those Rasta beliefs, which are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible (such as the specific name of H.I.M. "Haile Selassie"), are not gathered into a single holy text. Instead, Rasta beliefs are primarily shared through a community of songs, chants, and oral testimonies, as well as in written texts (including websites).<ref>[http://www.earthcultureroots.com/ Earth Culture Roots]. A website explaining Rasta beliefs.</ref> The extensive use of song makes Rastafari a particularly musical source of Jamaican culture.

Rasta cultural traditions include wearing their hair in uncut, uncombed strands known as [[dreadlocks]] (in adherence to the [[Nazarite]] vow<ref>Numbers 6:1–21 ([[King James Version]])</ref>), as well as eating unprocessed (natural) foods which are called ''[[Ital]]''. However, neither tradition is regarded as compulsory – many people who wear dreadlocks are not Rastas, and many Rastas do not wear them.

One of the most controversial cultural traditions is Rastas' use of [[Cannabis (drug)|ganja]] as a [[sacrament]] which is smoked to aid in [[reasoning]] ([[contemplation]] and discussion) during their religious rituals.

In its Jamaican homeland, Rastafari is a minority culture and receives little in the way of official recognition. Jamaica is an overwhelmingly Christian country, so Rasta beliefs and practices – such as the divinity of H.I.M Hailie Selassie – are sometimes regarded as [[pagan]] by Christian Jamaicans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/westernnews/html/20090211T220000-0500_146094_OBS_RAS_TAFARI_CHALLENGED__.asp |title=Archived copy |access-date=26 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226053150/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/westernnews/html/20090211T220000-0500_146094_OBS_RAS_TAFARI_CHALLENGED__.asp |archive-date=26 February 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (Some Rastas also express hostility towards aspects of Christianity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songlyrics.com/bob-marley/talking-blues/197464|title=Talking Blues - BOB MARLEY|website=SongLyrics.com|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref>) Nevertheless, the artistic contributions of the movement, particularly by Bob Marley, are widely respected. Marley was awarded the [[Jamaican Order of Merit]] in 1981, and there are two official monuments to him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nlj.org.jm/docs/marley_bibliography.htm|title=Bob Marley Bibliography|access-date=16 October 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130034229/http://www.nlj.org.jm/docs/marley_bibliography.htm|archive-date=30 January 2009}}</ref>

Rastas can be found in many countries outside Jamaica and among many non-Jamaicans. Because it is not a centrally organised religion, there is no way of knowing how many devotees there are.

==Dance==
Dance has always been important to Jamaica – from colonial times until the present. Early folk rhythms and movements often enhanced Christian religious celebrations or were associated with Christian holidays. More recently, dances have become associated with the [[music of Jamaica]], particularly [[dancehall]] styles.

Dance theatre is also growing in importance. [[Rex Nettleford]], [[Eddy Thomas]], [[Tony Wilson]], [[Olive Lewin]], and [[Edna Manley]] are five Jamaicans whose influences on the arts – music and dance in particular – have been extremely important. Nettleford, Thomas, and [[Ivy Baxter]] formed the [[National Dance Theatre Company]] in 1962.<ref>National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica. Tony Wilson danced with the [[Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance]] & [[Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre]] prior to founding his dance company, [[The Company Dance Theatre]] </ref> Other important Jamaicans in dance theatre have included the [[Tony Award]]-winning choreographer [[Garth Fagan]] (''[[The Lion King]]'' on Broadway).

Dancehall, or [[reggae]], music has inspired a number of dance styles as well. To understand the evolution of popular dance, it helps to understand the musical progression. [[Ska]] music, with fast beats, also had fast dances. The slow to [[rocksteady]] also developed slower dances, allowing dancers to stay on the floor longer. [[Reggae]] is associated with many things, including the [[Rastafarian]] movement, but influenced the newer styles.

[[Dancehall]] music often creates its own dances based on moves in the lyrics of the songs themselves. [[Soca music]] from [[Trinidad and Tobago]] is popular with most of the popular artists from Trinidad, but many soca Jamaican artists such as [[Byron Lee]], Fab 5, and Lovindeer are famous but also represent Jamaican music.

[[Daggering]] is a form of dance originating from Jamaica. The dance incorporates [[Non-penetrative sex|dry sex]],<ref name="censoring">{{cite web |url=http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20090212/cleisure/cleisure1.html |title=The Jamaica Star :: Commentary :: Censoring daggering :: February 12, 2009 |access-date=2010-10-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114125853/http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20090212/cleisure/cleisure1.html |archive-date=14 January 2012 }}</ref> wrestling and other forms of frantic movement.<ref name="censoring" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://yinnyang.co.uk/2010/05/daggering-101-a-tutorial/|title=Daggering 101… a Tutorial|website=Yinnyang.co.uk|access-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117014640/http://yinnyang.co.uk/2010/05/daggering-101-a-tutorial/|archive-date=17 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Bruckins]] is a Jamaican dance performed to celebrate Emancipation Day.

Dances:
*[[Bruckins]]
*[[Della Move]]
*[[Blasé (dance)|Blasé]]
*[[Fling (Jamaican dance)|Fling]]
*[[Needle Eye]]
*[[Bogle dance]]
*[[Whine (dance)|Whine]]
*[[Daggering]]
*[[Grinding (dance)|Grinding]]
*[[Bump (dance)|Bump]]
*[[Twerking]]
*[[Skanking]]
*[[Dancehall]]
*[[Burru]]
*[[Dinki-minni]]
*[[Ettu (dance)|Ettu]]
*[[Gerreh]]
*[[Gumbay]]
*[[Jonkunnu]]
*[[Kumina]]
*[[Maypole]]
*[[Myal]]
*[[Quadrille]]
*[[Tambu (music)|Tambu]]
*[[Zella (dance)|Zella]]
*[[Nuh Linga]]
*[[Syvah]]
*[[Lowe Mi]]
*[[Log On]]
*[[Butterfly dance]]
*[[Stookie (dance)|Stookie]]
*[[Skip To My Lou]]
*[[Gully Creepa]]
*[[Willie Bounce]]
*[[Tek Weh Yourself]]
*[[Whine & Dip]]
*[[Mambo (dance)|Mambo]]
*[[One Drop (dance)|One Drop]]
*[[Bad Man Forward Bad Man Pull Up]]
*[[Bubbling (dance)|Bubbling]]
*[[Whine & Kotch]]
*[[Like Glue]]
*[[To Di World]]
*[[Screetchie]]
*[[One Vice]]
*[[Revival (dance)|Revival]]
*[[Breakdancing]]
*[[Shovel It]]
*[[Sweep (dance)|Sweep]]
*[[Wacky Dip]]
*[[Tic Toc (dance)|Tic Toc]]
*[[Jiggy (dance)|Jiggy]]
*[[Out & Bad]]
*[[Row Di Boat]]
*[[Team Up]]
*[[Upload (dance)|Upload]]
*[[Voom (dance)|Voom]]
*[[H-Factor]]
*[[Bruk Back]]
*[[Rolly Polly]]
*[[Hot Yuk]]
*[[Flairy]]
*[[Palance (dance)|Palance]]
*[[Nuh Grain No Corn]]
*[[Passa Passa]]
*[[Dutty Bung Bang]]
*[[Scooby Doo (dance)|Scooby Doo]]
*[[Mad Ova]]
*[[Chiney Bounce]]
*[[Go Go Wine]]
*[[Bumpa (dance)|Bumpa]]
*[[Rock Away (dance)|Rock Away]]
*[[Rocksteady]]
*[[Big Up (dance)|Big Up]]
*[[Signal di Plane]]
*[[Rum and Red Bull]]
*[[Dandymite]]
*[[Logwood Walk]]
*[[Dutty Steppin]]
*[[Rockaz]]
*[[Headtop]]
*[[Pon de River, Pon de Bank]]
*[[Poco Dance]]
*[[Azonto]]
*[[Chakacha]]
*[[Sento (dance)|Sento]]
*[[Shaku Shaku]]
*[[Ska]]
*[[Heel and Toe (dance)|Heel and Toe]]
*[[Genna Bounce]]
*[[Ras Daps]]
*[[Level Up (dance)|Level Up]]
*[[Wul Up]]
*[[Hula Hoop (dance)|Hula Hoop]]

==Theatre==
Jamaica's earliest theatre was built in 1682. Several more theatres opened in the 1700s and 1800s, attracting performances by both professional touring companies and amateur groups. But performances weren't limited to official venues. Many took place in houses, stores, courthouses, and enclosed outdoor spaces large enough to hold them. During this period, classic plays such as [[Shakespeare]] were most often produced. However, the Jewish and French communities became large enough to merit productions aimed at them, too.

After the abolishment of slavery, Jamaicans began fusing music, humour, and dance into public theatrical performances. Although it took many years for true Jamaican styles to develop, eventually they became more prevalent than European works. Today's most popular theatrical form in Jamaica, [[pantomime]], began in the 1940s as a fusion of English pantomime with Jamaican folklore. Another popular style, "Roots" (Grassroots) Theatre,<ref>'' The Cambridge Guide to African and Caribbean Theatre'', Martin Banham and Errol Hill.</ref> evolved in the 1960s and 1970s. These riotous bawdy tales remained crowd favourites in Kingston's open-air theatres.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090405/ent/ent3.html |title=Jamaica Gleaner News - Roots theatre declared 'dead' - Now under the 'mainstream theatre' umbrella - Entertainment - Sunday | April 5, 2009 |access-date=2014-12-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413150034/http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090405/ent/ent3.html |archive-date=13 April 2009 }}</ref>

One artist involved in root plays is Winsome (code name), a Jamaican writer and producer chronicled in Deborah Thomas' book "Modern Blackness". Winsome handled all the publicity for her plays herself, and ended up putting them on in the rural areas surrounding Kingston – the city theaters refused to house her plays because of their controversial nature. In her plays, Winsome explores how sex, money, and power interact every day for Jamaicans. In 1997, Winsome wrote and produced a root play entitled Ruff Rider, in which family, sexual abuse, love, work, and friendship all intersect. According to author Thomas, author of, "In all of her work, the sympathetic characters are those she portrays as struggling to balance their own pursuit of individual gain with 'living well together' with others. As they negotiate the fine lines between egalitarianism and hierarchy, her characters also contribute to the public debate regarding the gendered dimensions of respectability and reputation."<ref>Thomas, Deborah. ''Modern Blackness: Nationalism, Globalization, and the Politics of Culture in Jamaica.'' Durham, N.C.: [[Duke University Press]], 2004.</ref>

Other notable roots play figures include Ralph Holness, Ginger Knight, Balfour Anderson, Michael Denton, Ian Reid, Paul Beil, Everton Dawkins, Luke Ellington (Lukington), Buddy Pouyat and the late Hyacinth Brown.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060122/ent/ent1.html |title=Jamaica Gleaner News - ROOTS PLAYS TONE DOWN - Sunday | January 22, 2006 |access-date=2008-01-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702053832/http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060122/ent/ent1.html |archive-date=2 July 2008 }}</ref>

==Literature and writing==
{{Further|Jamaican literature}}
[[Derek Walcott]], a [[Nobel Prize]] laureate, born and educated in St. Lucia, attended college in Jamaica. Other significant writers from the island include [[Claude McKay]] and [[Louis Simpson]]. Plays and works in Jamaican English, or [[patois]], attract special attention. [[Louise Bennett]], [[Andrew Salkey]] and [[Mikey Smith]] have contributed to this phenomenon by writing works in patois. [[Ian Fleming]] wrote his famous [[James Bond]] novels while living in Jamaica. [[Jean Rhys]] is also well known for her novel ''[[Wide Sargasso Sea]]'', which was set in Jamaica. Jamaican writer [[Marlon James (novelist)|Marlon James]] won the 2015 [[Man Booker Prize]] for his novel ''[[A Brief History of Seven Killings]]''.

Jamaican authors are always faced with the decision of writing in standard English for a huge worldwide audience, or in the local patois, for a much smaller, but more trendy, audience. Jamaican films with patois sound-tracks such as ''[[The Harder They Come]]'' (1972) require sub-titles for export to general markets. In general, the use of patois severely limits the potential audience for the otherwise universal Jamaican message.

Recent [[poets laureate]] of Jamaica include [[Mervyn Morris]] (appointed in 2014) and his successor [[Lorna Goodison]], appointed in 2017.<ref>Richard Johnson, [http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Goodison-is-poet-laureate_93059 "Goodison is poet laureate"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602105018/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Goodison-is-poet-laureate_93059 |date=2 June 2019 }}, ''[[Jamaica Observer]]'', 20 March 2017.</ref>

==Film==
{{Further|List of Jamaican films}}
Jamaica's film industry is not widely known, but it is growing. ''[[The Harder They Come]]'', ''[[Rasta Rockett]]'', ''[[Shottas]]'', ''[[Third World Cop]]'', ''[[Rockers (1978 film)|Rockers]]'', ''[[Countryman (film)|Countryman]]'', ''[[Dancehall Queen]]'' & " Real Ghetto Youths" are a few of the best-known Jamaican movies. However, many popular Hollywood movies have also been filmed in Jamaica. A short list includes ''[[The Blue Lagoon (1980 film)|The Blue Lagoon]]'', ''[[Cocktail (1988 film)|Cocktail]]'', ''[[Cool Runnings]]'' and [[James Bond]] films, ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]],'' ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]] and [[No Time to Die]].''

Jamaica's leading annual film event ''The Reggae Film Festival'' takes place each February in Jamaica's capital city, Kingston. Members of Jamaica's film industry gather here to make new links and many new projects have grown from the event.

Jamaica has many talented film makers but there is a great lack of available funds and resources for filmmakers. Since the creation of the [[Reggae Film Festival]] there have been many new films made in Jamaica and the event has given the industry a real boost, this combined with the recent CARICOM European film treaty which enables Jamaican filmmakers to seek funding in Europe, has opened up a new door for film makers looking to apply for funding and this will hopefully make a real difference to the future of the industry.

Other more recent feature films made in Jamaica are: 'Almost Heaven', 'Roots Time', 'Wah Do Dem', 'Concrete Jungle', 'Redemption Paradise', 'Real Ghetto Youths', and 'Smile Orange'.

==Sport==
{{Main article|Sport in Jamaica}}

==Woodwork, furniture, and metalwork==
Jamaicans have a long history of fine craftsmanship in wood and metal. Jamaica was home to many excellent furniture factories dating from colonial times, and [[Jamaican Georgian architecture|Jamaican "Georgian" furniture]] was exported to the metropolitan countries.
Jamaica is in the Caribbean so its exports of furniture is important.

==See also==
{{portal|Jamaica}}
* [[Jamaican art]]
* [[Jamaican English]]
* [[Jamaican Georgian architecture]]
* [[John Canoe]], ritual
* [[Kariba suit]]
* [[List of museums in Jamaica]]
* [[Mauger (Jamaican Patois term)]]
* [[Music of Jamaica]]
* [[National Gallery of Jamaica]]
* [[Nine nights]], funerary tradition
* [[Public holidays in Jamaica]]
* [[Pushcart derby]], street race
* [[Ratchet knife]]
* [[Jamaican cuisine]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Mordecai, Martin and Pamela. ''Culture and Customs of Jamaica''. Greenwood Press. 2001.
* Hill, Errol. ''The Jamaican Stage, 1655–1900: Profile of a Colonial Theatre''. [[University of Massachusetts Press]]. 1992.

==External links==
* [https://archive.today/20130414114435/http://www.cdtjamaica.org/ The Company Dance Theatre Jamaica]
* [http://www.jnht.com/ Jamaica National Heritage Trust]
* [http://www.politicalarticles.net/blog/2008/11/28/more-jamaicans-identifying-with-african-culture-embracing-their-african-roots/ Embracing their African roots] – More Jamaicans identifying with African culture — ''PoliticalArticles.NET''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120616095623/http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20071104/arts/arts1.html Jamaican art and culture in the tourism sector, an interview with Jane Issa]
* [http://www.maxearlejamaica.com/ Jamaican art and culture reflectively captured in photography by Max Earle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006021346/http://maxearlejamaica.com/ |date=6 October 2016 }}

{{Jamaica topics}}
{{North America in topic|Culture of}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culture Of Jamaica}}
[[Category:Culture of Jamaica| ]]

Culture of Jamaica - Revision history

imported>Epicgenius: Link Jamaica, as that article is directly related to the content of this article. Other topics like "Spaniards", "English", etc. are correctly not linked per WP:OVERLINK, but Jamaica isn't an overlink here.

imported>Cassandra Block: Fixed link for Seventh-day Adventists