6th August: Jamaica Independence Day

Jamaica Independence day is today. Here are some things you may not know about Jamaica:

1. The first people to live in Jamaica were the Arawak and Taino peoples. It is from these people that the country gets its name, as the Arawakan word for it was Xaymaca meaning "Land of Wood and Water". The Taino language has given us the words cassava, maize, papaya and savannah - but the people, who were enslaved by the Spanish, had all died out by the time the island became British.
2. Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1494, and called it Santiago (St James). Spain ruled it until 1655, when the British arrived and changed its name to Jamaica. The British wanted to take possession of the slaves the Spanish had left behind, but they weren't having it, and fought back. In the end, these people, the Maroons, struck a peace treaty with Britain and were allowed to remain free. Their descendants now live in Accompong in western Jamaica and Moore Town in eastern Jamaica. The British brought their own slaves over from Africa, and the descendants of these slaves make up most of the population today.
3. Jamaicans refer to their home island as the "Rock", or other slang names like "Jamrock", "Jamdown", or simply, "Ja".
4. Jamaica is quite a small country (Area 10,991 km2/4,244 sq mi Population just under three million) but has been very influential to popular music. It gave us reggae, of course, and also ska, mento, rocksteady, dub, dancehall and ragga. Punk had its roots in reggae and ska. Reggae has influenced American rap music, and Jamaican communities in the US produced Jungle and Hip hop. Famous musicians to come from Jamaica include Peter Tosh, Desmond Dekker, Shaggy, Grace Jones, Shabba Ranks, and of course, Bob Marley.
5. The country has also done very well in the sporting arena. Usain Bolt, the world record holder in the 100m and 200m is Jamaican. In 1997, Jamaica became the first English-speaking Caribbean country to qualify for a FIFA World Cup. Boxers Chris Eubank, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno are of Jamaican descent. Jamaica even has a bobsleigh team which has competed in several Winter Olympics, despite a distinct lack of snow. The film Cool Runnings is based on them.
6. Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, lived in Jamaica in a house he named Goldeneye. Many of his novels were set there, including Live and Let Die, Doctor No, For Your Eyes Only, The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy and The Living Daylights.
7. Jamaica is one of only two countries in the world not to have any red, white or blue on its Flag (the other is Mauritania). The colours are Green for hope and agriculture, Yellow for natural resources and sunshine, and Black for creativity and courage.
8. Kingston Harbour is the seventh-largest natural harbour in the world, which was a deciding factor in it being chosen as the capital in 1872.
9. Snakes are rare in Jamaica. Most of them were eaten by mongooses which were imported to get rid of Rats from the cane fields.
10. The national bird is the red-billed streamertail (or doctor bird); the national flower – lignum vitae; the national tree: blue mahoe; the national fruit: ackee; the national motto: "Out of Many, One People"; the national dish is Ackee and Saltfish.

My Books

As well as this blog, I also write fiction and have published two novels (Death and Faxes and Glastonbury Swan) and a collection of short stories (Jigsaw). If you like ghost stories, crime stories, a bit of romance and anything slightly bizarre you might enjoy them. 

Further details on my books page