The Road Travelled
"History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul."
John Dalberg-Acton
It was Marcus Garvey who once posited that a people without knowledge of their history, culture and traditions are like a tree without roots. This is indeed true as it has been scientifically proven that those who are knowledgable of their past often avoid making similar errors or mistakes that their forefathers once made. Additionally, our history enables us to appreciate our past and provides a narrative which can be utilised to plot our furture. The history of Jamaica is as diverse and colourful as its culture with both terms being directly correlated with each other. The Jamaican archives show that our history is influenced by a plethora of historical processes such as the settlement of the indigenous peoples on the island, the subsequent Spanish and British colonisation of Jamaican territory, the introduction of West- African slave labour on sugracane plantations, Emancipation, the importation of indentured laboueres, Independence and the achievement of political autonomy. Through these processes, Jamaican history and culture became enrichened.
 Road Troddings Laid bare chronologically, this timeline is your go to for a short, informative graphical representation of the major historical processes that occurred on the island. It gives the exact dates and periods for which these events took place and the people that were impacted or influenced by each process. The use of symbols from Jamaica's Coat of Arms and pictorial representation of each of the people who came provides the cherry on top of this timeline. |
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 Brick pan Brick Showcasing the chronology of the major historical processes that influenced the history, culture and traditions of Jamaica; this illustration is not only simple but informative. |
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 Come Ah Labrish Livid Jamaican grandmammas often tell their chatty grandchildren to "kibba yuh mout". This jargon is used as a precautionary warning to children about the dangers of gossiping and spreading rumors. However, this illustration advices you to do the opposite, check out the wall of important newspaper clippings documenting the history of Jamaica. Do us a favor and spread the news aka 'labrish'. |
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 Hol' A Medz In the American fairytale, Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, but, in Jamaica Humpty a hol' a medz. In the Jamaican lingua this simply means to sit and ponder on things to be. Check out the wall on which this egg is precariously perched. Notice not only its design but the different adjectives that can be used to describe the beautiful island of Jamaica. |
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 The Blood Bath they Caused If you have an inkling of Caribbean or Jamaican history, then you will indeed be knowledgeable of one of the island's darkest time periods- slavery and colonization. Not only were millions of Africans forcibly taken from their homes and transported to the Caribbean during the horrendous Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, but they were also subjected to countless horrors once they arrived. This tragedy plagued not only the generations that suffered through this fate but also has a deep impact on the current and future generations, who are still grappling to deal with the aftershocks of what their ancestors lived. |
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 Jamaican Heroes and From where they Hail With six heroes and an heroine, Jamaica is indeed one blessed isle filled with patriotic and nationalist citizens who when called upon exercise their rights and responsibilities, fighting against societal injustices and ensure the common good of their fellow countrymen. |
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