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Jamaican Cultural Information Jamaican Government and Politics Jamaican Reggae Reggae is the heartbeat of Jamaica, and it is as strongly identified wit the island as R&B is with Detroit or jazz with New Orleans. To Jamaicans, reggae has two distinct meanings: first, it is a generic term for all popular Jamaican music, and more particularly, it refers to specific beat and style popular from about 1969 to 1983. Reggae evolved from romantic-themed rock-steady but was fired i a crucible of tensions and social protest simmering violently in the lat 1960s and early 1970s. Jamaicans will tell you that reggae mean 'comin' from de people,' a phrase coined (as was the name reggae itself) by Frederick Toots' Hibbert of Toots & the Maytals in the single 'Do Th Reggay' in 1968. The music expresses a yearning for respect, self-identity, and affirmation. Early reggae was experimental and ranged widely, incorporating the jerky instrumentals of session bands and the sweet harmonies of established vocal groups, while inventing new types of rhythms. Rebel Music & Roots Reggae Rastafarians came to dominate the scene by the mid-1970s with their 'rebel music.' Rebel singers such as Max Romeo, the anguished Junio Byles, and Winston 'Niney' Holness forcefully imbued their recording with traditional Rasta chants. Instrumental to their success was the influence of radical producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry, who tinged their music with a slow, edgy mood of 'dread,' a foreboding style suggestive of impending violence that resonated among the island populace. Perhaps the most profound rebel entree was the eye-popping debut in 1969, of Burning Spear (Winston Rodney), who attained International status in the mid-1970s when his epochal Marcus Garvey album established him as the quintessential rebel singer. Meanwhile, all three of the Wailers had become Rastafarians and now sported dreadlocks. As disillusion with Manley's PNP government deepened, Rastafarianism gained ground among the general populace. In 1970, Perry began to coach Bob Marley toward a new voice that led to an outpouring of relatively unknown recordings that musicologists acclaim as representing the Wailers at their peak. By the mid-1970s nyahbinghi drumming and Rasta chants were common rhythm elements, played in an updated, in-vogue version of the rocksteady rhythm, known as 'rockers.' The genre had also earned a new moniker- 'roots reggae' -and was poised for international acclaim (see the boxed text, 'Bob Marley -Reggae Royalty'). Ironically, Marley's songs initially received relatively little airplay in Jamaica, where the music - redolent with menacing social protest- was anti-establishment. (Reggae was actually banned from the airwaves.) Jamaica's only other self-contained reggae band to reach stardom was Third World (Burning Spear was essentially a solo performer), who also signed to Island Records, as did Black Uhuru, who proved perhaps the most dynamic - and militant - reggae act of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The era was dominated by male performers, although the I-Threes -Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, and above all, Marcia Griffiths - had solo hits. By the early 1980s, local audiences were tiring of the socially conscious lyrics that were an integral part of roots reggae, often made for an international audience. Jamaican music was taking a new direction -more in tune with the changing focus of ghetto youth. An Explosion of Sounds Some Jamaicans' experiments have also yielded intriguing hybrids. In 1996, the Taxi Gang's 'Western Farm' utilized country and western (even Lady Saw has blended country into dancehall ragga). Buccaneer's outrageous 'Sketel Concerto1 brought opera into ragga. Reggae artist Gibby discovered heavy metal. The venerable Wailing Soul invoked a psychedelic tinge. And Sly & Robbie have created 'Latin reggae,' melding Cuban influences into the music scene. Jazz has also begun to influence reggae in a big way, beginning in 1995 when jazz-propelled recordings were released by leading artists such as Spragga Benz, Papa San, and Beenie Man. And ska has had an enduring albeit malleable renaissance and, more recently, has been melded with jazz into a style called 'skazz,' a free-form hip-hop/ska/jazz combo, and even Christian ska bands, ska/punk (called 'ska-core'), and a fusion of ska with Latin sounds called 'salska.' Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers are the most commercially successful of all Jamaican musical acts, with a crossover audience that even Ziggy's dad would be proud of. Ziggy etched his own sound - albeit heavily influenced by his father-aimed at the international market, with little regard for ragga or other evolutions in the dancehall market. He experimented with acoustic reggae in the 1999 album Spirit of Music. One of Jamaica’s greatest allures is its idyllic tropical maritime climate. Coastal temperatures average a near-constant 80F to 86F year-round. Temperatures fall steadily with increasing altitude but even in the Blue Mountains average 65F or more. Down by the shore, days are cooled be warm trade winds – known as “doctor breeze”. A less noticeable nocturnal offshore breeze is known locally as ‘the undertaker’. Cool ‘northers’ can also blow December to March, when cold fronts that bring freezing conditions to Florida can affect Jamaica. Annual rainfall average 78 inches, but there are considerable variations nationwide, with the eastern (or windward) coast receiving considerably more rain than elsewhere on the island. Parts of the John Crow and Blue Mountains receive an average of 300 inches a year. By contrast, the south coast sees little rain and in places is semibarren. A “rainy season” begins in May or June and extends through November or December, with the heaviest rains in September and October. Rain can fall at any time of year, however, and normally comes in short, heavy showers, often followed by sun. Although Jamaica lies in the Caribbean “hurricane belt”, relatively few hurricanes touch it. Officially the hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30; August and September are peak months. Jamaican Government and Politics Jamaica inherits its political institutions from Britain. It is a stable parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth. Although Jamaica is independent, its titular head of state is Queen Elizabeth II of England. She is represented by a Jamaican-born governor general (often referred to as 'GG' by islanders), who is appointed on the advice of the prime minister and a six-member Privy Council. The governor's duties are largely ceremonial and include appointing the prime minister, who is always the leader of the majority party after each national election. Executive power resides with a cabinet appointed and led by the prime minister, and which is responsible to Jamaica's Parliament. Parliament consists of a bicameral legislature - a 60-member elected House of Representatives and a nominated 21-seat Senate, of which 13 members are appointed by the prime minister and eight by the leader of the opposition. The Senate's main function is to review legislation sent forward by the elected House. The House may override a Senate veto, but a two-thirds vote in both houses is required to change Jamaica's constitution. A full parliamentary term is five years. The governor, however, may call a national election at any time the prime minister requests. Political Parties Post-independence Jamaican politics has been largely a struggle between two parties: the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). There are also a handful of minor parties, including the United People's Party, formed in 2001 as a third party alternative to the ineffectual National Democratic Movement. The PNP is a social-democratic party closely affiliated to the National Worker's Union. The PNP's leader is PJ Patterson, the current prime minister, whose political philosophy blends free-market economics with a large dose of government largesse. The Military Jamaica has no army, navy, or air force. However, the Jamaica Defense Force, comprising 2500 members, is a well-armed and highly efficient military unit with its own Coast Guard and Air Wing. It works closely with the US Drug Enforcement Agency in drug interdiction. Police The average policeman or policewoman on the street is exemplary: civil, courteous, and dedicated to upholding the law. The force boasts a well-armed, militaristic component that does duty in a vigorous battle against drug lords and syndicated crime figures. Most police carry guns, and it is not unusual to see heavily armed patrols (usually during drug searches) bearing fearsome weaponry. Officers of the Resort Patrol Services patrol the major resorts to guard the welfare of tourists. |
