Jamaican Culture Essay

Jamaica, commonly seen as a laidback island paradise great for vacationing, actually bears the distinction of being one of the most homophobic place on earth. (Jackson) Jamaica is a small island about 480 miles south of Florida. It’s a constitutional monarchy with a prime minister who leads the majority party in Parliament, and the economy depends on tourism, as well as the production of bananas, sugar, and other various manufactured goods (Jamaica World 23). However Jamaica has its issues. Its strong religious beliefs, which are shared by many members of the Jamaican society, meaning that Christian values have embedded themselves in the secular state. Jamaica’s Offences Against Persons Acts, for example, states that sexual relations between
When Christianity first surfaced in Jamaica in 1504, due to the arrival of the Spanish, the indigenous people became slaves. (Jamaican Religion) They were not allowed to practice any religious besides Christianity because slave owners wished to break the spirits of the slaves and keep them from being united; basically, they feared that allowing African slaves to retain their old values and religions would eventually culminate in a revolution (Sheehan and Black). Eventually, many people in Jamaica began to embrace the Christian religion because it was an outlet from abusive slavery. Religion soon became a way of life in the Jamaican culture, especially after the Great Revival, a surge in the presence of Christianity which “started in the non-conformist churches, using vibrant evangelism to spread Christianity throughout the country.” (Jamaican Religion) Over time many other denominations materialized on Jamaican soil, such as Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Moravians, Baptists, Methodists and Rastafarians. As the years went on, Christianity remained one of the most prominent aspects of Jamaican life and a mainstay in the nation’s culture (Jamaican’s