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Revision as of 18:35, 21 December 2005 by Jasmith (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)As the original Arawak Indians all died, Jamaican culture represents a rich blend of cultures that have since inhabited the island. The many people that make up the island include Europeans, Africans, and immigrants from the Middle East and Asia. Many different European influences were felt during the colonial period, and much of the island patois was influenced by Spanish, African, and Arawak words, despite Jamaica's status as a British colony.
Rastafari
The best know side of Jamaican culture is reggae music, and the Rastafarians who are recognised all over the world for playing what is a distinctively syncopated style that arose from another Jamaican sound, ska. Bob Marley, from Kingston, is doubtless the best known performer of this style.
Other
Derek Walcott, a Nobel prize laureate, 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 Michael Smith have contributed to this phenomenon by writing works in patois. Ian Fleming wrote his famous James Bond novels while living in Jamaica.
See also
For more information on Jamaican music, see Music of Jamaica.
For more information on the National Gallery of Jamaica, see National Gallery of Jamaica.
For more information on Rasta, see Rastafari movement.
For more information on the patois, see Jamaican English.
External Links
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