NDTC’s RISE Carries Rex Nettleford’s Legacy to a New Generation
More than six decades after its founding, the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC) continues to preserve and celebrate the island’s cultural heritage while passing its artistic legacy to a new generation of performers. That enduring mission takes centre stage in RISE: Rituals of Home, Heritage & Thanksgiving, which the company will present in […]
Jamaican Couple Brings Tallawah Spirit to Canada’s Dragons’ Den
When Jamaican-born entrepreneurs Faith and Hercules Grant stepped into the spotlight on Canada’s Dragons’ Den, they brought with them more than a line of topical pain relief products. Behind their pitch was a story that began over four decades ago in Jamaica, where a chance encounter between two physiotherapists blossomed into a marriage and business […]
On This Day: Colin Channer, Jamaican Writer and Co-Founder of Calabash, Was Born
On October 13th, 1963, Jamaican novelist, poet and literary advocate Colin Channer was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Best known for his acclaimed debut novel Waiting in Vain and as a co-founder of the Calabash International Literary Festival, Channer has built an international literary career shaped by the language, music and storytelling traditions of his homeland. […]
The Jamaican Experiment That Changed How the World Thinks About Early Childhood
Nearly four decades before three researchers received one of the world’s largest education prizes, they were working with undernourished young children and their families in Jamaica, testing what was then a relatively simple idea: could helping parents play, talk and interact more with their children change the course of those children’s lives? Decades later, they […]
Cardi B and Keyshia Cole Join National Stadium’s Long History of Major International Acts
For generations of Jamaicans, the National Stadium has been the backdrop to some of the country’s biggest moments, from historic sporting events and state occasions to performances by international superstars. Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5 are among the legendary acts who have graced its stage, and on October 18th, another global superstar will join […]
Jabari’s People Turns a Familiar Cultural Premise Into a Deeper Story About Connectedness
For generations, Jamaican families living overseas have turned to a familiar solution when a young person needs a change of environment. They send them back home. Sometimes it is about discipline or getting a young person away from influences that have the adults in their lives worried. Sometimes it is about perspective, reconnecting them with […]
Jamaicans.com Live: Are You a ‘Real’ Jamaican If Yuh Bawn a Farrin?
Ask a Jamaican what makes someone Jamaican and you are likely to get plenty of answers. Maybe it is where you were born. Maybe it is who your parents are. Maybe it is the food, the music, the language, the culture or simply that unmistakable feeling of knowing Jamaica is home. But for Jamaicans born […]
A Jamaican Rom-Com Set in Jamaica? Why Not?
Jamaica is no stranger to the romantic comedy. The island has provided the backdrop for several love stories on screen, perhaps most famously How Stella Got Her Groove Back, which sent its American heroine to Jamaica in search of rest and ultimately romance. But what happens when Jamaica isn’t simply the destination for somebody else’s […]
From Crime Noir to Duppies: Jamaican Stories Are Having a Moment on Screen
Something interesting has been happening on our screens over the past two years. Across television series, feature films, pilots and shorts, Jamaican stories are showing up in greater variety and in unexpected places. There is crime noir on the streets of Kingston, Jamaican immigrants fighting their way through Victorian London and Marcus Garvey returning as […]
Two Jamaicans Among 12 Selected for Prestigious Yale Cultural Heritage Fellowship
Two Jamaican cultural heritage leaders from the Institute of Jamaica are among just 12 people selected for the second cohort of the Yale Directors Forum (YDF), a highly selective fellowship for executive leaders responsible for preserving and managing cultural heritage. Dr. Kirt Henry, director of the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank, and Faith […]