Where is the Black Man’s Government? Marcus Garvey and the Founding of the UNIA
On August 1st, 1914, Jamaican national hero Marcus Garvey, at only 27 years old, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) as a means of uniting all of Africa and its diaspora into ‘one grand racial hierarchy’. The vision for the UNIA came to Garvey upon reading Up from Slavery, the […]
Hot for “Cheerleader:” Jamaican Singer, OMI Hit Ranks at Top of Hot 100 Chart
While it may seem that Jamaica’s OMI has achieved overnight success with his Number 1 hit “Cheerleader,” the singer has actually been working on the reggae-pop song for some seven years. OMI first released the track in 2012 with Oufah, a Jamaican label. In 2014, a remix of the song was released by Felix Jaehn, […]
Dancing in the eye of the Storm, Reggae Jam Germany 2015 Review
Last weekend before heading out to this year´s Reggae Jam Germany, I posted to my Facebook account about how much this relatively small reggae festival of 12,000 always reminds me of festivals back home in Jamaica. Minus the overzealous policing that we were subject to last year pre and post festival, it is undoubtedly one […]
Waiting for Emancipation Day
Arguably, the strongest point of shared history between Afro-Caribbean and African-American communities is the blight of slavery. But Caribbean slaves in the British colonies won their freedom some 30 years before American slaves were granted theirs. The British Caribbean islands celebrate “Emancipation Day” on August 1st or the first Monday in August. It is the […]
Richie Stephens’ ‘knock, Knock, Knock’ #1 Song in Brazil
With Richie Stephens’ single ‘Knock, Knock, Knock’ from the album ‘Real Reggae Music’ currently the #1 song in Brazil, it is not surprising that the award winning singer is confirmed to perform there for a series of concerts. “I was shocked when I got the news that ‘Knock, Knock, Knock’ was a massive hit in […]
On this day in Jamaican History: Emancipation Park
On this day in Jamaican History: On July 31, 2002 Emancipation Park was officially opened in Kingston, Jamaica. The Park was created to be a symbol of our Freedom to Hope, to Excel and to Be. Emancipation Park is located in central New Kingston the home of corporate Jamaica. Visitors to the park can find some tranquility in […]
Listen to the Podcast of the Jamaica & Caribbean Weekly News Summary for the week ending July 31st, 2015
This is a Podcast of the Jamaica & Caribbean Weekly News Summary for the week ending July 31st, 2015. The JAMAICA WEEKLY News Summary Podcast is brought to you by Jamaicans.com. For past Jamaica & Caribbean Weekly News Podcasts please visit our archives.
Luv Me, Luv Me: Shaggy Recalls Janet Jackson Wanted Nothing to Do with the Song
When dancehall star Shaggy’s “Luv Me, Luv Me” track was first released in 1998, it was done as collaboration for an album track with Janet Jackson’s and “her people” Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jackson was not even in the studio with Shaggy as they did their vocals separately for the track. No one expected […]
Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories for the week ending July 31st, 2015
—————————————- THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES —————————————- LGBT COMMUNITY TO STAGE FIRST OF ITS KIND PRIDE CELEBRATION—07/27/15 While there will be no gay parade during its celebration, the LGBT community plans to present a first of its kind Pride 2015 event to coincide with the Emancipation and Independence celebrations in Jamaica between August 1, and […]
WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL – Our High Priest
In the Old Testament, worshippers were required to bring a sacrifice to the priest who would offer it up to God on their behalf. Worshippers and their sacrifices could not go directly to God. There always had to be a middleman, the high priest, who was the only one who could enter the Holy of […]