So today is Jamaican Independence Day. JAMAICA! JAMAICA! So sweet, we have to bawl it out twice (step aside New York). For those interested in a little bit of the background, the Colony of Jamaica gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962, following more than 300 years under British control. Now you can argue how “independent” Jamaica really is but one thing is for sure, whether you are PNP or Labourite, Junglist or you come from Rema, Showerist, Powerist or British, there are just some things that I love about my people. So here is my personal list of those things that I love about my Jamaican heritage…

1. The actual beauty of the island: Sing it wid me “Help me big up Jamaica, the land of wood and water, de system might nuh proper but we love the food , the vibe and the culture….” Mosquitoes aside, Jamaica is one of the most beautiful places on earth. All you need is the right veranda and landscape to look out on. I have looked out on the Beverly Hills of Kingston, listened to the crickets singing at night in Jackland, St Anne’s and watched peeny wally (fireflies) in the dark in Goshen, Clarendon. I’ve climbed Dunns River, eaten fried fish on Hellshire Beach and rubbed my skin with black sand down by Milk River and trust me, even when the rain falls, the beauty of Jamaica is breath-taking. I can’t describe the tropical climate and do it justice here but take my word for it, Xamayca is a true Treasure Isle.

2. The food: Now listen. There’s two things that I know about our food. 1. When it’s done right, Jamaicans, hands down have the worlds best cuisine. From fried breadfruit and callaloo for breakfast to a lunchtime pattie (which one you prefer – Juicee or Tastee?) to our street food drum – pan Jerk chicken. 2. If your partner is Jamaican and doesn’t know how to “run boat”, find another partner. Because I have yet to meet the Jamaican (and I have to say, especially the Jamaican man) that cannot cook. They just have those hands. The rest of the world (outside of the Caribbean of course) are just discovering the beauty of fall off the bone oxtail. Mannish water is an absolute staple at our funerals and if you aren’t served this, please check if the person has really died. Salute to the Rastaman dem for their ital veganism long before it was fashionable because nothing is sweeter than boiled yam, dumpling and green banana with a little bit of ackee cooked in coconut oil. We have the best cuisine but there is definitely something about food from country (rural areas) that is literally the chef’s kiss.

3. The music: Again mek me tek a stop and siddung because music a fe we ting!! Now you have to understand that there are three musical Jamaicas. The first is the Church. The second is Dancehall and and the third is Rastafari. All three have done so much to shape each and everyone of us. First, the Church will take the most basic hymn and make it something very different. I cannot explain the magic of Jamaican singing in Church. We swing the words and drop harmony like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Dancehall borne out of reggae is the complete opposite of the church. That’s where you find everybody from bad bwoy to backslider. Jamaicans will work hypnosis or obeah on you and trap you with their lyrics – because nobody will love you harder than a Jamaican man that wants you or someone like the Queen of the dancehall – Spice who will have a man begging for more and music plays a big part in conveying that. Then you have the social conscience and political arm of our music that Rastafarians have single handedly given to the world. Now everybody across the world will know Bob Marley, but what do you know about Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Queen Ifrica, Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus, Marcia Griffiths or even Heart of the Congos? Whether they are Nyabhingi, Orthodox, Bobo or 12 Tribes, Rastafarians have elevated Jamaica to global proportions. We took a dip when dancehall took off but King Garnet Silk redressed the slackness balance and the tradition has continued with Sizzla, Chronixx, Luciano and Capleton. And nuh ask if dem nuh love bun fire pon de politician dem! Church Heathen by Shaggy with possibly my most favourite DJ of all time, the veteran, NINJAMAN single-handedly shows you when Church, Music and Backsliders collide!!

4. There’s a saying for everything: Whether “Every dog has their 4 o’clock” (everyone meets their end) and “wha spoil a marning can’t come good at night”. Jamaicans are the absolute perfectors of finding a saying for EVERY situation. It doesn’t matter if the situation is one of joy or one of sadness, we have a saying for it because “everything happen for a reason” and “nothing happens before it’s time.” So “don’t feel sorry fi marga dawg because him will tun tound and bite you” or my personal favourites “One one cocoa full basket” if there’s a situation, we have a saying. Best part is some of them are so well known that if you say to a Jamaican “wanty wanty…. ” or “who can’t hear….”, they will finish the sentence for you.

5. If we don’t agree on anything else, Sport – especially athletics – brings us together: One thing that will definitely unite us is our National Team in whichever sport they’re playing- even bobsledding (don’t ask how we even got there). From King Don Quarry to Heir Apparent Usain Bolt to Matriarch Queen Merlene Ottey to Baby Queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce you cannot sit next to Jamaicans when it comes to athletics. We are loud! We know it and we don’t care. But one thing you are going to do is respect us. When the Americans tried to send for us over their superstar Sha’carri Richardson, that was the red flag to the bull. I have never seen us so swept up on the one single issue. No matter who you think you are, please do not show off on us because we will shame you, trace you (cuss you out) and remember what you did for the rest of your life and beyond. We love the sportsmanship but not the undermining. But we actually love sport – so if Jamaica is not in the running (pun intended) we will support anyone from the Jamaican Diaspora first then after that anyone from the Caribbean, Africa or USA gets our support. In the meantime, here is live footage of me and every other Jamaican watching our team win.

6. Our inexplicable love for Celine Dion: I don’t know how this became a thing but we have a deep love for our unofficial queen Celine. There are a number of singers that we absolutely just love and who cannot do ANY wrong. The male equivalent is Michael Boulton (again I cannot explain why) but we just love them – closely followed by LeAnne Rimes for the one song, Faith Hill and Shania Twang (sorry, Twain) But there is just something about Celine that I feel to my core – and it doesn’t help that her full name is Celine Marie Claudette Dion because if I didn’t know who she was, I would’ve assumed from the name alone that she was Jamaican.

7. Parenting is a universal experience: Honestly, there are just some things that are universal to us and parenting is one of them. And just as you’d expect, parenting can range from stern to dramatic to funny as hell. There’s just no in between with us and I can’t explain why. If you survive Jamaican parenting past 25 years old, please make sure that you get a job that can afford the therapy because we are not easy. I say “we” because as a parent I have joined this exclusive club of exaggerating just about everything. And honestly, I didn’t realise this until the children and I had a discussion about their GCSEs and I went off on a tangent. Silence followed. It was Tamir who broke it by saying “See mum, this is why we can’t talk to you about certain things.” Even as I write this, I am laughing because it was the most Jamaican parenting that I had ever dished out and as he said it, I felt his pain because I realised how much I sounded like my parents.

8. The traditions: Although many Jamaican rituals are dying out nowadays, the ‘Nine Night’ ritual is still going strong and even in death, Jamaicans love a party! Nine Night is an extended wake that traditionally lasts nine days and involves music, stories about the deceased, stories about whose child really belongs to which man, lots of food, and plenty of drink. Friends and relatives will meet and celebrate the life of the person who has passed, and the gatherings are normally very lively and fun. Traditionally, the person will be buried after the ninth night, once the celebrations have finished. Another tradition I love is the burying of newborns’ umbilical cords beneath trees, which is said to give the infant a permanent connection with their homeland. There is also a tie to the one who cuts the umbilical cord of the baby – something I have done three times now.

9. Even in Church, we have no behaviour: So Jamaica has the most Churches per square mile than anywhere in the world (true ting!) And considering how we are, there is no surprise that our behaviour creeps into our Church every now and then. Each and everyone of us know of at least 3 church scandals by the time we reach the age of 10. If it’s not someone who has run away with someone’s wife or someone who has taken tithing to another level or Pastor takes his time to take the Scripture to trow wud on one of is flock, Jamaican Church is living Dramedy! It is a social centre where something happens on a daily basis because church back home is not restricted to Sunday alone. Watch the Shaggy video above, art really does imitate life.

10. Nobody (and I mean NUBADI) will love you harder than a Jamaican: Whether they’re you’re main stay, drive by, sideman or outside babymodda, Jamaicans are not for the faint-hearted. When we love, we love HARD!! Other people will tell you that their men don’t cheat – this is not the Jamaican way! If we’re going to cheat, we will cheat. Now cheaters will come in two different camps – they’ll either try to slick it out and pretend that’s not how they are (think of that Church bretheren that will blame Satan for their ways) – this type can be born again at least two times to absolve them of their sins; or they will be dry eye (brazen) enough to tell you that they love the ladies and “dem nah change fe no ooman”. I can categorically tell you that the brazen ones are hands down the sexiest but when someone shows you who they are, if they’re Jamaican BELIEVE DEM!! Jamaican women can match the men but we capture you in a different way. We can be coy or straight badass with our sensuality. There’s a reason why we have a Carleen the Dancehall Queen to Spice and even if you don’t like the straightforward Scotch Bonnet dancehall women. You might find the unicorn that is the non-cheating Jamaican who is just as sexy – if not sexier. Even though most Jamaicans can cook, this rare jewel can cook, clean, draw the right bush tea for any illness and make sure that you sleep well at night. The loyalty is deep. But be careful of the non-cheating man – because they will feed you. They love a thick gyal. So if you’re watching your waistline, you might need to stay far.

Was there anything that I missed off the list? What would you have added? I love my people. We are the living contradiction. We work hard. We cuss you as hard as we love you. Our common root is h=our history our food and “Out of Many, One People” who are Likkle but Talawah.

Happy Independence Day Jamaicans

Tricia xx