Guest Author - Magalie Noel

Much of reggae music, especially that of Bob Marley, revolves around Trenchtown. What is this area of Jamaica, and what is its significance?

Jamaica has always had its fair share of working poor - fishermen, farmers and merchants who lived in small shacks and huts with their families. These were often ramshackle affairs of cardboard and metal bits. One benefit of living in a warm climate is that thick walls and sturdy structures aren't necessary to keep out the snow. One group of such homes was near Kingstown, near a refuse dump, which many scavenged to find useful items.

Nature has many faces, however. It took its toll in 1951, when a massive hurricane destroyed an entire area of small homes.

The government stepped in to help and built Trenchtown to house the displaced people. To try to improve the condition of the people, instead of putting them in little huts, they built one and two story concrete homes for them, nicely laid out around central water and cooking facilities. They thought they were building a new community for the people, that would help them come together as a group.

Of course, little works out the way it was planned. The homes had no sewer systems, and quickly became a dirty, crowded area that baked in the summer and was cold and dark in the winter. In the meantime, those who controlled the wealth of Jamaica enjoyed the resort beaches and fine lifestyle that centuries of sugar plantation exploitation had brought them.

It is in this environment that young reggae musicians were bred and brought up.