logo
g Text Version
Auto
Beauty & Self
Books & Music
Career
Computers
Education
Family
Food & Wine
Health & Fitness
Hobbies & Crafts
Home & Garden
Money
News & Politics
Relationships
Religion & Spirituality
Society & Culture
Sports
Travel & Leisure
TV & Movies

dailyclick
Bored? Games!
Postcards
Astrology
Take a Quiz
Rate My Photo

new
Women's Issues
Teaching LDS
Relationships
Action Movies
Twins


dailyclick
All times in EST

Full Schedule
g
g Caribbean Culture Site
Lea Ann Fessenden-Joseph
BellaOnline's Caribbean Culture Editor

g

Trenchtown, Jamaica
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.

RSS | Related Articles | Previous Features | Site Map


Content copyright © 2008 by Magalie Noel. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Magalie Noel. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Lea Ann Fessenden-Joseph for details.

Digg! g delicious Save to Del.icio.us

g


For FREE email updates, subscribe to the Caribbean Culture Newsletter


Past Issues


print
Printer Friendly
bookmark
Bookmark
tell friend
Tell a Friend
forum
Forum
email
Email Editor

g features
Visit Montserrat - The Other Emerald Isle

Limeade Recipe

Jamaica Me Crazy Jerk Chicken

Archives | Site Map

forum
Forum
email
Contact

Past Issues
memberscenter


vote
Driving Amount
Much more
Slightly more
Slightly less
Much less

g


| About BellaOnline | Privacy Policy | Advertising | Become an Editor |
Website copyright © 2008 Minerva WebWorks LLC. All rights reserved.


BellaOnline Editor