Out of many, one people

Spanish Town

In March 2024 I spent a few weeks in Spanish Town in Jamaica, a place I had not been before and where you see almost no tourists. Now I am fairly familiar with Jamaica because I have been there many times. Most of the time I feel very happy in Jamaica. I feel connected to nature and the unity of life.

However, now it was different. During my stay in Spanish Town, I saw a lot of poverty (even though there were neighborhoods where there were rich, big houses but that was an exception). The bulk of the population in Spanish Town is surviving every day and in their eyes I saw a kind of dullness perhaps despair or even resignation.

Perhaps it helps me to find an explanation for all this by looking again (globally) at the history of Jamaica (and also Spanish Town), although my view and interpretation of it may be “colored” or even guilt-ridden because I come from a country that also once owned colonies and was active in the slave trade.

In this blog I will insert some of the pictures I took in Spanish Town.

History

650 years before Christ, the Arawak Indians (native to South America) took possession of Jamaica. They named the island Xaymaca (land of many waterfalls). Jamaica was part of the Greater Antilles. In 1494, Columbus discovered Jamaica and named the island Santiago. In 1510 the Spanish founded the 1st settlements there such as at St. Ann’s Bay and later, in 1524 they moved south to Santiago de la Vega (now Spanish Town). Until 1872, Spanish Town remained the capital of Jamaica.

The Maroons during Spanish and British rule.

Jamaica was an important economic fulcrum for the Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. In 1517, it also became a refuge for employed slaves captured in Africa. In 1655, Jamaica was incorporated as a colony by the British although the Maroons (the slaves left behind and their descendants) resisted on several occasions. Finally, in 1741, the British made peace agreements with the Maroons and it was agreed that they could consider certain areas as their residence. With this, they became the 1st independent black communities. However, in 1795 when the Maroons fought a 2nd war against the British, their settlements were destroyed and they were deported to Canada and later to Africa.

Slave Trade

Due to the growing demand for manpower for the (sugar cane) plantations, the British brought many slaves to Jamaica. Blank proxies (the Slave Code) were issued giving the plantation owners complete freedom to trade outside the law. Slave rebellions could not fail to occur and from the 2nd half of the 18th century onward, this happened more and more. In 1808, a law went into effect prohibiting the trade in slaves by the British.

Emancipation Act

Later, in 1834 Britain passed the Emancipation Act. All slaves were to be freed albeit with a transitional arrangement. This stipulated that children under the age of 6 would be completely free, all others had to continue working on the plantations for another 4 to 6 years. Eventually it took until Aug. 1, 1838, before all slaves regained their freedom and could exercise civil rights. In 1865, resistance to British rule arose again. Although the rebellion was put down, more control, religious freedom and schools and roads were built.

Departure

Around 1917, there was a downturn in the economy due to falling sugar prices, higher labor costs and failed, new products (such as cotton, tobacco and rice). Many plantation owners returned to England.

Independence

In 1938, the Federation of the West Indies was created. An initiative by Britain to create a kind of union of British colonies in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, more and more Jamaicans were leaving the island. This was partly due to the deteriorating economy in the years before World War II (1940-1945). On Sept. 19, 1961, the Jamaican people spoke out in favor of independence. The Jamaican government opened negotiations and in 1962 Jamaica became a “dominion” under the British flag. Jamaica remained a member of the British Commonwealth. Since 1962, Jamaica has been independent and is officially a Constitutional Parliamentary Republic, which means so much that it has a high degree of independence but with the British head of state still being the reigning monarch of Jamaica. The country belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations.

My feelings

Over time, I have learned that if possible, you should always check your feelings. My feeling about Jamaica is that there is a big difference between rich and poor. That Jamaica is very dependent on tourism and in my opinion, the impact of colonial exploitation is still visible even though the government of Jamaica is trying to take measures that will help move forward.

International Monetary Fund

The IMF (International Monetary Fund) published a report in January 2024 that talked about an agreement with Jamaica to provide a loan of approx: US$ 1,782 million but interest has to be paid on that too (of course). See the article here.  This overview at the IMF shows that as of December 31, 2023 Jamaica still has an outstanding debt with them of (SDR): 380.95 million which is equivalent to about US$ 507.133 million.

All in all, Jamaica has a large amount of outstanding loans. The IMF provides such financial assistance to countries to support them in economic stability, structural reforms and solving balance of payments problems. The specific terms and use of these loans may vary depending on the arrangements between Jamaica and the IMF.

The challenges facing Jamaica

These challenges include: high crime rates (including violent crime, theft and drug-related activities), many poor roads, poor waste disposal and inadequate water supply.

There is also unemployment and economic inequality. Many people struggle to make ends meet and have limited access to (quality) jobs. Despite having health facilities, some parts of the community have limited access to quality health care and this leads to health problems that are not adequately treated.

Even though there are schools and educational institutions, some communities face educational challenges such as lack of resources and qualified teachers. This in turn affects opportunities for youth. Some groups also have limited access to social services, including housing, social work and mental health services resulting in social inequality and disadvantage for these vulnerable groups.

Progress how?

Improving living conditions in Jamaica requires focused government efforts. It is well known that more than 3 million tourists come to Jamaica each year. One would think, therefore, that one would generate enough revenue that the government could spend to improve much-needed amenities. The opposite is true; the income from tourism does not proportionally reach or benefit the local population, and on my visit in 2024, in addition to poverty, I definitely did not see a reduction in unemployment.

I want to recall this because the IMF report mentioned earlier (see again): “The economy continued to recover in 2023. After two years of rapid post-pandemic recovery, GDP growth in fiscal year 2023/24 is projected at 1.7 percent, with tourism well above pre-pandemic levels and unemployment falling to a record low of 4.5 percent by mid-2023. Inflation is converging toward the Bank of Jamaica’s target range, although it was recently affected by a rise in transportation prices, the effects of which are expected to dissipate by the end of the year. Expected strong tourism inflows are expected to result in a current account surplus for fiscal year 2023/24, supporting a healthy international reserve position. The financial system is well capitalized and liquid, and government debt continues to decline.”

Many tourism businesses (such as hotels and resorts) are often owned by foreign investors. In Jamaica, even the airport in Montegobay is foreign-owned. The profits generated by these companies are not used to support the local economy; on the contrary, these revenues are siphoned off! In addition, they import goods and services such as food, furniture and even employee uniforms from outside Jamaica. Thus, spending on these goes directly to foreign suppliers.

Although the arrival of tourists provides employment, it is limited. Local workers are (still) low paid. Higher management and specialized positions are often filled by foreign workers. Locals are thus excluded from high-quality employment opportunities.

Despite the revenue generated by tourism, investment in local infrastructure, such as roads, schools and health facilities, is inadequate. This is because there are tax schemes and government policies that favor foreign investors but do not primarily and necessarily benefit local communities.  For example, the toll road between Ocho Rios and Kingston, also known as the North-South Highway, a major highway connecting Jamaica’s north coast to the capital city of Kingston in the south, was built by the (Chinese) construction company China Harbour Engineering Company. They funded much of the construction costs in exchange for at least the operating rights and tolls on the highway.

Addressing the problems will require drastic changes such as policies aimed at increasing local participation in the tourism industry, encouraging investment in local infrastructure and communities, and promoting sustainable tourism that both provides economic benefits and protects natural and cultural resources.

The aforementioned IMF report (in the 10th paragraph) states that Jamaican authorities have stated to the IMF that wage reform will eliminate distortions in public sector pay, making it more transparent and instrumental in retaining qualified public servants. They also argue that careful management of the wage bill will be important in the future to avoid crowding out other priorities; improvements in public financial management can increase the quality of public spending… I read between the lines here that they thus claim to be trying to combat corruption.

How to stay hopeful

I came to Jamaica because of the music of Bob Marley. Besides liking his music, I admired him because he was an activist committed to poverty alleviation and social justice in Jamaica. His song lyrics were often infused with messages of hope, empowerment and resistance to political oppression. He was also involved in charitable initiatives and organizations. He organized and sponsored benefit concerts and events to raise money for education, health care and other basic needs of the underprivileged.

He spoke out against inequality, racial discrimination and he was a champion of peace and unity among people of all backgrounds. In short, Bob Marley used his talent to amplify the voice of the poor in Jamaica and beyond. He died 43 years ago in 1981.

I have been coming to Jamaica for 10 years now and have not really seen that great progress happen that Bob Marley hoped for and strived for.

Effects

Therefore, I suspect that it will be a long time before Jamaica can break away from the years of exploitation that happened during the colonial period and from the exploitation that I believe is still happening now but only it is now wrapped up in a different “jacket” and called “foreign investment”. What I mind about this is that the ‘man in the street’ suffers the most.

During my stay in Spanish Town (where, by the way, I was the only “white” tourist), I saw up close the effects for the population. The vast majority of them are suffering very badly.

I was very shocked to see the broken roads, the old, broken down houses and cars, accumulated dirt, people (old and young) looking among the garbage for something edible, the use of drugs, life in the ghetto and the small, shabby stores.

The feeling of insecurity prevailed because ordinary things like pointing at someone or walking towards a car could already pose (life) danger and when I wanted to withdraw money, someone always had to be there to ensure my safety. When you have to deal with this day in and day out, all that matters is how to survive, at the expense of another person if necessary.

But despite all this, Jamaica is forever in my heart!

Johanna