amjamin

Mother nature’s wonders seldom cease, neither do they cease to awe and floor us ­ literally and figuratively. Tucked into the central region of the eastern Caribbean island is the lush green tropical expanse in “de heart uh Barbados” and in its sanctum sanctorum is embedded a limestone cavern, a marvel of nature’s beauty. Amid breathtakingly stunning tropical flora, sprayed by occasional showers, emit the aroma of the earth lies Harrison’s Caves, home to myriad stalactite and stalagmite formations that are nature’s living and ever-evolving work of art. A motorised tram awaits at the entrance known as the Boyce Tunnel, named after equipment operator Noel Boyce, who was the first member of the construction team to break through the bedrock. Subdued lights embedded in the rock formations welcome the visitors, it can be an adventurous ride into a theme park, only that instead of ‘monsters’ popping out from the crevasses, the myriad shapes soothe the eyes and leave the interpretati...

Walls and ruins at Rockfort, coated with cement dust, staved off infiltrators and was the first line of defence. “Isn’t it an attractive idea to get an exciting tour that talks of the French invasion of Jamaica in 1694, the history of Kingston, and you get to fire a cannon?” asked Jonathan Greenland, pointing at the row of cannons lined at Rockfort. Fire a cannon? Just the mention of it is enough to transport you to the 17th century, when, the now-cement-dust-coated, cold stone walls of Rockfort were the front line of defence of Kingston. The cars that sped by on Sir Florizel Glasspole Boulevard faded into a distant obscure frame, the soldiers in rapt attention manning the metal-forged weaponry, looking out at the turquoise blue Caribbean Sea. “Rockfort,” informed Greenland, who is director of the National Museum Jamaica at the Institute of Jamaica, “was developed primarily because of fears of an attack on Kingston and the Liguanea Plain from the East, primarily the invasi...

Farmers wait for prospective buyers at British, Clarendon This is a piece of history that one has to traverse on a long, winding and rocky road to reach. The road takes a path that was chiseled out on the face of the mountain by slaves.   Nestled in the lush mountainous expanse of northeastern Clarendon is Jamaica's oldest and perhaps the only surviving market established by the slaves. Turning into a steep incline off Crofts Hill, Dr Neville Graham, a surgeon and a native of the parish, cautiously steered his pickup truck, negotiating hairpin bends on Old Woman Hill. The lush green expanse of Clarendon, where British is nestled He gingerly manoeuvres the vehicle on the stone-riddled path, as he would run his scalpel to make a precise incision on a patient. "This path was carved out of the guts of the slaves," Graham said, recalling how, as a boy, he used to trek down to the valley to buy fresh produce and goat meat to carry back. The drive down to B...

The men and women in the armed forces have always exuded awe, epitomised and oft romanticised. The click of the gleaming boots, the crisp creases of their uniform, the precise and well-coordinated movements all give a sense of pride and discipline. At the Up Park Camp headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the fatigues and camouflage blend with the lush greenery, a well-manicured facade with two retired armoured personnel carriers and a pair of cannons adorn the entrance to Jamaican Military Museum and Library (JMML). The museum, housed in the Nissen Hut, similar structure to an aircraft hangar, encases and captures - like the Sun Tzu, Art of Warfare with equipment, uniforms, insignia and weapons - the history of the JDF over the years. "The exhibits," says Captain Staci-Marie Dehaney, force curator, JDF, "not only show the history, but the transition from the Tainos to the modernised and evolving force." An illustrated history book A walk...

An anima tion student going through the motions of bringing an animated character to life. “We have the potential to become the next India,” says Dianne Wan, replete with animated gestures and packed with conviction. Wan, instructor of animation at Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) is not referring to Jamaica becoming the next ‘curry capital’ of the world, but the hub for animation. For Wan, the love affair with animation began early, and like every youngster and their fantasy world, she was glued to cartoons. “I used to watch Disney movie tapes over and over, till they jammed and could no longer be played,” she said. Growing up, Wan said, that love affair blossomed into a career path. “Animations are motion graphics,” said Wan, and like a creative thought process, they start with an ideation. A Stylus and animation pad - the new pencil and sketch pad for animators “First, the concept is drawn as thumb...

Bust of Sir Alexander Bustamante housed in the Bustamante Museum. This is a chapter of the island’s history that is tucked into a quiet neighbourhood in Kingston. Surrounded by lush greenery ­ every brick and every ounce of mortar at 24 Tucker Avenue stands as a living testimony to the life and times of Jamaica’s first Prime Minister Sir Alexander Bustamante. “The idea to convert the property into a museum started in 2006, which was realised in 2009, when the museum opened,” said Nora Strudwick, executive director of the Bustamante Museum. The premises, home to Sir Bustamante and his wife Gladys Longbridge, houses a diverse collection of memorabilia, which include the former prime minister’s letters, objects from his early adult years spent abroad in Spain, Cuba, and the United States. From humble beginnings to a world citizen ... replica of the house where Sir Alexander Bustamante was born. Encapsulated in the space is the aura of Sir Bustamante, as tall as his towering...

Taino Heritage by Norma Rodney-Harrack Taking a cue from Ralph Waldo Emerson, who once said, “Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” ’Tis a journey embracing the supreme being in its forms and manifestations. A mosaic of multicultural entities, Jamaica is home to as many denominations and beliefs, some potently evident, others subtle ­ like a spice mix, which exudes aromas and flavours of the island. ‘Explorations II: Religion and Spirituality’ seeks to explore those diversities, laying before creative conversations, expressions and interpretations of the two entities that are sacredly intertwined. “The series explores major themes in Jamaican art, and in the National Art Collection,” informed O’Neil Lawrence, senior curator at the National Gallery of Jamaica. “It aims to engage, in new, more exploratory ways with the artistic and cultural history of Jamaica.” Ancestral...